Official Game Thread: Warriors at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“Bruno thinks he oughta be a Killer B, too. Whaddya say, Coach?”

 

The Champs Are Here! Eh, most of ‘em, anyway.

Our Atlanta Hawks are entering Must Win territory for the final time this season, with this You Betta Win game versus Golden State’s not exactly Road Warriors (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, NBC Sports Bay Area in SFO, NBATV elsewhere).

In advance, you’ve likely heard plenty about how a victory today by the good guys, in front of their raucous Friday night home crowd at State Farm Arena, would translate into ten consecutive road defeats for the Dubs (36-34, 7-29 away), who sit two games ahead of Play-In candidates the Lakers and (checks notes) the Thunder out West, and just one game in front of 7-seed Dallas.

For those keeping score at home, the Warrior franchise record for road slides came not long after the club arrived in San Fran from Philly -- 20 games, from December 1964 through around this time in March 1965. I shall go out on a limb by suggesting that particular record stands. Still, what happened back then?

Before that season, the NBA widened the lanes to thwart Wilt The Stilt’s interior dominance, and the defending Western Conference champs regressed swiftly. Their owner was already hemorrhaging money, and Wilt’s midseason trade back home greased the skids.

Those Warriors tanked, grabbed a superstar from the Davidson Wildcats named Fred Hetzel with the first pick of the ’65 Draft, then a fella from hoops hotbed U. of Miami named Rick Barry with the next non-territorial pick, and all would be well in the Bay Area again soon.

In any event, this current string is a stunning turn of events for a team, with its golden pedigree, that is/was The Greatest Road Show on Sports Earth.

Yet here is a note of warning, Atlanta. All of those Ls G-State suffered were versus Western Conference clubs. Further, unlike 1965, today’s Warriors owner is making bank (not talking Silicon Valley-style, either), and tanking for the Lottery is not an option for coach Steve Kerr’s defending NBA titleholders. So long as their current Davidson draftee is postseason-healthy, the Dubs need dubs, for dubs’ sake, anywhere they can find them.

Of G-State’s paltry seven road victories to date, three of them were in Eastern locales. Two of them (at Washington, at Cleveland) were back in late January, and they haven’t made a single Eastern pit stop from then unto now.

Tonight is their season’s final eastward visit. The Warriors’ cross-country excursion to (rested!) Atlanta from L.A., where they fell to the Clippers on Wednesday, extends back West for games in Memphis (a SEGABABA tomorrow), Houston (who just whacked the Lakerdaisicals), and Kyrielukalopolis. After that, a last stand back home at the Chase Center is followed by season-ending road games at Sactown and Portland, both of which will be pivotal.

You are also likely aware that Dillon Brooks’ shadow will return to Memphis tomorrow night. But because Draymond Green pulled a Draymond during the midweek loss to the Clips, his big yap cost him a suspension due to his 16^th technical foul, negating his appearance on Atlanta’s court today.

Andrew Wiggins remains out on excused personal family leave. In one of the only games this season where his presence was requested on the floor, Andre Iguodala broke his wrist on Monday. Kevon Looney is probably good-to-go, but the big man has been dealing with a sore back, dwindling his floor time of late.

The Davidson alums and Warrior Wagon band members in attendance today care about none of that. Will their hot-shooting hero play today? And will he be gracious enough to serve us a juicy fifty-burger, too? Medium-rare, fried egg and all?

Steph Curry’s thumb is sore. As yours would be, too, if you put up a season-high-tying 28 field goal attempts versus PG and Kawhi and led your team with a season-high 50 points and six dimes in a losing effort.

There will be no Creature Double Feature for the Dubs this weekend starring Falcons assistant GM Trae Young and Ja Morant, not with the latter still out on his Keepin’ It Real suspension. Even so, Kerr faces quite the quandary.

Does he field Curry (listed as Questionable; 30.1 PPG, his 50.4 FG% now eclipsing his career-best from the 73-win season) tonight, or load-manage that thumb ahead of tomorrow’s in-conference matchup against a rival that often plays well without Morant (as they well know; they lost by 21 in FedEx Forum just last week). Or, does Kerr extra-carefully manage minutes through what would be Steph’s first back-to-back since the first days of February?

Those games were a pair of road losses that began this current notable streak, right before the star was sidelined for a month due to a leg injury. Due in part to Steph’s injury-riddled season, the Warriors haven’t won a FIRGABABA (1^st game of a back-to-back set) with Curry on the floor since a December 2 home win over the Bulls (0-3 since). Steph’s last road FIRGABABA victory came a couple weeks before that, a November 20 win at lowly Houston.

Most importantly, you are aware that time is of the essence not just for the downtrodden ring-bearers, but for their opponents sharing the floor today, too.

Having squandered opportunities to sneak up on a 6-seed, or catch 7-seed Miami for the Southeast Division banner, there aren’t many avenues left for the Hawks (34-35, 0.5 games ahead of Toronto. Yay, tiebreaker!) to finish at even-steven, much less match last season’s 43-39 campaign. This three-game stretch, swinging out to San Antonio Sunday before returning home to face Detroit in a FIRGABABA on Tuesday, is essentially this team’s Georgia 400.

At least coach Quin Snyder’s club has more personnel answers than questions, more than the team they face tonight. One less burning question on Atlanta’s slate: is Bogi Bogdanovic a Hawk 4 Lyfe?

We got a clearer answer to that mystery with yesterday's announcement that the home team hammered out an extension that could run through 2027 for the soon-to-be 31-year-old sixth-man sniper (40.1 3FG%, although 0-for-4 and 1-for-8 on the floor overall in Monday’s deflating 136-115 loss vs. MIN). Reminiscent of a contract Kyle Korver once signed, this deal declines gracefully from $18 million next year, and a team option in Year 4 of the contract could prove palatable ((knocks on pressure-treated Yella Wood)) if Bogdanovic stays reasonably healthy and perimeter-productive going forward.

He can’t be traded until at least the outset of training camp next season ((knocks on more Southern pine ahead of the FIBA World Cup)), so he’s ours all summer long. We can’t know for sure how much, beyond that, that the Hawks will be the team doling out this deal, but I suspect this move by first-year team prez Landry Fields doubles as a guarantee that he, and not another current, prominent NBA executive, gets to call that shot.

It's not looking too great for Bob Myers, last promoted from Just The GM to bball-ops prez in the summer of 2016 at the same time his deputy dog Travis Schlenk was elevated to VP. Warriors ownership is allowing Myers’ contract to expire at season’s end, making him perhaps the biggest executive playa in play since Masai Ujiri (not counting Danny Ainge, he was headed to Utah regardless).

Myers’ time may be drawing to a close in the Bay Area, and one suspects that Myers knows this. With his team struggling to gain traction, his one Deadline maneuver was to hop in on Fields’ deal for Saddiq Bey, by shipping swing-and-miss prospect James Wiseman to Motown and retrieving ex-Warrior Gary Payton II from Portland.

A team president in it for the long haul might have blown that multi-team swap to smithereens, once discovering GP2 was damaged goods upon arrival from a conference rival. Yet Myers seems like he has somewhere else in mind. Perhaps, somewhere where he could hang around outside of the luxury tax lounge for a couple years (granted, his friend Travis may have other ideas in mind).

Curry senses Myers’ time in near, too, as he recently vouched for his team’s top exec. “I don’t ever take that for granted,” Steph said during an NBC Sports Bay Area podcast last weekend, “the fact that I can have a difficult conversation with him.” What? No resorting to Kirk Lacob, executive hoop-ops VP and Owner Joe’s son, as an end-around? Who does that? “I recognize the extreme value he’s brought in just managing people. Very similar to Coach Kerr, in the way that they communicate.”

Fields recognizes the possibility that Tony Ressler could grow enamored with the idea of bumping him, in favor of yet another head honcho in pursuit of Warriors East. The unexpected Bogi Bag that dropped, while not exactly a poison pill, adds to the pile of recent Hawk extension deals that no usurping GM/PBO would care to inherit. I see the vision, Landry. And I can respect it.

What I respect a tad bit less is the Hawks’ Game Notes touting a streak of a different sort. Our Hawks, warts and all, hold the NBA’s longest current run of triple-digit scoring outputs, at 44 games above 100 points and counting. Nine more of those, and Atlanta would tie their franchise record of 53, set way back in 1969-70. Yes, I can hear the care from here.

My interest lies on the other side of the boxscore. Atlanta held Joel Embiid’s Sixers to 95 points in a win back on November 10, the third time in five games that Nate McMillan’s troops throttled an opponent into double-digit disarray. Since then, 57 games later, we’d just be happy to see Clint Capela, John Collins, Tony Bennett career salvager De’Andre Hunter, Dejounte Murray (next steal makes him the only NBA’er with 100+ thefts in each of the past 4 seasons), Onyeka Okongwu and friends suppress somebody below 110 points. Atlanta is a deserving 2-16 when giving up over 125 points this season, 18-3 when yielding less than 110.

Neither Curry nor Wiggins were anywhere to be found back on the 2^nd of January, when road-tripping Atlanta waltzed into San Francisco carrying a knife to Klay Thompson’s shootout (54 double-OT points, just two from FTs). Klay was 10-for-21 from outside the three-point arc, but more tellingly 11-for-18 inside versus the Capela-less Hawks, including 4-for-5 from five feet in. As a team, Golden State shot just 32.2 3FG% even with Klay going cray, turned the ball over six more times, got to the line for five fewer foul shots, and eventually won anyway.

All of that is to note that the streak of granting 100+ points ought to stay intact tonight, no matter if Draymond cold-cocks Jordan Poole (28 points vs. ATL in January, despite 2-for-12 on threes and 6 TOs) at the pregame hotel pool party, and no matter who suits up for the Warriors. Please, Hawks, don’t let JaMychal be the big Green story tonight.

With Clint around this time to help plug the middle, Onyeka and the bench crew must stifle the Dray-less Dubs’ rebounding (69 boards vs. ATL in January; Bogi and AJ Griffin as the default bench bigs wasn’t a sound strategy). With Jalen Johnson out due to a tight hammy, it may be time to talk about Bruno. No? No? No? Hawk defenders staying glued to Curry, and/or Klay, and switching off screens to ensure that when they give up the ball they don’t get catch-and-shoot chances back, will be vital for victory.

No matter Snyder’s defensive scheme, it must carry over into the upcoming games. If I may be so forward as to look forward, even in this fast-paced NBA society, there is no reason for Atlanta’s streak of allowing 100 points to reach 60 games.

A current hoop-ops consultant with the Warriors once famously declared, “Nothing Easy!”, while a member of a breakthrough Hawks team. Nothing remains simple these days, but for these two teams desperately seeking a victory on this floor tonight, they sure could benefit from making things easier on themselves.

 

Erin go Bragh! Fight Owls Fight! And Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Looney (sore back) remains Probable as of the 1:30 PM Boo-Boo Report. Curry (sore thumb, left hand) is Questionable.

Re-iterating that Jalen Johnson is out, but hopefully his hammy will loosen up in time for Sunday or at least next week's back-to-back.

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

12 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Bruno thinks he oughta be a Killer B, too. Whaddya say, Coach?”

 Love it!

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[sturt]

 

Same Jalen Johnson??? Coz this one looks like he's good to go.

[Spud2nique]

29 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

extends back West for games in Memphis

Good, hopefully they are looking forward to this one.

 

30 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

negating his appearance on Atlanta’s court today.

He ducked us. He talks a lot about how we passed on him in 2012 after bringing him in for a couple workouts. I wanted to hand one to him tonight.

 

32 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Andre Iguodala broke his wrist on Monday.

He’s a dinosaur retire already.

 

33 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Steph Curry’s thumb is sore.

Awwww .. lemme see it.. {FLICK} … he’s fine. 

 

36 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Keepin’ It Real

 

 

 

38 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

is Bogi Bogdanovic a Hawk 4 Lyfe?

 

41 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Our Hawks, warts and all, hold the NBA’s longest current run of triple-digit scoring outputs, at 44 games above 100 points and counting

Wow  

 

42 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

I can hear the care from here.

 I care!!! 

 

43 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Draymond cold-****

Somebody just earned themselves a new nickname!  

Thanks @lethalweapon3 this is my Super Bowl !!!!  #fromoakland2sactown #wilewilewest #shakeitcali #ATLinvasion 
 

Vegas HAD Hawks -1.5 NOW it’s -4.5 (Drayday is good for 3 points)

2K got Hawks -10

Trae 30/6 dimes

DM 29/5 dimes

JC 15/18/3 blocks

CC 13/24/4 blocks

 

GO HAWKSSSSSS!!!!!! 
 

ps Up 10 with 0.3 seconds left, I used a timeout. #classy  

 

[lethalweapon3]

Get 'em next year, KSU!

~lw3

[Dnice]

Meh,  maybe KSU can be the Gonzaga of the ASUN, they probably will.  NO guarantee they'll dominate the conference to get back

 bummed.

[lethalweapon3]

1 minute ago, Dnice said:

Meh,  maybe KSU can be the Gonzaga of the ASUN, they probably will.  NO guarantee they'll dominate the conference to get back

 bummed.

They'd better hurry, as I'm just finding out from the broadcast they're upgrading (???) to Conference USA after next season. As long as they don't wind up being the MEDUSA of the CUSA, I'll take it!

~lw3

[Phunkabilly]

1 hour ago, sturt said:

 

Same Jalen Johnson??? Coz this one looks like he's good to go.

If that's what his stroke looks like with a tight hamstring, get his ass out there!

[djjob23]

Here are the refs for ATL vs GSW tonight! Includes their career team records when they ref either team (% rank vs other teams AND % rank vs other 76 refs for same team):

Crew Chief: John Goble #10 - GSW 40-29 (6th | 25th), ATL 25-36 (26th | 54th)
Ref: Rodney Mott #71 - GSW 60-52 (10th | 43rd), ATL 38-69 (28th | 68th)
Umpire: Natalie Sago #9 - GSW 8-5 (20th | 67th), ATL 4-3 (12th | 13th)
 
Based on these refs assigned, I predict a GSW win tonight. 

GO HAWKS!!!

Edited March 17, 2023 by djjob23

[sturt]

Interested to see if there's some obvious difference in performance, having 3 days to get further educated in hoops best practices according to Professor Snyder.

[Spud2nique]

33 minutes ago, djjob23 said:

Based on these refs assigned, I predict a GSW win tonight. 

HELL NO WE WONT GO!!!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

OK Hawks.  Time to stop losing marquee games in front of the home crowd.

Time to start winning these games and protecting the Farm.

 

No more excuses!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

All eyes on Dejounte Murray, and his activity on defense.  Don't just get the occasional steal, guard your damn man.  Stop letting people just blow by you, and stop dying on screens.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Spud2nique]

TIP!!!! LEGGOOOOOO!!! We have to get this! 

[JayBirdHawk]

4 hours ago, Phunkabilly said:

If that's what his stroke looks like with a tight hamstring, get his ass out there!

 

 

[Guest]

Down 3-0 already.  We're done...

[Spud2nique]

Just now, LongTimeFan said:

Down 3-0 already.  We're done...

I’m out..