Clarifying the playoff push

[REHawksFan]

8 hours ago, RedDawg#8 said:

One team found a way win, the other didn't. 3 different times. You say we blew leads. I say they hit big shots. They had no fear against us. They smelled blood when it was winning time.

Did you watch those 3 games and come away thinking that we were clearly and obviously better than them? If you didn't then what are we talking about?

If the team names on the jerseys were switched and we won against them in the exact same way, would you be singing the same tune in their favor?

We swept the Wizards and won the last 2 in nail biter fashion with no Beal in their lineup. Do you think there is a debate that we arent the better team than them regardless of how we did it?

It's not a negative to have respect for your opponent. This is the 4/5 matchup after all . The most competitive matchup typically in every postseason. They are not a perfect team, otherwise they'd be higher than 4. So they are beatable. If there is any mental edge in a 4/5 series its got to be head to head records. 

I just disagree. I'm not into the fear thing. I thinkbit will be a tough series but ALL playoff series are tough unless you are the 1 or maybe 2 seed in the 1st round. 

Objectively, I think you have to look at the context in which the 3 games played out. This season more than most with all the injuries and upheaval with the Hawks. 

I can't look at these 3 games and then look at the rest of the season and objectively think the Knicks are the better team. Sorry. I just can't. 

This current, healthy Hawks team rarely wilts in the last 5 minutes. This current healthy Hawks team gets production from Bogie.  This current, healthy Hawks team gets 4 quarters from Trae rather than 3. Those things didn't happen in the 3 games vs the Knicks. 

So no. I don't watch the games and think the Knicks are just better because they hit late shots at the end. I watch and see Hawks teams that were clearly inferior to one the Knicks will see in the playoffs.

And I say that full well knowing that the Knicks are really good. They are mentally tough and play physical and really well vs the Hawks. And I still say the Hawks are better. 

 

[Gray Mule]

Just stop.  We're all looking at the three games that these two teams played, face to face.  Look at all the other games that these two teams have played.  NY has been very good in the NBA.  Tough as nails.  They can score a lot of points and they save Rose until things get too tight.   He is a great, key player for them.

Hawks have won many games this season.  They have done this with some of our key players out with injuries.  If, and this is a great big if, Atlanta can come into this series with a healthy roster and they remain injury free, we have a great chance.  NY will play hard, you can bet on this.  Not to say that they will deliberately injure any Hawk.  Just thinking of how any injury would hurt Atlanta.

[kg01]

7 hours ago, MarylandHawk said:

The Celtics need to do something good for once in their lives and beat the Knicks.  

Don't hold your breath.  Seeeees have absolutely nothing to play for so they'll probably sit everybody.  Even at full strength they're a pretty gutless bunch.

[Cwell]

Any games we lost under Pierce I’m taking with a grain of salt

[lethalweapon3]

"The Knicks will NEVER know what hit them today!"

~jabar1park3r

[Lurker]

I don't think this series will be easy by all means but yeah, I said earlier that given what happened when these games occur (first two games were before Pierce was fired and this became a much better 4th quarter team, and in the last game, Young was destroying them before he went out), you have to take the season series with a grain of salt.

[thecampster]

40 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

"The Knicks will NEVER know what hit them today!"

~jabar1park3r

Beat me. I freaking hate Boston. I hate their fans, I hate their color scheme, their floor and pretty much everything associated with them. And right one queue, they're sitting 7 to make it that much harder for us to get the 4 seed.

 

On the bright side, they played an OT game yesterday and everyone playing for Boston will have fresh legs.

[ATLHawks3]

45 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

"The Knicks will NEVER know what hit them today!"

~jabar1park3r

Welp, so much for homecourt....

[kg01]

49 minutes ago, ATLHawks3 said:

Welp, so much for homecourt....

Haha, today's theme will be how GREAT(sic) NYK is looking while defeating the mighty Selllltics (who literally don't care anymore)

[RedDawg#8]

5 hours ago, REHawksFan said:

I just disagree. I'm not into the fear thing. I thinkbit will be a tough series but ALL playoff series are tough unless you are the 1 or maybe 2 seed in the 1st round. 

Objectively, I think you have to look at the context in which the 3 games played out. This season more than most with all the injuries and upheaval with the Hawks. 

I can't look at these 3 games and then look at the rest of the season and objectively think the Knicks are the better team. Sorry. I just can't. 

This current, healthy Hawks team rarely wilts in the last 5 minutes. This current healthy Hawks team gets production from Bogie.  This current, healthy Hawks team gets 4 quarters from Trae rather than 3. Those things didn't happen in the 3 games vs the Knicks. 

So no. I don't watch the games and think the Knicks are just better because they hit late shots at the end. I watch and see Hawks teams that were clearly inferior to one the Knicks will see in the playoffs.

And I say that full well knowing that the Knicks are really good. They are mentally tough and play physical and really well vs the Hawks. And I still say the Hawks are better. 

 

We saw the same thing then. We are not different.

I said that they were the better team WHEN WE PLAYED. You said that we were inferior back then to the team we have now.

We both believe that we are now different if not better than we were before. 

The only difference seems to be that I am waiting to see what we can do at full (or near full) strength against them, while you are convinced that the matchup is tilted in our favor already.

There is no need to debate it because my position is not to put us below them. For the umpteenth time I think we can win the series too. The more we go back and forth, the more my narrative appears to be downing my Hawks and that's not what I'm about. 

I don't like the Knicks, I don't give a flip about any of them or their fans. Each loss we took to them pissed me off. I need to see us flip the script and return the favor 4 times. I am on record since the first loss saying I wanted pay back.

I'm a serial homer but in this instance I chose to be objective. However, I'm not going to waste anymore energy defending a position that unintentionally downs my team in favor of NY. Not going to happen. Screw that and them. 

I want their head on a pole. End of story.

[hawkman]

Go Celtics scrubs????

[Spud2nique]

Knicks lose, Hawks win. 
 

Still holding out hope.  

[ATLHawks3]

At least the Celtics aren't mailing it in.

[hawkman]

1 minute ago, ATLHawks3 said:

At least the Celtics aren't mailing it in.

I was expecting this to be a blowout early. They just need to hang around until the fourth. Anything can happen at that point. 

[ATLHawks3]

3 minutes ago, hawkman said:

I was expecting this to be a blowout early. They just need to hang around until the fourth. Anything can happen at that point. 

Knicks are starting to pull away now.

[hawkman]

3 minutes ago, hawkman said:

I was expecting this to be a blowout early. They just need to hang around until the fourth. Anything can happen at that point. 

Spoke too soon.

[kg01]

31 minutes ago, ATLHawks3 said:

Knicks are starting to pull away now.

Sellltics pump-faked the heck outta you and @hawkman. 

No way them scrubs were gonna make this look like a game.

[hawkman]

1 minute ago, kg01 said:

Sellltics pump-faked the heck outta you and @hawkman. 

No way them scrubs were gonna make this look like a game.

The scrubs were feisty to start out but the inevitable started to happen in the 2nd quarter. They're still hanging in there a lot better than I expected. 

[hawkman]

Go Celtics scrubs!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Of course I took the bait.

Took the Knicks ( -11.5 ), because the Celtics aren't playing any of their key guys.

 

Celtics guards playing like starters, and are now down by 6.

Yo . . . either BEAT them, or give all the way up.   No in between crap.

 

And I see we have 10 guys on the injury report . . just in case.   Notable is that Brandon Goodwin and Kris Dunn are OUT.

 

Possible Lineup

 

PG - Lou . . . ( will probably not play more than 15 minutes )

G - Snell

F - Hunter . . . ( maybe still on a minutes restriction )

PF - Knight 

C - Okongwu

 

G - Mays

F - Solo

C - Bruno