Official Game Thread: Mavericks "at" Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“Vobble, Baby! Vobble, Baby! Vobble, Baby! Vobble…”

 

Beez in the Trap! It won’t take any more Nicki Minaj slander to for Atlanta Hawks fans to understand that tonight’s meeting with the Dallas Mavericks at Philips Arena (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Southwest in DFW) is the quintessential “trap game”.

When our Hawks last left American Airlines Center on January 7, they played at a tempo more amenable to the Mavericks’ style of play, but still stifled their perimeter offense (25.0 3FG%) along the way to a smooth 97-82 win. So, coming off a big win in Boston on Monday, it’s likely Atlanta thinks it has (again) turned the corner, and can now just stroll down the street, unencumbered by a Dallas squad missing swingman shooter Wesley Matthews (hip). Well, not so fast, my fine feathered friends!

Dallas fell to 11-26 with that loss to the Hawks. But within a week, the Mavs would embark on a 13-8 run that elevated them completely out of the Western Conference basement. Now just 2.5 games out of that 8-seed in the West, Rick Carlisle’s club is perfectly happy competing and letting the chips fall where they may.

Up until that point, the Mavs seemed a bit lost in terms of direction. Slow and aging starters around a free agent pickup in forward Harrison Barnes (career-high 20.1 PPG) who is still getting a feel for the ropes, supported by a relatively clueless supporting cast off the bench, was the recipe for a rudderless campaign. Then, point guard Yogi Ferrell came along, and pairing him with That Other Curry, Seth (last 3 games: 24.3 PPG, 61.1 3FG%, 4.0 APG; 29 points on 5-for-7 3FGs in win vs. MIA on Monday), allowed the Mavs’ offensive uptick to commence in earnest.

One trivial note: despite having a middle name of Duane, and growing up in Indiana, Yogi is completely unrelated to former Hawks player, sportscaster and ex-Pacer Duane Ferrell. Kevin Duane Ferrell, Jr. is doing more than just distinguishing himself from his father by using a cartoonish first name. Yogi has stood out enough over just 13 games (4.8 APG, 1.8 TOs/game, 41.0 3FG%), that the Mavs’ brass had no qualms about cutting ties with Metroplex native Deron Williams, who now gets to be that coveted playmaker LeBron has been whining about.

Keeping the youth movement in a positive direction, the team also moved their intractable center Andrew Bogut, and the disappointing second-year pro Justin Anderson, in a deal with Philadelphia for the formerly sandbagged Nerlens Noel. Noel’s exploits with compiling steals and blocks in games had disappeared, once the 76ers turned the pivot over to Joel Embiid. Now, the Mavs hope to make prominent use out of what Donnie Nelson calls the “Tyson Chandler Starter Kit.”

These moves serve Dallas well in keeping the Dirk Nowitzki Farewell Tour extended for another season or two. Noel will eventually allow Dirk (13.6 PPG, lowest since rookie season in 1998-99; 38.6 3FG%; career-high 25.9 D-Reb%) to shift away from center and back to a stretchy power forward, while moving Barnes into the small forward spot that he played frequently at Golden State.

Carlisle’s Commandment is to press, press, press opponents from halfcourt to the three-point line, shooing them off from taking contested shots and forcing them into mistakes once they put the ball on the floor. Opponents shoot 38.5 3FG% against Dallas (2^nd-highest in NBA), but open looks are surprisingly few and far between (24.5 opponent 3FGAs/game, 4^th-fewest in NBA).

The Mavs’ 15.3 opponent TO% is the best in the league, but their 7.8 steals-per-48 is just average (15^th in NBA). Instead, they’ll force all the other kinds of mistakes out of their foes: traveling, double-dribbles, offensive fouls, 3-second violations, and the like. The slow tempo accommodates Nowitzki, while the dogged defensive efforts around him keep him from having to do too much at the rim.

The defense has been just sound enough to allow the Mavs time to find their individual comfort zones on the offensive end. To keep the perimeter defense sound, Matthews’ absence pushes Dorian Finney-Smith back to the starting unit. Noel was supposed to start, but a bout of Schröder’s Disease had him late for the team plane, thus keeping him a reserve for now.

Dallas leaves the offensive rebounding chances alone (18.3 O-Reb%, last in NBA), likely suggesting that a rested Dwight Howard (17 points and 12 rebounds in less than three quarters @ BOS on Monday; 38 double-doubles, most by any NBA player age 30+) and Paul Millsap (10 D-Rebs plus 2 steals @ BOS) should have a field day around the rim, with only Noel likely to try changing that outcome.

No longer a team with a running identity (11.7 fastbreak points per-48, 21^st in NBA) Atlanta needs to push the pace when they can. But when setting up in halfcourt, the key for Dennis Schröder and company is to emphasize motion (more cuts, less drives) while keeping the ball off the floor as much as rationally possible. On the defensive end, let’s pressure Dallas’ relatively new guards and make it clear that it’s the Mavs, not the Hawks, who are stuck in the trap game.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

 

View full record

 

[Thomas]

7 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Keeping the youth movement in a positive direction, the team also moved their intractable center Andrew Bogut, and the disappointing second-year pro Justin Anderson, in a deal with Philadelphia for the formerly sandbagged Nerlens Noel. Noel’s exploits with compiling steals and blocks in games had disappeared, once the 76ers turned the pivot over to Joel Embiid.

Another take on Philly just being fracking cursed. Embiid is done for the year, Noel has been traded and so it goes in Sixerland. Same as it ever was. 

[AUhawksfan]

This game is uuuugly. The turnovers on both ends....sheesh. 

Its sad when I'm at least happy we aren't getting blown out by a bad team at home. 

[Guest]

Not only turnovers but we always give up about 15 more shots in these foolish loses!

[capstone21]

Messy 4th by both teams but a hard fought win

game ball to the newbie ... very accurate and hitting those key free throws with confidence

that Curry kid can shoot but man his 'beard' is an embarrassment 

 

[NBASupes]

Dennis got heart

[Thomas]

No blow out loss but everyone seems to feel it was. We actually won. Many ways to win and I'll take any of them. 

[Lurker]

Maybe the worst half I've ever seen played by a point guard. Can't be passive AND turnover prone. But it all worked out in the end.

Great game by Ersan Ilyasova.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Lurker

[sturt]

3 hours ago, Thomas said:

Same as it ever was. 

"You may ask yourself, MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?"

[sturt]

Dang I was nervous 3 down and that Yogi guy seemingly ready to punish Budcox for not moving when they had the chance.

[Guest]

Dwight was dominating in the 1st half.

Welcome to the Hawks Ilyasova - had quite a game, 1 missed shot, took a charge - nice very nice.

Dennis with the final block, mire impressive than the actual block was that he didn't bite on the pump fake.

Good Win!

1 down 5 to go (in this home stretch).

[lethalweapon3]

(and he rebounds, too!)

~lw3

[Guest]

Turnovers:

Dennis - 7

Paul - 6

Dwight - 5

Nooo goodie!!!

[LamarHampton]

1 hour ago, capstone21 said:

 

that Curry kid can shoot but man his 'beard' is an embarrassment 

 

You ever see the Jimmy Kimmel 'Mean Tweets' NBA segment? I am too lazy to find it, but they had Steph up there reading a mean tweet someone made about him that went something like : " Steph Curry is a good basketball player and all, but his facial hair is kinda pubey." I almost died laughing. Because it's true. I guess pubey facial hair runs in the family. (Mutombo on that clip was funny as hell too, saying that if Something ever happens to the guy who does the voice for Cookie Monster, at least we have a backup voice guy in Deke LOL)

im loving the addition of Ilyasova despite the air ball or two in his first game and also despite that according to Wikipedia there is a chance he is actually a dirty f!$@ing Uzbeki (sorry, Borat reference there for all you other immature mofos).

i hope that with him and Dunleavy (get well soon) and Timmy we can surround Dwight with shooters ala a (very) lite version of that old ORL team. We shall see.

good game tonight, but let's be real - it shouldn't have been a close contest at all, our guys let off the gas. Better step up yo game, Hawks!!!!

[Guest]

Anybody else super unimpressed with Nerlens No "L"?

[Guest]

Ilyasova had 3 steals  - wow.  Didn't see that coming.

[Thomas]

Believe that trade for Ersan at the deadline has officially earned us a win. Don't think we survive that game last night without him. A Hawk hitting all his three point shots is a rare event even when we had Kyle here.

[Guest]

48 minutes ago, Thomas said:

Believe that trade for Ersan at the deadline has officially earned us a win. Don't think we survive that game last night without him. A Hawk hitting all his three point shots is a rare event even when we had Kyle here.

 "Shiiii, I coulda hit them threes too."

[hawkman]

3 minutes ago, kg01 said:

 "Shiiii, I coulda hit them threes too."

"You're done Moose. You had your chance."

[macdaddy]

Ersan is a great move for us.   Not just because he can hit 3s.   He's just tougher and meaner than Moose or Hump.

I haven't watched the 2nd half yet so i'm guessing Yogi did well?  Maybe i was too hyped to see him but i thought he was pretty awful in the first half.   And Noel?