Official Game Thread: heat at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“The Hawks? Hahaha. DON’T LET THEM FOOL YA!”

 

So much for calm, clear, connected, eh?

Frazzled, frayed and frenetic with its top-heavy scoring approach, the Hawks proved too easy for a shorthanded 3-14 Rockets team to topple, Houston walking Atlanta down after the visitors mistook Friday’s game for a walkover.

Now Nate McMillan’s team saunters back to Atlanta with their tailfeathers between their legs once more. This time, to face the team that ousted them in 2022’s NBA Playoffs, Erik Spoelstra’s Miami heat (5 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Bally Sports Sun in MIA).

Up to 11 of the 17 players on Spoelstra’s roster are either out for today (inclusive of Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo with varied knee ailments, plus Omer Yurtseven and two-way big Orlando Robinson) or listed as questionable or probable among the running wounded. The latter grouping includes Tyler Herro, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Dewayne Dedmon, Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin.

Yet one gets the sense that 29 coaching staffs conspire to up the ante on how many players, including All-Stars, that they can shelve and still give Nate McMillan’s charges a run for their money.

Atlanta (11-8, 1.0 games ahead the Wizards in the Southeast Division) may again have to solider forward without the services of Clint Capela (questionable, too much Thanksgiving peanut brittle). And Bam Adebayo (38 points, 12 rebounds in Friday’s 110—107 win vs. WAS) will look to feast unless Onyeka Okongwu, DeAndre Hunter and John Collins commit to quit getting gashed along the glass. As you’re aware, the Hawks were out-boarded 59-28 along the way to blowing a 15-point second-half edge versus the Rockets.

Bradley Beal’s return from a thigh injury to rejoin Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis was not enough to close the gap after Wednesday's loss in Miami. With insufficient team approaches to defense, moving without the ball, passing, and defensive rebounding, there won’t be enough high-powered scoring from guards Trae Young (season-high 44 @ HOU) and Dejounte Murray (career-high 39 points) for Atlanta (54.4 assist%, 29^th in NBA) to outwit and outlast a heat team that may not need to go more than seven deep. Murray, in particular, needs to understand that you can’t form McMillan’s concept of a coordinated fist if you’re in the dishing-out-middle-fingers business.

This is no time to be waffling, not in our house. Will Atlanta show up calm, clear and connected? Or scattered, covered, and smothered?

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

32 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Onyeka Okongwu, DeAndre Hunter and John Collins commit to quit getting gashed along the glass.

I dunno about pinning it on OO, he had 11 last game. It’s you know who and the other guy, the #4 pick. Clean glass bady.

 

33 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

John Collins

W-O-R-K 4 letters.

34 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

McMillan’s concept of

 

34 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Let’s Go Hawks!

As always nice pregame speech to get us started lw3! 
 

Vegas got Hawks by 6.

2K had Dejounte going off and JOHN COLLINS WITH 13/20/3/4 BLOCKS I NEED A JC STAT LINE LIKE THAT!!!  Use that athleticism and pretend you’re Dennis Rodman and judge predict where the ball with hit off the iron and as Taurean Prince once said. “Go grab it” or something about rebounding  
 

Go Hawks!

[Spud2nique]

39 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

The Hawks? Hahaha. DON’T LET THEM FOOL YA!”

Always reminds me of RAW with Eddie Murph.. swinging it in the Caribbean 

[Gray Mule]

I WANT!  I WANT!  I WANT!  Like a small child, I cry!  Any one?

Hornet's G League - Center - Mark Williams - 7'+

Count our rebounds without Capela.  We really need another big!

 

[macdaddy]

Honestly the starting lineup should be Trae/DJ/AJ/Hunter/JC

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Defense in the paint looks very good so far.

[benhillboy]

That ain’t the Goodie MOB.  That’s The Lumberjacks and Big Gipp.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Totally different team when Collins and Hunter are making shots.

[benhillboy]

Them boys shooting that thang today 

[benhillboy]

Bam ain’t doing nothing versus OO., he doesn’t have a quickness nor physicality advantage.  Will OO do anything versus Bam is the bigger issue.

Edited November 27, 2022 by benhillboy

[benhillboy]

Here comes Frank, f&@k!

[gurpilo]

Kaminsky is trash, please cut him and sign Whiteside, Cousins or Thompson 

[benhillboy]

Strus gonna learn quick you can’t leave AJ.  

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Hawks are 6 - 11 from 3.   9 assists.

Hunter playing a perfect game with his shooting, and even has 2 steals, as well as shutting Herro down.

 

Keep it going.

[benhillboy]

We used to call Kev velvet.  AJ is even smoother.  Indian silk

Edited November 27, 2022 by benhillboy

[gurpilo]

hace 2 minutos, benhillboy dijo:

Strus gonna learn quick you can’t leave AJ.  

We need to learn we cannot leave Strus open. He is 4-7 on 3 pt

[benhillboy]

Bruh.

[GameTime]

AJ is so good man

[Bonkers]

AJ>>>>

 

Has the potential to be the best player on the team

Edited November 27, 2022 by Bonkers

[Wretch]

THAT shot from AJ...