Do you think the Hawks can win the NBA championship this season?

[BigDog90]

6 hours ago, hazer said:

If Hawks make 2 ECFs in a row, then continue down the same path that got them there, FAs will finally start giving ATL a look. Not the "me! me! me!" ones (I'm talking to you LaBrawna, Caramello, The Beard, etc). But the CP3's, KDs, Davises, so forth. Win and they will come.....

I don't know about that. Pacers made it back to back ECFs (2013 and 2014) and no major free agents came their way.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, BigDog90 said:

I don't know about that. Pacers made it back to back ECFs (2013 and 2014) and no major free agents came their way.

They also didn't have any cap space. That's not to say I think getting to the ECF matters for upcoming free agency though...

[hazer]

1 hour ago, BigDog90 said:

I don't know about that. Pacers made it back to back ECFs (2013 and 2014) and no major free agents came their way.

 

1 hour ago, hawksfanatic said:

They also didn't have any cap space. That's not to say I think getting to the ECF matters for upcoming free agency though...

Indianapolis, Atlanta, enough said.....

[BigDog90]

3 hours ago, hawksfanatic said:

They also didn't have any cap space. That's not to say I think getting to the ECF matters for upcoming free agency though...

That is true they didn't have any cap space.

[BigDog90]

2 hours ago, hazer said:

 

Indianapolis, Atlanta, enough said.....

Unfortunately ATL being a major market city hasn't worked in Atlanta's advantage when it comes to FA.

[Plainview1981]

On 3/25/2016 at 9:04 AM, NineOhTheRino said:

So 65%  says the Hawks can't win a title this season.  It's clear that many here are still shook from that dreadful Cavs series.   

No, I don't think the team can win the title.

This team probably can't make the finals... I mean, even if the Cavs fell apart... Could the Hawks get past Toronto?

They haven't really shown that they can beat Toronto as of yet. Toronto beat this team in 3 out of the 4 meetings last year, and they've beat them this year. Honestly, most the games play out the same way.... And that suggests to me that Bud hasn't figured out a way to deal with them.  

It's not that Toronto always blows the Hawks out. It's that Toronto controls and dictates the games. It's like they always have the Hawks under control even if the scoreboard suggests that the Hawks have a chance to win. Toronto keeps the Hawks at arms length and DD seems to be able to get whatever he wants, and Toronto usually seems to hit their outside shots against the Hawks.

 

[Lurker]

The eastern playoffs are really just for show this year, even if they are likely going to be very good with the way things have looked.

No, and really no one from out of the east is beating Golden State or San Antonio this year.

[hazer]

9 hours ago, BigDog90 said:

Unfortunately ATL being a major market city hasn't worked in Atlanta's advantage when it comes to FA.

That's the past. The point being If Hawks make 2 ECFs in a row, ATL being a major market city will start working in their favor where it hadn't previously.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Hotlanta1981 said:

No, I don't think the team can win the title.

This team probably can't make the finals... I mean, even if the Cavs fell apart... Could the Hawks get past Toronto?

They haven't really shown that they can beat Toronto as of yet. Toronto beat this team in 3 out of the 4 meetings last year, and they've beat them this year. Honestly, most the games play out the same way.... And that suggests to me that Bud hasn't figured out a way to deal with them.  

It's not that Toronto always blows the Hawks out. It's that Toronto controls and dictates the games. It's like they always have the Hawks under control even if the scoreboard suggests that the Hawks have a chance to win. Toronto keeps the Hawks at arms length and DD seems to be able to get whatever he wants, and Toronto usually seems to hit their outside shots against the Hawks.

 

 Just like when we beat the Cavs in the regular season last year and couldn't do squat in the playoffs because as some of you like to point out the playoffs are a completely different animal,  the same applies to Toronto. 

There is NOTHING that tells me that Toronto is a playoff juggernaut.  Just like the cry for the Hawks was regular season didn't matter the same is true for Toronto. 

 

[Plainview1981]

4 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 Just like when we beat the Cavs in the regular season last year and couldn't do squat in the playoffs because as some of you like to point out the playoffs are a completely different animal,  the same applies to Toronto. 

There is NOTHING that tells me that Toronto is a playoff juggernaut.  Just like the cry for the Hawks was regular season didn't matter the same is true for Toronto. 

 

It's true that Toronto is not some sort of dominate team... It's also true that Toronto completely flopped in the playoffs last year.

However, Toronto seems to be a matchup problem for the Hawks. I see no reason why that wouldn't carry over to the playoffs. 

That said, it's surely not impossible for the Hawks to beat them.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Hotlanta1981 said:

It's true that Toronto is not some sort of dominate team... It's also true that Toronto completely flopped in the playoffs last year.

However, Toronto seems to be a matchup problem for the Hawks. I see no reason why that wouldn't carry over to the playoffs. 

That said, it's surely not impossible for the Hawks to beat them.

Because like EVERYONE likes to point out - regular season means nothing.

[Plainview1981]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Because like EVERYONE likes to point out - regular season means nothing.

The Hawks were not capable of beating Cleveland last year. That's why the Hawks winning the season series meant nothing.

 

[Lurker]

It wasn't just that Cleveland out talented Atlanta (and still does), there was a pretty poor defensive gameplan that if Atlanta does get to the point again I hope was trashed. Start Thabo Sefolosha if that series does happen to occur again, only use some token traps before the half court (if it's in the half court go purely man to man defense and one on one with James), and try to wall off the paint. If James beats you with jump shots, he beats you. You're more worried about his playmaking than his own offense.

Irving and Teague will cancel each other out if Teague is motivated, and Love can't guard Millsap or Horford.

And *knock on wood* if Thabo isn't healthy, then WELP against James and how the heck did Atlanta beat Charlotte/Boston and then Toronto (if it's the 3rd seed) to get there?

As I don't think Atlanta beats Toronto anyway if that series happens unless we see more adjustments (ie: a starting lineup change, because Bazemore really can't check DeRozan and a willingness to remove Korver from the game when Toronto uses a three guard lineup with three ball handlers).

I've always felt that the idea that Kevin Love being healthy changes absolutely nothing for Cleveland, but I was thinking that Kyrie Irving being healthy would. I don't think the positive difference is as much as the media stakes it out to be.