Official Game Thread: Hawks at Knicks -- GAME 5

[HawkingAwesome]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

IIRC - Philly has played drop coverage on Trae, since Embiid doesn't step up on the PnR...but that's what I remember from last year anyway.  Strange, I don't remember much of those games from this season. Oh well. 

Anyone has a link from this season's games vs Philly?

the problem is if embid steps up that leaves the dunker spot drooling for a highlight over embid

[kg01]

1 minute ago, HawkingAwesome said:

the problem is if embid steps up that leaves the dunker spot drooling for a highlight over embid

Prediction: Embiid plays 1 game in this series.  That injury's not joke and it can get worse if he plays with it.

[Atlantaholic]

Bogi has been the coldest he's been since he got inserted in the starting lineup. What happens if he catches fire? These are the type of things the MSM is unable to ask themselves because they have no clue whatsoever about anything Hawks related.

[AHF]

16 minutes ago, High5 said:

Right, but he was very lucky to have a 12 point lead in the 4th the way he shot the other 3 quarters. He got some of those points when the Knicks were already checked out. It is what it is, not every game can be a masterpiece. 

While "masterpiece" is indeed a high bar, I think you are asking too much.  He put up 36 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.  That is a huge playoff game.  He should be lauded for bringing such a huge impact to game 5.  That was a big game to close out the series on the road.

[Atlantaholic]

1 minute ago, AHF said:

While "masterpiece" is indeed a high bar, I think you are asking too much.  He put up 36 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.  That is a huge playoff game.  He should be lauded for bringing such a huge impact to game 5.  That was a big game to close out the series on the road.

Not to mention he and Bogi, who was also ice cold most of the game, pretty much put the Hawks offense on their backs and countered every single Knicks bucket in crunch time in the fourth. 

[High5]

7 minutes ago, AHF said:

While "masterpiece" is indeed a high bar, I think you are asking too much.  He put up 36 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.  That is a huge playoff game.  He should be lauded for bringing such a huge impact to game 5.  That was a big game to close out the series on the road.

Counting stats aren’t everything, and context matters, but alright I won’t say anything more about it. It was a great series from Trae. 

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, High5 said:

Right, but he was very lucky to have a 12 point lead in the 4th the way he shot the other 3 quarters. He got some of those points when the Knicks were already checked out. It is what it is, not every game can be a masterpiece. 

But that's what you want when your star is struggling - for the 'others' to step up and carry the load.

[Atlantaholic]

4 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

But that's what you want when your star is struggling - for the 'others' to step up and carry the load.

Hunter was huge in the second and thir quarters when really no one on the Hawks could get it going. Both him and Collins carried the offense while Bogi and Trae struggled to hit shots. 

[Gray Mule]

Watched the entire nail biting episode.  Late in the 4th, NY could get red hot and win.  Then, the dagger three and that drove the final nail in any hopes for the Knickerbockers.  Then, the free throws!

MINI INSERT IN THE GAME:

He only played six minutes.  He scored two points.  He grabbed four rebounds and blocked two shots.  No one mentions our young rookie but he came in, did his thing and went back and sat down.

Hawks three point shots - terrible for most of the game.  However, for a team with no defense, Atlanta's looked just as good as the NY teams.  Since no one could make a three, Hawks simply moved closer and hit their two point shots.  They add up slower but they still add up.

On to the 76ers.  Remember, their fans are famous.  They booed Santa.  Their great center may be unable to go.  This means that Atlanta has a much better chance.  Remember, Our three's wouldn't fall last night.  Hawks won any way with clutch two point shooting, good free throw shooting and solid defense.  We should expect nothing less when we move on up to the next level.

 

[AHF]

48 minutes ago, High5 said:

Counting stats aren’t everything, and context matters, but alright I won’t say anything more about it. It was a great series from Trae. 

Context enhances it for me.  He controlled the offense brilliantly in a game where both teams were struggling to hit shots (Trae included) and answered down the stretch over and over to ensure the win.  While he struggled with his shot before the 4th, he was still a huge positive for us on offense because of what he does on that end outside of shooting.  Getting to the line 15 times was also huge for us.  Huerter ran the offense a lot when Trae was off the floor and finished with 0 steals, 4 turnovers, and 1 assist.  Trae had 2 steals, 4 turnovers and 9 assists.  If he had gone done with a sprain and missed the first 3 quarters, we would have lost the game.  It was a big night from my perspective.

[Thomas]

8 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

On to the 76ers.  Remember, their fans are famous.  They booed Santa.

Pretty much sums up the 76er fans right there. Kincade included.

[Thomas]

Counting stats is not everything but include them with watching a game sealing fourth quarter almost covers it. Game was both ugly and beautiful. Cold shooting was painful but great defense and a clutch four quarters both ends finished this series. Proud of the kids. 

[RedDawg#8]

51 minutes ago, High5 said:

Counting stats aren’t everything, and context matters, but alright I won’t say anything more about it. It was a great series from Trae. 

Nope, you are right to be critical

36% from the field, 27% from 3pt. Two really bad turnovers late in the game that kept their crowd energized.

That was my problem with the trolling. You had an ugly game, just be a sportsman and keep it moving. Our defense locked them down to win that game. Trae was able to live at the line. Im not faulting him for shooting poorly, but it needs to be a part of the convo when you talk about having a "star" performance.

First 3 games of the series, Trae was an efficient 51% from the field and 44% from 3.

Last 2 games, 39% from the field and 28% from 3.

Trae is going to the 2nd round on the back of his two worst shooting performances. Philly has better perimeter defenders. I do not care how much attention and love he is finally and DESERVEDLY getting, he has to re-gain that focus he had prior to the Knicks series and lock in.

I love Trae when its him vs the world. Frontrunner Trae plays silly and careless basketball. Need to fix that

[REHawksFan]

9 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

Nope, you are right to be critical

36% from the field, 27% from 3pt. Two really bad turnovers late in the game that kept their crowd energized.

That was my problem with the trolling. You had an ugly game, just be a sportsman and keep it moving. Our defense locked them down to win that game. Trae was able to live at the line. Im not faulting him for shooting poorly, but it needs to be a part of the convo when you talk about having a "star" performance.

First 3 games of the series, Trae was an efficient 51% from the field and 44% from 3.

Last 2 games, 39% from the field and 28% from 3.

Trae is going to the 2nd round on the back of his two worst shooting performances. Philly has better perimeter defenders. I do not care how much attention and love he is finally and DESERVEDLY getting, he has to re-gain that focus he had prior to the Knicks series and lock in.

I love Trae when its him vs the world. Frontrunner Trae plays silly and careless basketball. Need to fix that

Maybe it's just me, but I've never cared about shooting % in the playoffs.  You go out and score 36 pts, facilitate for 9-10 assists AND close out a team on the road?  That's a great game, imo.  And apparently in all of the media's opinions as well.  Seems like there's only a few folks on here that aren't satisfied with it.  

And further, I just think you are making (have made) a way too big of a deal about the trash talk and theatrics of Trae.  This is still a game and he's putting on a show.  Let the kid have fun.  Now, if he starts doing that and they are losing, we can have a discussion.  But Trae is roundly considered the 3rd or 4th best individual performance in these playoffs behind Luka and Dame.  And no one has elevated his status more than Trae.  Let him and the team enjoy it. 

Edited June 3, 2021 by REHawksFan

[High5]

32 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

But that's what you want when your star is struggling - for the 'others' to step up and carry the load.

Yep no one is complaining about that.

[Thomas]

14 minutes ago, Thomas said:

Cold shooting was painful but great defense and a clutch fourth quarter on both ends finished this series.

Did it again.

[Dejay]

2 hours ago, Sothron said:

Calling Randle the Ole Anderson of the 4 Horseman had me dying laughing.

That part did make me pause the video because I was laughing so hard...

[JayBirdHawk]

19 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Maybe it's just me, but I've never cared about shooting % in the playoffs.  You go out and score 36 pts, facilitate for 9-10 assists AND close out a team on the road?  That's a great game, imo.  And apparently in all of the media's opinions as well.  Seems like there's only a few folks on here that aren't satisfied with it.  

And further, I just think you are making (have made) a way too big of a deal about the trash talk and theatrics of Trae.  This is still a game and he's putting on a show.  Let the kid have fun.  Now, if he starts doing that and they are losing, we can have a discussion.  But Trae is roundly considered the 3rd or 4th best individual performance in these playoffs behind Luka and Dame.  And no one has elevated his status more than Trae.  Let him and the team enjoy it. 

Here's the thing too - he's not directing any of this to the opponent players - it's all about his interactions with the fans who gave it to him mercilessly.

[RedDawg#8]

3 minutes ago, REHawksFan said:

Maybe it's just me, but I've never cared about shooting % in the playoffs.  You go out and score 36 pts, facilitate for 9-10 assists AND close out a team on the road?  That's a great game, imo.  And apparently in all of the media's opinions as well.  Seems like there's only a few folks on here that aren't satisfied with it.  

And further, I just think you are making (have made) a way too big of a deal about the trash talk and theatrics of Trae.  This is still a game and he's putting on a show.  Let the kid have fun.  Now, if he starts doing that and they are losing, we can have a discussion.  But Trae is roundly considered the 3rd or 4th best individual performance in these playoffs behind Luka and Dame.  And no one has elevated his status more than Trae.  Let him and the team enjoy it. 

Im satisfied with the win. Period. Hawks won, not just Trae. Our defense was spectacular. Our team shooting has been pretty bad on the road so far.

Narratives change real fast. The media is loving Trae right now because most of them are casuals that haven't paid him any attention until now. They cannot justify their hate so long as we are winning. We have seen Trae up close. We know that 36 points on poor shooting is far from his best. WE know he is better than that. 

Forget percentages for a second. Let's talk counting numbers.

Trae only took 6 3's per game in the regular season.

Through the first 3 games against the Knicks (his best) he shot 5 3's per game.

The last 2 games he shot over 12 3's per game.

So take away the shooting percentages, which got worse the more shots he took, he literally changed his approach to the game. He starting doing the things that he was criticized for in the first place and not playing the style that got us here. That is definitely something to look at. 

Did the Knicks force him to shoot more 3's? Can Philly have the same effect? That's a legit conversation to be had. 

If you want more, you have to do more. Stakes are raised higher in the next round and there will be even more attention paid to us. As the casual media finally has to watch they will begin to tear down every chink in our armor the same way they do everyone else in the playoffs.

Narratives change in a heartbeat. You win, ugly stats look better. But you lose, and you are a choker that couldn't raise your play. See what has happened to Randle overnight. He shot slightly better than Trae last night, but they lost, so now he is overrated. He shot .393%  to Trae's .387% from 3 for the series, but he was "exposed" and Trae was validated.

Winning hides all. Unless we hold that trophy at the end of the playoffs, we will end up getting killed by the media at some point too.

Don't fall for the fake love. Drake said it best, "No new friends."

On to the next.

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Hunter will most likely guard Simmons

Oh maaaaaaan. Why is this exciting me so much. Our man Hunter bottles people up to the point they trippin over their own 2 feet. Oh this should be fun.