Official PLAY-IN Game Thread: Hornets at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“I’m so excited! And I just can't hide it! He’s about to lose control. And I think I like it!”

 

Atlanta crawls, then stumbles, then walks, so Charlotte can fly.

At 370 feet tall, Charlotte-Douglas International Airport proudly cut the ribbon last week on their new, state-of-the-art control tower. It more than doubles the old one’s size, with about 70 feet to spare, and offers traffic controllers expansive 360-degree views of the friendly Piedmont skies.

It's now the second-tallest freestanding control tower in the USA, in North America, and the Western Hemisphere. If you know who’s in first, you already understand why Charlotte’s got a touch of control-tower envy.

The one trade where Atlanta, Georgia is the unquestioned Showtime Lakers of the universe, in kind of a good way, is passenger aviation. Hartsfield-Jackson has just reclaimed its pre-pandemic top spot as the busiest airport on Earth, with over 75 million enplanements and deplanements last year. But check out who is riding hot on our heels.

Charlotte’s airport ranked 34^th globally in 2019, but they’ve surged to over 43 million trips in 2021, surpassing Las Vegas, Orlando, Guangzhou. With no Mouse, no glittery casinos, no Great Wall, no fancy movie studios, CLT is sneaking up on LAX for the title of the nation’s, and the world’s, fifth-busiest aerotropolis.

Charlotte, North Carolina draws its inspiration from so many things Atlanta does. But what Charlotte does isn’t as simple as just peering over the shoulders of Atlanta, or Washington or Raleigh, and cribbing notes. No, what they do is sit back, watch carefully at what rivals like Atlanta are up to, try to learn from their successes and their mistakes, then aim to do something just as good, if not better. Every time we pull a Home Depot, they come up with a Lowe’s. We Chick fil-A, they Bojangles.

This mimeographing attitude applies to urban transport, to CBD nightlife (not that kind of nightlife, I mean the central business district), to skylines and gentrification and sporting arenas. Sports teams, too.

As he was drawing his pennies together, George Shinn got to watch Tom Cousins and, later, Ted Turner try their best to make pro basketball in the South, centered around Atlanta, kind of a big deal. Naming his expansion outfit with a winged creature, he Muggsy’d our Spud, and Granmama’d our Human Highlight Film, but he also innovated with a team color scheme that’s now a lasting element of the Queen City’s identity.

Shinn would literally screw away what goodwill he fostered, taking the club with him down to the Big Easy. But once Charlotte got a second crack at an NBA team, the new owners and the business community brought his dream of a new transport-accessible downtown arena to life. An Omni Plus, if you will.

Mitch Kupchak and the current regime has done much of the same imagineering of Atlanta, ver. 2.0, for a Hornets franchise that has struggled since its Bobcat reincarnation to reach the NBA playoffs with any degree of regularity. You need a Popovich disciple who can transform the style of the Hornets’ color-by-numbers play? But Atlanta has already been there, done that, and moved on from Coach Bud? Go get James Borrego, then.

You chased after a Malik Monk, and let Wake Forest’s jumpin’ John Collins escape your grasp? No problem. Next year, you can acquire Miles Bridges in a draft trade. You need a scene-stealing guard who wakes up and chooses violence towards the NBA’s hallowed record books? But Trae Young, the NBA’s scoring and assist-making leader having duplicated his feat as a college freshman, is locked down in the ATL? No problem. Tank, and go snag LaMelo Ball, who is sure to threaten the “Most triple-doubles by Age XX” marks with each passing game. With his extended size for rebounding, the All-Star Ball may one day be an upgrade of All-NBA Trae. One day.

The Hornets, with their 4^th winning season (43-39) since returning to the NBA in 2005, caught up to the Hawks (4 winning seasons since going 60-22 in 2015-16) this season in the standings and now visit them at State Farm Arena for a Win or Go Home Part One contest (7 PM Eastern, ESPN, 92.9 FM in ATL) before a sellout crowd. Borrego and Ball direct an offensively efficient club (113.6 O-Rating, 3^rd in the East) that almost compares to Atlanta’s (115.4 O-Rating, tops in the East).

Try as they might, though, there is no one on the floor who parallels a Clint Capela. Goodness knows they tried, bless their hearts, first replacing Cody Zeller with Miles Plumlee, then acquiring the rim-running Montrezl Harrell at the trade Deadline. But Capela has the East’s best Defensive Real Plus/Minus, while Bridges is unable to outleap him by ranking a team-best 55^th.

Atlanta’s relative defensive efficiency improved as the season went on (114.7 D-Rating post-Break, better than Charlotte’s 21^st-ranked 116.0; 113.3 over past 15 games to the Hornets’ 117.0), and they don’t get to middle-of-the-road in this league without the stewardship of Capela and the emerging input of two players, guard Delon Wright and center Onyeka Okongwu, who the Hornets can’t quite approximate, with all respect due to Cody Martin and P.J. Washington.

Whatever defensive precepts Borrego instills seem to get lost when the Hornets hit the road, too (115.4 away-game D-Rating, 26^th in NBA and worst among still-active teams). Coach Nate McMillan’s Hawks will have to not only win the turnover game by keeping their offensive goofs to a minimum, but by pressuring Charlotte’s would-be spot-shooters to the ball on the deck, and by picking off harried passes.

In the Hornets’ 130-127 win here at The Farm on December 5, the Ball-less and Rozier-less Hornets committed as many turnovers as a team as Young (six of Atlanta’s reasonably low number of ten). Charlotte players turned over the rock on just nine occasions to Trae’s six on March 15, but the host Hornets were able to take advantage of an off-shooting night from Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic to prevail 116-106.

When the Hawks were at their letter-best in mid-season, they walloped the Hornets not only by suppressing their perimeter shooting (4-for-36 3FGs on Jan. 23) but by stealing the ball twelve times to account for 16 Charlotte turnovers. Neutralizing the Hornet offense will require fighting over screens and chasing shooters out of their comfort zones, while boxing out and keeping Ball, Plumlee and Harrell from earning extra-chance opportunities.

Even without Collins (finger) available, if De’Andre Hunter, Okongwu and Danilo Gallinari can match the rebounding and rim-finishing energy from Bridges and Washington, the Hornets will be left to hope Atlanta’s guards are in for another off-shooting eve.

For what amounts to Game 6 and Game 7 practice for these teams, thanks to their 2021 playoff sprint, Atlanta now has the experience advantage on the floor, unless you count bucket-fillers Terry Rozier and Isaiah Thomas’ runs with the injured Gordon Hayward on the Celtics, back in the mid-20Teens, and Harrell’s time in the Bubble with the Clippers, as meritorious.

These Hawks have already gotten, once, where the Hornets aspire to be. But so long as Atlanta isn’t “bored” with the prospect of traveling to Northeast Ohio after the game (Young reaffirming himself as The King of New York will have to wait at least a bit longer, after last night’s Nets win for the 7-seed) and up to the task of eliminating teams at home, Charlotte will have to reassume the position of looking up at Atlanta while biting our style. Or perhaps, down, while flying out of town for the final time this season. Cancun is a more pleasant nonstop flight destination than Cleveland this time of year, anyway.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Win Two for Lou! Lou Williams is the only obvious notable, aside from Johnny Bap, declared Out on the Boo-Boo Report, due to continued back discomfort. The Hornets are all clear on the Report aside from Gordon Hayward, including backup big Nick Richards, whose E.T.-sized hand has recovered from injury. 

~lw3

[kg01]

Who's everybody's scrub-superman tonite?  I'm going with fan favorite Kelly whOubre.

Then again, considering how Hunter responded after getting punched in the belly in the TOR game(?), he might come out like a supernova against this team.

[Spud2nique]

I’ll stick my **** in the nest. 

 

    

[Spud2nique]

42 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

“I’m so excited! And I just can't hide it! He’s about to lose control. And I think I like it!”

 

Atlanta crawls, then stumbles, then walks, so Charlotte can fly.

At 370 feet tall, Charlotte-Douglas International Airport proudly cut the ribbon last week on their new, state-of-the-art control tower. It more than doubles the old one’s size, with about 70 feet to spare, and offers traffic controllers expansive 360-degree views of the friendly Piedmont skies.

It's now the second-tallest freestanding control tower in the USA, in North America, and the Western Hemisphere. If you know who’s in first, you already understand why Charlotte’s got a touch of control-tower envy.

The one trade where Atlanta, Georgia is the unquestioned Showtime Lakers of the universe, in kind of a good way, is passenger aviation. Hartsfield-Jackson has just reclaimed its pre-pandemic top spot as the busiest airport on Earth, with over 75 million enplanements and deplanements last year. But check out who is riding hot on our heels.

Charlotte’s airport ranked 34^th globally in 2019, but they’ve surged to over 43 million trips in 2021, surpassing Las Vegas, Orlando, Guangzhou. With no Mouse, no glittery casinos, no Great Wall, no fancy movie studios, CLT is sneaking up on LAX for the title of the nation’s, and the world’s, fifth-busiest aerotropolis.

Charlotte, North Carolina draws its inspiration from so many things Atlanta does. But what Charlotte does isn’t as simple as just peering over the shoulders of Atlanta, or Washington or Raleigh, and cribbing notes. No, what they do is sit back, watch carefully at what rivals like Atlanta are up to, try to learn from their successes and their mistakes, then aim to do something just as good, if not better. Every time we pull a Home Depot, they come up with a Lowe’s. We Chick fil-A, they Bojangles.

This mimeographing attitude applies to urban transport, to CBD nightlife (not that kind of nightlife, I mean the central business district), to skylines and gentrification and sporting arenas. Sports teams, too.

As he was drawing his pennies together, George Shinn got to watch Tom Cousins and, later, Ted Turner try their best to make pro basketball in the South, centered around Atlanta, kind of a big deal. Naming his expansion outfit with a winged creature, he Muggsy’d our Spud, and Granmama’d our Human Highlight Film, but he also innovated with a team color scheme that’s now a lasting element of the Queen City’s identity.

Shinn would literally screw away what goodwill he fostered, taking the club with him down to the Big Easy. But once Charlotte got a second crack at an NBA team, the new owners and the business community brought his dream of a new transport-accessible downtown arena to life. An Omni Plus, if you will.

Mitch Kupchak and the current regime has done much of the same imagineering of Atlanta, ver. 2.0, for a Hornets franchise that has struggled since its Bobcat reincarnation to reach the NBA playoffs with any degree of regularity. You need a Popovich disciple who can transform the style of the Hornets’ color-by-numbers play? But Atlanta has already been there, done that, and moved on from Coach Bud? Go get James Borrego, then.

You chased after a Malik Monk, and let Wake Forest’s jumpin’ John Collins escape your grasp? No problem. Next year, you can acquire Miles Bridges in a draft trade. You need a scene-stealing guard who wakes up and chooses violence of the NBA’s hallowed record books? But Trae Young, the NBA’s scoring and assist-making leader having duplicated his feat as a college freshman, is locked down in the ATL? No problem. Tank, and go snag LaMelo Ball, who is sure to threaten the “Most triple-doubles by Age XX” marks with each passing game. With his extended size for rebounding, the All-Star Ball may one day be an upgrade of All-NBA Trae. One day.

The Hornets, with their 4^th winning season (43-39) since returning to the NBA in 2005, caught up to the Hawks (4 winning seasons since going 60-22 in 2015-16) this season in the standings and now visit them at State Farm Arena for a Win or Go Home Part One contest (7 PM Eastern, ESPN, 92.9 FM in ATL) before a sellout crowd. Borrego and Ball direct an offensively efficient club (113.6 O-Rating, 3^rd in the East) that almost compares to Atlanta’s (115.4 O-Rating, tops in the East).

Try as they might, though, there is no one on the floor who parallels a Clint Capela. Goodness knows they tried, bless their hearts, first replacing Cody Zeller with Miles Plumlee, then acquiring the rim-running Montrezl Harrell at the trade Deadline. But Capela has the East’s best Defensive Real Plus/Minus, while Bridges is unable to outleap him by ranking a team-best 55^th.

Atlanta’s relative defensive efficiency improved as the season went on (114.7 D-Rating post-Break, better than Charlotte’s 21^st-ranked 116.0; 113.3 over past 15 games to the Hornets’ 117.0), and they don’t get to middle-of-the-road in this league without the stewardship of Capela and the emerging input of two players, guard Delon Wright and center Onyeka Okongwu, who the Hornets can’t quite approximate, with all respect due to Cody Martin and P.J. Washington.

Whatever defensive precepts Borrego instills seem to get lost when the Hornets hit the road, too (115.4 away-game D-Rating, 26^th in NBA and worst among still-active teams). Coach Nate McMillan’s Hawks will have to not only win the turnover game by keeping their offensive goofs to a minimum, but by pressuring Charlotte’s would-be spot-shooters to the ball on the deck, and by picking off harried passes.

In the Hornets’ 130-127 win here at The Farm on December 5, the Ball-less and Rozier-less Hornets committed as many turnovers as a team as Young (six of Atlanta’s reasonably low number of ten). Charlotte players turned over the rock on just nine occasions to Trae’s six on March 15, but the host Hornets were able to take advantage of an off-shooting night from Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic to prevail 116-106.

When the Hawks were at their letter-best in mid-season, they walloped the Hornets not only by suppressing their perimeter shooting (4-for-36 3FGs on Jan. 23) but by stealing the ball twelve times to account for 16 Charlotte turnovers. Neutralizing the Hornet offense will require fighting over screens and chasing shooters out of their comfort zones, while boxing out and keeping Ball, Plumlee and Harrell from earning extra-chance opportunities.

Even without Collins (finger) available, if De’Andre Hunter, Okongwu and Danilo Gallinari can match the rebounding and rim-finishing energy from Bridges and Washington, the Hornets will be left to hope Atlanta’s guards are in for another off-shooting eve.

For what amounts to Game 6 and Game 7 practice for these teams, thanks to their 2021 playoff sprint, Atlanta now has the experience advantage on the floor, unless you count bucket-fillers Terry Rozier and Isaiah Thomas’ runs with the injured Gordon Hayward on the Celtics, back in the mid-20Teens, and Harrell’s time in the Bubble with the Clippers, as meritorious.

These Hawks have already gotten, once, where the Hornets aspire to be. But so long as Atlanta isn’t “bored” with the prospect of traveling to Northeast Ohio after the game (Young reaffirming himself as The King of New York will have to wait at least a bit longer, after last night’s Nets win for the 7-seed) and up to the task of eliminating teams at home, Charlotte will have to reassume the position of looking up at Atlanta while biting our style. Or perhaps, down, while flying out of town for the final time this season. Cancun is a more pleasant nonstop flight destination than Cleveland this time of year, anyway.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

Beauty as always lw3, I’m excited and apparently my last post showed that I cannot hide it.  
 

Vegas has Hawks by 5.5, 2K had us in a runaway! 
 

If we play Hawks basketball , we can beat anybody and we all know it. Stay together as one (he’ll wear black socks as a team, shave your heads (maybe Gallo not Trae)..

and..

JUST WIN BABY!!!!  

[Spud2nique]

16 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Who's everybody's scrub-superman tonite?  I'm going with fan favorite Kelly whOubre.

Then again, considering how Hunter responded after getting punched in the belly in the TOR game(?), he might come out like a supernova against this team.

I’m going with Mister Brinks and Teague picked on fav, Isaiah (nowhere near Zeke) Thomas. He was their leading scorer in the 2K game. 2K doesn’t lie.

[benhillboy]

I hate Rozier but very surprised and impressed Borrego has improved his assist to turn every year culminating in a robust 3.46:1.  That’s huge for an off guard, LaMelo also with the assist to turn boost and significant FT shooting spike.  Still not an ideal defender but 149 steals + blocks this season was excellent.  Where he absolutely shines is offensive rebounding: better career mark than Emotional Patrick Bev or Point Differential Delon.

Should be an awesome, high flying, maybe-overtime affair but if Trae gets to the line early and often and Clint can dominate the glass we should pull away.  Nothing should stop OO from having his usual dominant 2 minute spurt and everything Kevin gives up in drives from Oubre and Rozier he should get back in wide open threes.

Hawks by 5 make it happen.

Edited April 13, 2022 by benhillboy

[Gray Mule]

It was the best of times.

It was the worst of times.

Teams well above Atlanta play the best of seven to see who advances.  Hawks play one game, win or go home.  Sometimes this Hawk team has shooters who are hot and they win.  Sometimes they are ice cold and they lose.

Which Hawk team will show up tonight?  Let's hope that good one.

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

my ****

Foot of course! OH YOU THOUGHT …  

[marco102]

Y'all if I hear one more talking head compare LaMelo freaking ball to Trae Young, I'm going to lose it.  

They wouldn't dare do that sh*t with Luka because they're afraid of the ridicule from their peers.  Should be the same with Trae. 

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by marco102

[kg01]

1 hour ago, marco102 said:

Y'all if I hear one more talking head compare LaMelo freaking ball to Trae Young, I'm going to lose it.  

They wouldn't dare do that sh*t with Luka because they're afraid of the ridicule from their peers.  Should be the same with Trae. 

 

I gave you a -1 for posting propaganda. 

[Final_quest]

17 minutes ago, marco102 said:

Y'all if I hear one more talking head compare LaMelo freaking ball to Trae Young, I'm going to lose it.  

They wouldn't dare do that sh*t with Luka because they're afraid of the ridicule from their peers.  Should be the same with Trae. 

 

It doesn't bother me that they are trying to sell the two stars so people watch the game.  No one watches TV that is realistic.  

Skip Bayless has tempered his outright hate for Trae.  But he said something ridiculous.  Trae needs to shoot better than 38% for three?  That is crazy talk.  

[marco102]

11 minutes ago, kg01 said:

I gave you a -1 for posting propaganda. 

You're right. I shouldn't be getting them the clicks they want. 

 

[RedDawg#8]

Dont listen to the hype. Dog mentality until we secure the bag.

[marco102]

Just now, Final_quest said:

It doesn't bother me that they are trying to sell the two stars so people watch the game.  No one watches TV that is realistic.  

Skip Bayless has tempered his outright hate for Trae.  But he said something ridiculous.  Trae needs to shoot better than 38% for three?  That is crazy talk.  

I don't mind them selling the stars, it's to act like LaMelo and Trae are the same type of star.  LaMelo is good, but compare Trae's second season to his and there's no comparison.

[Blunt91]

Coach Borrego pulling out his Conspiracy theorist hat.

 

Kevin Chouinard: James Borrego, on CHA arriving late because train was planted across the tracks next to the arena: “I’ve been coming to this arena for 20 years and I’ve never seen that train stopped before the game, so somebody figured it out … Our guys noticed though. It’s good fuel for us.”

31 mins ago – via Twitter KLChouinard

[AHawks89]

Lets get it Hawks! 

[hawkman]

I mis Bob and Nique already and the game hasn't even started yet. Time to see what last season's Playoff experience is really worth. I fully expect the Hawks to be locked in tonight. If they show up with the same focus and intensity they did in last season's Playoffs, they'll be fine. 

[Peoriabird]

Here we go!  Game time!!!

[Peoriabird]

Hawk should be able to kill them on the boards!!!!