Official Playoff Game Thread: Hawks at heat -- GAME 2

[lethalweapon3]

First in Flight! Which one of y’all is Orville?

 

For a moment, I believed I finally unmasked Harry.

“He always used to dress in costumes,” shared Dorell Wright, the former preps-to-pros draft pick of the Miami heat, and eleven-year NBA player, of his younger brother, Delon. He told VICE Sports in 2017, “whatever team I was on, he was always the mascot.”

It is funny to imagine a nimble 14-year-old Delon donning the Burnie getup at what is now FTX Arena, during the heat’s first run to an NBA championship in 2006. Beginning, at that time, to follow in his elder bro’s footsteps out of South Central L.A. as a star hooper for SoCal’s Leuzinger High, Delon had ample reason to look up to his three-point shooting NBA hero. Now the tables have turned, and the retired Dorell does all the caping.

By day, or at least by evening in the Bay Area, Dorell toils as the Golden State Warriors’ studio analyst for NBC Sports. Still, there is no withholding his enthusiasm for how far Delon has run with the Wright family’s NBA baton. “OMG, I’m bad,” Dorell confessed to HoopsHype back in 2017 about watching the then-Raptors upstart while finishing up his own pro career in Europe. “I want him to do so well. I find myself yelling and fussing a lot when he’s playing.” (Mark your calendars, as Dorell’s son Devin is a Class of 2026 guard prospect entering high school).

Yes, a schedule-weary Atlanta Hawks team found itself ransacked by the top-seeded heat in the opener to the NBA Playoffs. But as the scene shifts to Game 2 tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, TNT), one would be hard pressed to find a Hawks player more primed for the moment. That player will be hard pressed to discover a bigger supporter in his corner, albeit from afar.

“Facts!!”, Dorell breathlessly quote-tweeted, as The Athletic’s Tony Jones noted following Friday’s Hawks win in Cleveland that Delon, “gave a masterclass tonight on how to change a basketball game without touching the basketball.” The “100” emoji was Dorell’s reaction when Sky Sports analyst Mo Mooncey tweeted, “Trae (Young) will get all the glory (and rightly so, he was amazing) but if Delon Wright didn’t put the clamps on the defensive end, the Hawks wouldn’t have won that.”

“One thing about Delon,” offered Dorell in his own, understandably biased view, “…he’s going to impact the game and a lot of the things he (does) won’t show up on the stat sheet. Winning Player!!! #situpinclass.”

Young will assuredly be more glorious than he was in Game 1 (1-for-12 FGs, 6-for-7 FTs, 4 assists and 6 TOs), especially if the referees don’t allow him to get tenderized by the hosts without chalking it up to Playoff Basketball. Neither, for that matter, will sixth-man Bogdan Bogdanovic (0-for-8 FGs) having combined with Trae to go 0-for-11 on threes versus Miami’s grubby defense. Danilo Gallinari (1-for-3 3FGs) will be looking to get more shots off, and in.

“I think mentally we needed to recover,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan told the AJC today, “and we should be better both mentally and physically tonight.” The extra stretch of rest and video review on Monday preceded this morning’s shootaround. With the returning John Collins having a half-game under his belt, the Hawks will be better prepared to counter the onslaught brought forth by heat headliners Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry, who were able to lean heavily on their own defensive energy and teammates’ big shots to carry the day in Game 1.

Despite a mild shooting display of his own, Delon was the steadiest guard that McMillan had at his disposal in Game 1. Wright registered a team-high six assists while turning over the rock just once, collecting a pair of steals without drawing a single foul. He’s up to 18 dimes and two turnovers in his bench minutes over five games against the heat this season.

Even as Herro struggled at the offensive end (2-for-7 2FGs, 0-for-4 3FGs, 5 assists but 5 TOs, incl. each of Wright’s second-quarter thefts as Miami’s margin was momentarily dialed back to single digits) while being stalked by Delon in Game 1, Wright’s teammates let white-hot heat players, namely Duncan Robinson and ageless wonder P.J. Tucker (combined 12-for-13 3FGs) have carte blanche access to the three-point line. Robinson and Tucker being allowed to treat the hoop like a cornhole made it easy for Miami to thwart any chance for Atlanta to come up for air.

Herro, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent can be counted on for better stretches in this series, but key for Atlanta to stay in contention will be the activity of the Hawk wings and guards on the defensive boards. Miami had just four offensive rebounds in Game 1 -- half of those by former Hawk Dewayne Dedmon in the first two quarters and none by Adebayo -- but primarily because there weren’t many off-rhythm shots worth chasing, thanks to confused Atlanta defenders’ many missed assignments. Anyone not in position to defuse the heat’s three-point threats need to be beating Adebayo, Tucker, Dedmon and their own assignments to the ball.

Young absorbed a lot of Game 1 punishment going after boards and loose balls that should have found their way to De’Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter and Bogdanovic (combined to tie Trae with five D-Rebs). Defensively, Trae needs not to be as active in the paint in this contest, especially with Collins around to aid Gallo and Onyeka Okongwu for longer stretches. Yet he will be needed to be impactful in flustering Lowry (9 assists, zero TOs in Game 1) and Butler and luring them into settling for one-r-hero-ball shots outside the paint.

Atlanta will play to win Game 2, but they recognize it is essential to come out on top at least once in Miami’s house if they hope to have their season continue beyond next week, coincidentally as Delon hits The Big 3-0. As the Hawks’ stars improve their all-around performance in this series, they may very well have the ideal teammate, one who is unselfish to a fault, defensive-minded and familiar with these environs since his teenage years, to eventually make this happen.

Delon’s older brother holds no qualms about flapping his wings with pride, even if the team who presently employs him faced the Hawks in The Finals. "Just to show support for my little brother," Dorell told VICE Sports five years ago, "it means the world to me. We come from the same place, we come from a struggle, and I know what it takes and all the hard work we had to put into get to where we are today."

Dorell earned a ring as a memento from his long tenure in Miami, but he leaves no doubts these days as to where his allegiances lie. In this series, blood is thicker than heat.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

As you're aware, JC might still be minutes-restricted but he is formally off the Boo-Boo list, leaving just LouWill (out, back discomfort), Clint and Bogi (probable, sore ankle) on the Hawks' side of the ledger.

Still cited as a Questionable quintet for Miami are Adebayo (bruised quad), Tucker (strained calf), Dedmon (sprained ankle), Markieff Morris and Haywood Highsmith (strained hip flexors), while Vincent is listed as probable (bruised big toe). Erik Spoelstra's key rotation players would have to be in pretty bad shape to be anything worse than a gametime decision.

 

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

13 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

 

“One thing about Delon,” offered Dorell in his own, understandably biased view, “…he’s going to impact the game and a lot of the things he (does) won’t show up on the stat sheet. Winning Player!!! #situpinclass.”

[macdaddy]

Let's friggin go.   I don't want duncan robinson beating us.   

[JayBirdHawk]

Very TSS (tiny sample size):

 

...but if OO's impact isn't being felt, JC might be the play here.

[Dnice]

"The Wright brothers can't fcuk with that" - Morris Day on the Bird album version.

[Lurker]

Gotta win tonight if we want to see things potentially get spicy. While this is a good home team, we saw that this was not something to count on last year.

[macdaddy]

yeah i think this is a must win.   i don't think we're coming back from 0-2 down without JC and Capela at 100%

[kg01]

1 hour ago, macdaddy said:

Let's friggin go.   I don't want duncan robinson beating us.   

We took their best punch(es) literally.

Time to respond, in kind.

Say what you want about this bunch, as sawft as they can be at times, they haven't backed down from a challenge yet.  I'm expecting a bounce back tonite.

[Spud2nique]

So @lethalweapon3 and @kg01 changed their avatar’s at the same time? Whatchall talk about at the barbershop ? Why wasn’t I invited I just got a fcked up cut in Brooklyn last week.

Wait, are you two the same person.  Don’t you play games with me!!! I’m very emo today. 
 

Ok that threw me off, nice cut boys, now to the game thread! 

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

South Central L.A

I had lunch there yesterday. We go back to 92 road trips! 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

By day, or at least by evening in the Bay Area, Dorell toils as the Golden State Warriors’ studio analyst for NBC Sports.

Him and Kelenna Buke only ones I like. Jim Barnett is an OG too.

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

he’s going to impact the game and a lot of the things he (does) won’t show up on the stat sheet. Winning Player!!! #situpinclass.”

We have 2 of those him and OO, you gotta watch the game no boxscore here.  

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

P.J. Tucker

You mean corner pocket sneaker head  oh wait that’s his middle name.

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

punishment

We need to dish it a bit too. Gorgeous stay ready, human torpedo.

Awesome as always @lethalweapon3

Go Hawks!

ps When in Rome…

 

. I’m sorry folks if this doesn’t get you then you gotta check your heartbeat babyyyyyyyy!!!!

 

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Very TSS (tiny sample size):

 

...but if OO's impact isn't being felt, JC might be the play here.

 

That's why JC should start.

 

 

[Spud2nique]

Vegas got Heat -7.5

2k got Hawks by 4. Hawks were up 19 and the Heat came back but Trae iced it! Pun intended!!!!

LETSSSS GOOOO!!!

Lets beat some tail and do it for Keith Askins and Big Isaac Austin.  

Edited April 19, 2022 by Spud2nique

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

We took their best punch(es) literally.

Time to respond, in kind.

Say what you want about this bunch, as sawft as they can be at times, they haven't backed down from a challenge yet.  I'm expecting a bounce back tonite.

I appreciate and love the avatar change 

....you too @lethalweapon3...you avatar change is 'serially deadly'

[REHawksFan]

Bullies don't like to be punched back.  So I say tonight we better be punching them in the freakin face.  Let's GO HAWKS!!!

[Spud2nique]

4 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Still cited as a Questionable quintet for Miami are Adebayo (bruised quad), Tucker (strained calf), Dedmon (sprained ankle), Markieff Morris and Haywood Highsmith (strained hip flexors), while Vincent is listed as probable (bruised big toe).

So knee Bam in the quad, kick Tucker in the calf, hip check Morris and step on Vincent’s toe? 
 

Got it. It’s more the Heat’s style to target injuries but it’s fun to think like them.

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, macdaddy said:

I don't want duncan robinson beating us.   

Elephant in the room. Why doesn’t anyone talk about going at him EVERY TIME. Literally why not. He’s soft. Let’s break him.

[JayBirdHawk]

14 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Elephant in the room. Why doesn’t anyone talk about going at him EVERY TIME. Literally why not. He’s soft. Let’s break him.

Who though? Bogi? Hunter?

[Spud2nique]

8 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Who though? Bogi? Hunter?

True. I think it’s prolly Bogi because Hunter seems to draw Butler and Lowry a ton off switches. He does have 4 inches on Bogi but Bogi got that brate strength 

[JayBirdHawk]

Just now, Spud2nique said:

True. I think it’s prolly Bogi because Hunter seems to draw Butler and Lowry a ton off switches. He does have 4 inches on Bogi but Bogi got that brate strength 

I re-watched Bogi's shot attempts...he had one open CnS, everything else was off the dribble and in a hurry....that's not his strength. I want him to do more playmaking.