Official Game Thread: Nets at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

 “That Trae Young, man, he sure drives New Yorkers from all our boroughs to drink. Ahh, Champale. Earthy notes!”

 

We might have been one bunion away, last summer, from getting a Post-Game 1 press conference from then-Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Gothamites already got one mayor out the paint in 2021, but not before Bill de Blah Blah Blah made a stone fool of himself by taking time out from a resurging global panini last spring to chastise the Atlanta Hawks’ ace point guard for daring to expose his dear, dear Knickerbockers. How dare this interloper waltz into The World’s Most Haughty Arena and derail his spitting-mad constituents’ fever dreams? Stop that, Trae Young. You stop that, right now!

The thing New Yorkers are gonna do, is replace one head-scratching lead executive with another. Enter Adams, the latest Hizzoner in NYC (despite one mayoral write-in vote for Young), left to make sense of the non-sensical as it pertained to You Know What policy and salvaging his Brooklyn Nets’ big-moneyed championship scheme. With Kyrie Irving finally back in Barclays Center, and not as a fan. With or without Sen Bimmons on the playing part of the floor.

The funny thing is -- it may not matter. It may be too late.

Imagine, as 2021’s stunning playoff run concluded for the Hawks, assuring local fans that next season, Atlanta gets the pleasure of eliminating the Knicks from contention once more, and, perhaps this time, the Nets, too. That this deep in the regular season, with NO context whatsoever, the Hawks will host Brooklyn at State Farm Arena (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM, YES Network in The BK, NBATV), with an opportunity for Kevin Huerter and company to pass Kevin Durant and company in the conference standings. “Shut up and take my money,” right?

It's not like the Nets have been juggernauts in their home venue. They’re 23-16 in road games like today’s, but Thursday’s fourth-quarter collapse and OT loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and company dropped Brooklyn to 17-21 at home, a deflating record not much better than the Knicks’ 16-22.

Still, the idea was, at worst, Brooklyn would earn an elimination game at home once the regular season ended. Nobody imagined that game might be a Play-In. And absolutely no one thought, as a #10 seed, that a home post-season game might not happen at all. A loss today at The Farm, and #10 may be a reality. Heck, this may be the 9-10 preview.

Coach Steve Nash’s crew won’t get another shot at Charlotte, who avenged Kyrie’s 50-point masterpiece from earlier this month by holding him to 16 points (6-for-22 FGs) in a 119-110 win at Barclays last Wednesday. Not at least until the Play-Ins commence.

Irving tricked off most of the first half of the season, unwilling to give Nash and the Nets’ chance at building up a dream season centered around their Big Three, well, a shot. James Harden didn’t want to stick around for the conclusion. Even with the team relenting to allow Irving to return for eligible road games, the Beard latched himself back onto Moreyball in Philly, leaving the Nets with Seth Curry (44.0 career 3FG%, 1^st among active NBA’ers) and the Gameboy-loving apparition that is Bimmons.

Sharpshooter Joe Harris’ injury was untimely, and players like Patty Mills and Bruce Brown would have doubled up on their vitamins over the past offseason if they were aware they’d play so many compensatory minutes. Durant’s midseason injury absence was all the more inconvenient. While KD has returned to full form (7.2 FTAs per game, same as Young… somebody tell ‘the god’ to stop hunting fouls!... 90.8 FT%), the hole from which he and Irving now have to climb their Nets out, with no word whether Bimmons will be able to chip in, is proving to be difficult of late. Brooklyn has dropped three of its past five games in splitting its last eight.

The opposing names on jerseys sharing the State Farm Arena floor shift from the Lauri Markkanens and the Isaac Okoros to names far more experienced and accomplished. Brooklyn is sure to shoot and hit from outside at a better clip than Cleveland’s 23.3 team 3FG%. The two carryovers from Thursday’s resounding 131-107 win over the Cavs that should make the difference for the Hawks will be throttling transition defense and limited second-chances, ensuring caroms don’t lead to unfettered runouts for Brown, easy putbacks for Andre Drummond, nor make their way back to Irving to help Brooklyn dominate possession.

The Nets’ schedule after today isn’t terribly daunting – a crosstown back-to-back versus Houston and at MSG, before home games against the Cavs and Pacers. Yet both the Hornets (8-2 over last ten games, playing in Philly this afternoon) and the Hawks (9-3 over last 12), if motivated, can leave Brooklyn in the cellar of the Play-In seeding after today, and they’re under no obligations to let them back upstairs.

One false move, and the Nets could be looking squarely at a 9-10 eliminator, maybe even in Kyrie’s old stomping grounds in Cleveland. As Nash knows, that’s not Playoff basketball. One more false move in that game, and they’re looking at joining LeBron and company on an early trip to Cancun. You won’t need three eyes to foresee it.

As Brooklyn native Nas’ album was once titled, “It Was Written.” However the Nets get into the Playoffs, we have been reassured by the hoop intelligentsia, the NBA East’s highest-salaried team is a threat to go all the way to The Finals, perhaps even the favorite. However, they have put themselves in position where they may be unable to finish their own composition. For all of Atlanta’s faults and shortcomings, no matter what was prematurely scribbled as Brooklyn’s destiny, the Hawks have their clutches firmly on the eraser.

Quick, Mayor Adams! Make Trae give back the key to the City!

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[SalvorMallow]

Woohoo! Can't wait for this game! My wife got me tickets to this game in section 118 for Christmas and we flew into Atlanta to see it. 

Also got to see TI, Trina, and Jeezy last night in the legendz of the streetz tour at state farm.

Then we got the lemon peppa Lou wings at magic city.

 

Great time all around. 

 

LET'S WIN TONIGHT GO HAWKS!! 

[lethalweapon3]

Hornetswatch for the early-afternoon matinee (12:30 PM Eastern), as Gordon Hayward (out for past 22 games, ankle sprain) is set as probable to make his return against the Sixers. The Cavs will have to deal with 48 minutes of Thibstar Alec Burks at MSG in a 1 PM tipoff.

Trae (groin) and Lou (ankle, back) are each listed as Probables in the early Boo-Boo Reports. Jalen Johnson (concussion protocol) remains Out for now.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Just now, SalvorMallow said:

Woohoo! Can't wait for this game! My wife got me tickets to this game in section 118 for Christmas and we flew into Atlanta to see it. 

Also got to see TI, Trina, and Jeezy last night in the legendz of the streetz tour at state farm. Great time all around. 

 

LET'S WIN TONIGHT GO HAWKS!! 

You might get to rub elbows with The Birthday Boy tonight, too! Pretty good weekend for Local Legendz, I'd say!

~lw3

[Diesel]

In Honor of Quavo Night....

Video this:

'Quavo invited Trae, Bogi, Gallo and Kev over to the House... and this is what he said:

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Diesel]

Quavo takes over or Coach Nate at the Half like:

Spoiler

 

 

[marco102]

I have 100% confidence the Hawks will find a way to disappoint me.

 

Reverse jinx in!

[kg01]

Bruce Brown and Dragic out tonite per twitter.  Thats bigger than it may seem.

[marco102]

 

[ATLHawks3]

Biggest game of the season folks. Let's get a dub.

[Diesel]

What I know is that KD doesn't know what to do when Doubled constantly.   So we double KD all game and we keep a man on Irving and we let the rest of the Nets try to figure it out.

 

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

Bruce Brown and Dragic out tonite per twitter.  Thats bigger than it may seem.

Bruce Brown, Yes. Patti Mills was playing better than Dragic and he was benched. Look for Mills to can't miss tonight.

[Gray Mule]

Right now, the most important game of the season is always that next game.  Hawks had a few games earlier that could have gone either way.  With each loss, we said, "So what?"  Now we see the light.

EXAMPLE:  Your team misses two free throws early in the 1st quarter of a close game.  You think, "So what."  After a hard fought 4 quarters your team gets the loss by only one point.  Wonder why?  They fought so hard and still didn't win the game.  That early 1st quarter is a long ways away, isn't it.  Yep.  Hit those two free throws and win the game!

Hawks have had those games this season.  Looking back, we can see where they would be so great right now if we had only won two or three of them that we didn't.

Our most important game?  TONIGHT !!

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[bleachkit]

1 hour ago, marco102 said:

 

I wonder if John's foot is doing better.

[Carmine]

1 hour ago, ATLHawks3 said:

Biggest game of the season folks. Let's get a dub.

Please!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

18 minutes ago, ATLHawks3 said:

Biggest game of the season folks. Let's get a dub.

 

I'll take it even further.  I think this is the biggest regular season game in the last 8 years, considering the stakes and who the opponent is.

Also, this is the biggest "narrative" regular season game Trae will have played in. 

• You got the two big dogs in the conference coming into Atlanta
• The game is virtually sold out and will be on NBA TV ( should've been switched to ABC )
• Both teams have something major to play for, as far as playoff seeding
• And for Trae, this game could very well define if he makes an All-NBA team or not

That last point in particular, I think this game is HUGE for Trae.  I hope he's at least at 90%, because he really has a chance to have people not overlook him for an All-NBA selection, if he balls out today.  A fairly efficient 30 pt - 10+ asst game in a WIN, could change the minds of some of those voters who are on the fence about Trae.  

 

[marco102]

Philly up 30 on Charlotte in the 4th.  Welcome back Gordon!

Thanks Philly! 

[Dnice]

Cheesesteak for lunch. 

[Spud2nique]

4 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

As Brooklyn native Nas’ album was once titled, “It Was Written.”

On repeat so many years.

Great preview as always @lethalweapon3They got the Nets -3 in Vegas and no 2K.  The Sputnik is on the road and the move.  

Livin the life of a tourist.  

[RedDawg#8]

We need it tonight. But guess what, so do they. Coming off of a tough loss I doubt the Nets come in sleepwalking.

They are just as desperate to climb the standings as we are. 

If we win, it will be earned big time