Playoffs - Game 1 Sunday @ 1PM on TNT

[cam1218]

Title says it all, that is all I see released so far. Hopefully we get the rest of the schedule soon.

[DJlaysitup]

Well I haven't been the fan online this year that I have been before but I really feel that we have a chance against the Wizards - even though they beat us 3 out of 4 in the regular season - finished with a better record - and hold the home court advantage.

Millsap and Dwight will keep us competitive inside for sure and if our wings and guards can hang in with them I think we have a chance.

I wish we still had Korver as an outside threat and maybe Jeff Teague as a playoff proven starting PG...but we don't...so we will see.

GO HAWKS

Edited April 13, 2017 by DJlaysitup
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[Lurker]

I hate this start time. Odds are very good I end up missing most of this game as I will be on the road Sunday. That worked out well last year but it isn't fun for me.

Maybe this is similar to 2011 in that despite an odd season, the Hawks can win as a lower seed and have a fun-ish second round series at minimum.

[cam1218]

6 minutes ago, Lurker said:

I hate this start time. Odds are very good I end up missing most of this game as I will be on the road Sunday. That worked out well last year but it isn't fun for me.

Maybe this is similar to 2011 in that despite an odd season, the Hawks can win as a lower seed and have a fun-ish second round series at minimum.

I feel you about the start time. I have tickets to the Braves game. Hopefully there is good wifi or a place where I can see the game there. 

[BackForThe2ndTime]

Expectations are low....so I feel okay about this. Go Hawks! 

[Thomas]

9 hours ago, DJlaysitup said:

I wish we still had Korver as an outside threat and maybe Jeff Teague as a playoff proven starting PG...but we don't...so we will see.

If Tim is on we'll be very in it every game. Might be a long series not having homecourt in our favor but still feel four wins is very attainable.

[JTB]

It's go time!

-Continue to start THJ & Prince

-Let's see if our back court of Dennis & THJ can match wall and beal POINTS wise or at the least get close

-stay out of foul trouble as much as possible

-DEFEND the 3pt line

-Get Sap and D8 going offensively/defensively & on the boards.

 

All said I truly believe we have a chance at taking this series and I believe Howard will show way more energy and continued good play in this series. Other than that let's just try to enjoy as much as possible!

GoHawks!

[JTB]

2 minutes ago, Thomas said:

If Tim is on we'll be very in it every game. Might be a long series not having homecourt in our favor but still feel four wins is very attainable.

Agreed....I'm not really feeling a threat to the Wizards defense. While they do cause a lot of turnovers, most of the Hawks shitty offense possessions against most teams this year has been because of themselves.

If Dennis and THJ match the Wizards back court or out play them we could see 4 wins early in this series. Unfortunately Dennis and THJ are kinda "KEY" guys for this series offensively and defensively....defensively I must say I don't expect the Hawks to stop wall or beal that's why I say matching their points is a must.

[Thomas]

2 minutes ago, JTB said:

most of the Hawks shitty offense possessions against most teams this year has been because of themselves.

Absolutely, started the season that way and its been a consistent thorn. Hoping Jose helps reign that in for us in the post season..

[Alex]

Wizards in 6.  

[cam1218]

For those of you that don't want to or are too lazy to look it up:

Game 2: Wednesday 4/19 7PM on NBATV (away)

Game 3: Saturday 4/22 5:30PM on TNT (home)

Game 4: Monday 4/24 8PM on TNT (home)

Game 5: Wednesday 4/26 (away)

Game 6: Friday 4/28 (home)

Game 7: Sunday 4/30 (away)

[macdaddy]

Let's win this thing.   

[Guest]

2 hours ago, JTB said:

It's go time!

-Continue to start THJ & Prince

-Let's see if our back court of Dennis & THJ can match wall and beal POINTS wise or at the least get close

-stay out of foul trouble as much as possible

-DEFEND the 3pt line

-Get Sap and D8 going offensively/defensively & on the boards.

 

All said I truly believe we have a chance at taking this series and I believe Howard will show way more energy and continued good play in this series. Other than that let's just try to enjoy as much as possible!

GoHawks!

We must limit our Turnovers.

[marco102]

Heard Bud say on 92.9 today that he's leaning towards keeping the starting line up the same with TP and THjr! That's pretty awesome.   I'm hoping we will be pleasantly surprised by Playoff Hawks.   The national media is already clamoring for a Celtics/Washington EFC against Cleveland.  I hope we spoil that party. 

[JTB]

13 minutes ago, marco102 said:

Heard Bud say on 92.9 today that he's leaning towards keeping the starting line up the same with TP and THjr! That's pretty awesome.   I'm hoping we will be pleasantly surprised by Playoff Hawks.   The national media is already clamoring for a Celtics/Washington EFC against Cleveland.  I hope we spoil that party. 

I'm also happy to hear bud say this but that should have been the starting lineup sometime in December or maybe even before. Bud gets called out around here but I'm sure he knew and saw how much of a liability Baze and Thabo are offensively....yet he was trying to make some magic out of nothing I suppose.

said it before in other threads Dennis, THJ, Prince is our future starters....mind as well start them now.

[Dragitoff]

Defensively I like Baze and Thabo coming off the bench anyway.  Now that we've got Calderon to run the offense for the 2nd unit and Ersan and a rejuvenated Moose, we can score enough.  I just like having those 2 guys to stop the other team's 2nd unit from scoring.  That 2nd unit will rely on ball movement to score and I think they've got the right personnel to do it. 

[Guest]

Breaking down the Wizards-Hawks series from the Atlanta perspective

Quote

Atlanta Hawks beat writer Chris Viviamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was good enough to answer five questions about the upcoming Wizards-Hawks first-round series which starts Sunday in Verizon Center. To the questions:

What has been better since the Hawks’ mid-February-to-late-March swoon?

I point to four main reasons for the Hawks recent resurgence after the rough stretch that saw them lose six of eight games and then seven straight losses shortly after that.

 

1. They are healthy. Paul Millsap recently came back after missing eight games with left knee synovitis from March 18-April 1. The Hawks best player said he was dealing with knee pain before he was shut down and had a non-surgical procedure. Kent Bazemore recently came back after missing five games with a right knee bone bruise from March 20-28. He too said he had been dealing with the issue before it came to a head and he needed to be shut down for a week. Thabo Sefolosha missed nine games from Jan. 29 to the All-Star break with a left groin strain and then eight games from March 26-April 9 with a right groin strain. There were times when the Hawks played without three starters.

2. The Hawks bench is back to being a strength with rotation players out of the starting lineup. The Hawks had a deep bench and then added Ersan Ilyasova, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jose Calderon. They have helped fill specific roles.

3. Tim Hardaway Jr. has blossomed this season but in particular late in the year. He has started 24 of the final 35 games. He has 23 20-point games and two 30-point games. He supplanted Bazemore in the starting lineup and likely will remain there.

4. The Hawks’ ball movement has been much better of late. The Hawks don’t have a lot of pure shooters so they have to move the ball to create open shots. It was a trademark of the team the past few seasons, including in 2014-15 when they won 60 games.

Which team do you think they are? The one that struggled for two months or the one that defeated the Cavaliers in back-to-back games and won three consecutive to secure the No. 5 seed?

I don’t have an answer for this question because it’s been a season of ups and down having most scratching their head to figure out the real team. They have wins over the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets (twice), Celtics (twice), Raptors (twice) and Cavaliers (three times). They also have losses to the Timberwolves (twice), Lakers (twice) and the Suns. They’ve been blown out several times. They have come back from 20-point second-half deficits three times.

I think they have a tendency to play down to the level of their competition so I expect a better showing in the playoffs against the Wizards. They lost in D.C. in March without two starters by just four points after allowing the Wizards a 24-8 run late.

How do you think the Hawks will use Dwight Howard and Mike Muscala in this series?

The big man will be one of the keys for the Hawks. Howard gives them an inside presence that, at times, has been effective. He will battle Marcin Gortat. However, if the Wizards spread the floor with a big like Jason Smith, the Hawks will have to go to Muscala. Howard hasn’t been able to defend away from the basket. In fact, several of the Hawks’ big comebacks have come when they have used a smaller lineup to spread the floor. This will be a game-to-game decision to see what is working the best.

The Hawks win if…

As I see it, the big key for the Wizards is the backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal. They will most likely win their matchups with Dennis Schröder and Hardaway. However, if they Hawks guards can hang tough and not get torched, then they have a chance the frontcourt can win their battles – meaning Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard. The Hawks are not good – at all – at defending the 3-point line so that is where they have to defend Wall/Beal and Otto Porter. Bazemore and Sefolosha could be used to help the Hawks neutralize the Wizards’ backcourt but that means Millsap and Howard have to be big (literally and figuratively).

What’s your prediction for the series and why?

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Wizards came out strong from the start and won in five games. However, I think the Hawks can hang with them. The key will be Game 3, even if the Wizards win Games 1 and 2. If the Hawks can win at home and regain some momentum from the Wizards’ first punch I think they are capable of going back to D.C. and winning a Game 5 or maybe a Game 7. I just think the Hawks are capable of stealing a game on the road in this series. For that reason, I will say the Hawks in seven games.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/13/breaking-down-wizards-hawks-series/

[macdaddy]

We're a decent road team.  We need to get one in DC for sure.   Defending the 3 point line and limiting turnovers is definitely our keys.   

[Kimsey]

1 p.m. tip off is not good for this team. They struggle in early games. 

[macdaddy]

11 minutes ago, Kimsey said:

1 p.m. tip off is not good for this team. They struggle in early games. 

Just don't wear blue for crying out loud.