Official Game Thread: Nets at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“Whoa, don’t dehumanize me out here, bro!”

 

Three cheers, Atlanta Hawks fans, for your friend, and mine, Ben Simmons! Hip hip!

I haven’t been into comic universes for about as long as I stopped buying comic books. Still, I recognize the cathartic glee exhibited by fans when a once-conquered villain reemerges, as impregnable as ever before. It rivals the big hero comebacks, in my book.

Let’s first recall how we all got here in the first place.

“That’s it, young Mr. Simmons. You, Gameboy, are officially On! My! List!”. Now, me, I like to at least pretend I’m a pleasant enough feller. Sweet disposition, help little old ladies cross streets and whatnot. Just a good ol’ boy, never meanin’ no harm. But I am neither Craig nor Angie, and My List is not one you want to be on.

Hawks fans, like the Nets, don’t have many (NBA) titles or banners to lean on, but my gracious, do we have ourselves some Lists. Paul Pierce and Matty Dellavedova are high up on all these karmic registries. Ben and his PS4 pal KAT-Man-Don’t were soon to find their rightful places on them, too.

I had a good run, beginning with the fateful Hawks-Sixers playoff series of 2021, of enjoying every episode of Ben Simmons, Down Bad. But perhaps it’s just the pseudo-pleasantry in my system that doesn’t wish for these guys to get buried in the earth’s core. Six feet under, for a time, is good enough for my hearty guffaws.

It has taken eighteen months and a new NBA residence for Simmons to shake all the topsoil off his person. And, you know what, he’s none the worse for wear.

Philly did Ben a solid by flipping him, some first-rounders and Seth Curry to a division rival for Paul Millsap, and that James Harden guy as a throw-in. Simmons’ and Harden’s moody-blues antics last season threw a pair of Eastern Conference would-be contenders off their axis just long enough to doom them at playoff time, for which another division rival, the Celtics, will be eternally grateful.

But Simmons has regained his bearings, along with his once-distracted co-stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. It is just in time for the Brooklyn Nets, who enter State Farm Arena (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, YES Network in The Boogie Up) with a chance to extend their winning streak to ten in a row following a 12-12 start.

Appearing in seven of the Nets’ past nine contests, Simmons’ positive 11.9 plus/minus leads the NBA in that span. Freed from Philly’s draft-night expectations, 2016’s first-overall pick is no longer to expected to grow into a superstar in the traditional sense of the word, although Brooklyn sure wouldn’t mind that development under their watch. But he is fulfilling the “Star in his Role” role, and that is enough right now to propel the Nets to higher heights.

With Kyrie and KD upright, Ben doesn’t have to score, and still isn’t looking to do so. But he is patching up Brooklyn’s once woeful rebounding issues while serving as a top-flight secondary passer and tenacious on-ball defender (7.0 APG, 1.9 SPG and 7.3 RPG in his last seven games). He’s scoring close to the rim (60.9 FG%) off catches, and quickly enough that opponents cannot make him earn his offense at the charity stripe (0-for-6 FTs in past seven games). When he does elect to dish the ball out of the restricted area, he’s finding Hall of Fame-caliber finishers like Durant (30.0 PPG at age 34; 56.3 FG% & 92.5 FT% highest among Top-15 active scorers) instead of the likes of Matisse Thybulle.

Atlanta returns to The Farm with “heavy legs,” to hear Nate McMillan tell it after the lackluster close to last night’s 129-114 loss in Indiana, to face a Nets squad that blew out the Warriors and Bucks back home, got Christmas Day off, then cratered the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Monday despite a career day from Darius Garland.

Those heavy Hawk legs are banged up, too. Trae Young may make it three starters out for Nate McMillan after bruising a calf late in last night’s game. Clint Capela (strained calf) is already declared out for this contest while De’Andre Hunter (sprained ankle, DNP vs. IND) is joined by Bogi Bogdanovic (injury management) and Jalen Johnson (sore foot) with Questionable pregame designations.

McMillan would love the fortune Nets replacement head coach Jacque Vaughn (20-7 as head honcho, 13-1 since losing @ IND on Black Friday) is enjoying, going on a ten-game surge to turn frowns upside down. But he has to first have a healthy set of core players, on this shallow Hawks roster, collaborating and committing to their roles on the defensive end of the floor. When one has to turn to Frank Kaminsky and Justin Holiday, that is a tough ask.

The Nets are even getting healthier, as Curry (non-COVID illness) is reactivated after missing the Cavs game. Brooklyn’s 39.1 3FG% already paces the league, and that’s with Joe Harris (sore knee, out today, DNP vs. MIL and @ CLE) in and out of commission.

Vaughn can turn to starter Royce O’Neale (42.9% on 5.6 3FGAs/game), or any of Yuta Watanabe (54.0 3FG%), Patty Mills (40.9 3FG%), Markieff Morris or T.J. Warren, knowing they are likely to come through with a big shot or two in limited minutes, allowing Kevin (62.6 2FG%) and Kyrie (56.3 2FG%) to turn the screws on defenses from the inside. It must be nice.

With or without Young, tonight’s game is a prime opportunity for Trae’s co-star, Dejounte Murray, to shed the barnacles that has slowed him down since his (maybe premature) return from an ankle sprain. Discounting last week’s must-win over the Pistons, Murray shot 38.2 percent in three of his past four games, and he collected just two boards and three dimes in almost 35 minutes of play versus the Pacers yesterday.

Atlanta was without three starters – Murray, Hunter and John Collins – yet nearly pulled off a coup at Barclays Center on December 9, thanks to a scintillating shooting display from the recently-returning Bogdanovic, plus Capela and Onyeka Okongwu (7 combined O-Rebs) holding serve on the boards.

If Atlanta can get anything approximating Dejounte’s fullcourt opus at MSG from last month, and if Okongwu can stay on the floor tonight long enough to help an improving John Collins (26 points, 3-for-6 3FGs and 10 rebounds @ IND), the Hawks can hang. Otherwise, they’ll just be extra spectators, hoping to entertain the actual ones with occasional highlights in drips and drabs.

Best wishes to Ben Simmons going forward, versus up to 28 NBA teams. That is, now that he’s no longer sabotaging his own.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

If we're down a bunch of players tonight, Hawks fans deserve to at least be able to pluck this guy off of the Nets assistants' bench.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Already the longest in the Brooklyn era, the Nets extending the winning streak to 10 would tie their longest since Vince Carter, sixth-man Jacque Vaughn, and Jason Collins rattled off 14 in a row in a late-season tear with J-Kidd and the Jersey Boys back in 2006.

I can at least take solace that it's not the Knicks. We'd never hear the end of it. Thibsanity!

 

~lw3

[shakes]

Jesus, even Ben Simmons thinks we're a joke.    That's like having CarrotTop tell you you look ridiculous.

[JayBirdHawk]

The Hawks have been streak busters at The Farm - let's keep that streak going!

[lethalweapon3]

The Human Highlight Film can sleep easy tonight, because he won't get passed for 14th all-time in scoring. Not unless KD goes off for 153 points by his lonesome.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

With everybody talking about 50- and 60-piece nuggets today... for some reason... KD's last visit to the Factory had him posting his personal career-best 55 points (most by a Hawk opponent in Atlanta since Larry Bird in March '85). That helped boost his NBA career-scoring average versus Atlanta to the current 29.8 PPG (35.0 as a Netizen), behind only His Airness' 29.9.

It was not, however, a trae-umphant visit to The A for the Durantula.

 

~lw3

[shakes]

18 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

The Human Highlight Film can sleep easy tonight, because he won't get passed for 14th all-time in scoring. Not unless KD goes off for 153 points by his lonesome.

~lw3

Is Bogi guarding him tonight?

[NBASupes]

Trae will likely ball out tonight. Luka dropped 60, Trae will feel the pressure to drop 70 and we all know Kyrie ain't defending sh!t on a Wednesday night. I think I might watch this game. It might be a legendary one. 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

18 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Trae will likely ball out tonight. Luka dropped 60, Trae will feel the pressure to drop 70 and we all know Kyrie ain't defending shit on a Wednesday night. I think I might watch this game. It might be a legendary one. 

 

I want him to come out aggressive early, to see if he can get going right away.  If he can, he'll look to put up a big number.

[Dnice]

Enjoy. 

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Gameboy

 

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Matty Dellavedova

When it’s all said and done the lethalputter will honor him as the name used most often, to the squawk’s collective boos…

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

With Kyrie and KD upright

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

With or without Young, tonight’s game is a prime opportunity for Trae’s co-star, Dejounte Murray, to shed the barnacles that has slowed him down since his (maybe premature) return from an ankle sprain.

This.

Thanks @lethalweapon3 awesome as awlays, you bring many smiles  

Ps  I was mad in 2K and went off. 
 

Hawks by 26!

[Dnice]

So much for all that rest and healing folks were selling when Capela sat out Friday and would rest on the front end of a back to back. Oh well.

[terrell]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

The Hawks have been streak busters at The Farm - let's keep that streak going!

Is Clint playing?

NVM.. Just saw he was out.. smh

Edited December 28, 2022 by terrell

[JayBirdHawk]

Scheduled loss.

 

 

[Dnice]

Bring on the Lakers,  I guess.

[JayBirdHawk]

Good Luck JJ.

 

 

[bleachkit]

DJM, it's your show tonight. Need Bogi and AJ to hit shots as well. 

[terrell]

30 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Scheduled loss.

 

 

Gonna be tough without CC..

[terrell]

13 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

DJM, it's your show tonight. Need Bogi and AJ to hit shots as well. 

No Capela is rough.. We Need his rim protection..