Why can't we beat the Raptors??

[Wurider05]

Is Casey a better coach than Bud? Derozan is a good player but he looks like Jordan every time we play them!! What is going on and how do we fix it? It seems that we have a better chance of beating the Cavs or the Warriors than the Raptors LOL!!

[Lurker]

Lowry and DeRozan are very strong dribble drivers which this team doesn't have the perimeter defense to guard (and they honestly didn't with Carroll either). When they beat their man, the big guys have to help out of the paint, and it often leads to guys that are 6'6" or smaller trying to box out guys that are at least 2-3 inches taller.

The only chance with the personnel they have now is to pray that Mike Scott is volcano-hot and play him at the 3 for 20 mins in a game in a lineup of Horford/Millsap/Scott/Hardaway Jr or Sefolosha/Teague.

[benhillboy]

Casey is a fine coach but definately no Bud.  

What they do have is outstanding roster construction by Majiri.  The Hawks' outstanding chemistry is an advantage over 85% of the league.  It's cancelled out by Toronto, SA, and GS, who have equal if not better long-standing team comradery.

They're just tailor-made to beat us.  Lowry and DeRozan make their living off the tough shots the Hawks' defense is designed to force.  

Top it off with a great mix of Bigs in Patterson, Valančiūnas, Scola, Johnson, and Biyombo.  Even though none of those guys are individually in the class of Sap or Al, they seem to always have a + effect up front.  

It's either the length and girth of Valančiūnas, the three point shooting and perimeter defensive ability of Johnson and Patterson, the hustle and ruggedness of Biyombo, or the cageyness and mid-range shooting of Scola.  All of that in concert with the guards is just too much for the holes we have.

They're beatable in just as many variable ways as the Hawks have beaten other teams.  We don't have to shoot well from three or rebound out of character.  It is pretty impossible to beat them when they make 10 or more threes though.  As the fourth best shooting three point team in the league last time I checked, it just makes for a bad matchup.  They're much better than the sum of their parts.  Especially seeing as how Ross salivates at the sight of Kyle guarding him and decides to be the catch-and-shoot king off all the attention Lowry and DeRozan draw.  

What I'm trying to figure out is why does Vegas not know the stranglehold they've had on the Hawks these past two seasons.  In Toronto they were favored by only a point, we all saw the game wasn't as close as the 8 point margin.  Tonight the Hawks are a -7.5 favorite?  Huh?

[Dejay]

Lowry and DeRozan are matchup nightmares for this team, alongside with them have more size to get extra shots up. And when they're hitting their 3s (which they always seems to do when they play the Hawks), they're tough to beat...

[Duff_Man]

They have Demarre and the Hawks don't. 

[Gray Mule]

Hawks have recently tried to sleepwalk through the first quarter, then fight the next three.

Watch tonight as the Atlanta lads fall behind and end the first quarter behind 33-13.

They then win the final three quarters, but not by enough to overcome that sleepwalk

in the beginning of the game.

That was their formula in their last three games.  Can tonight's game be different?

We can only hope.

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Every team in the league seems to just have another team's goat. The Pacers probably ask the same question about us every time we play 'em.

But I do agree w/ Lurker a little. We have problems w/ playmakers...

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[Alex]

Toronto is simply a better roster of players.  That's why the Hawks can't and won't beat them in a playoff series.  

[HawksNWaffles]

.......Drake 

[ATLHawks3]

Toronto is 2nd in the league behind Houston at getting Free Throw attempts at about 27 a game. We on the other hand are 29th in the league at getting free throw attempts at just 20 a game. That and the fact that they hit almost 37% of their three point attempts are the reasons why we have problems against them.

[Peoriabird]

Kyle Korver is averaging 6 points per game against them