Official Game Thread: Hawks at Bucks (7 PM EST Tip)

[lethalweapon3]

“AJ! Hello? I can’t make it any clearer, young man. Don’t Press Send!”

 

There’s maybe, what, a thousand or so Game Threads laying around dormant on the Interwebs? Billions of snarky characters typed over the last decade or so? And my routine worry is that, one day, some snide reference I made in 2015, about someone or something, will catch the wrong attention for the wrong reasons, and have me all up on the Jumbotron screen at the annual Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes, or somesuch. “How dare he besmirch our Grand Poobah’s reputation? Cancel this man! BOO!”

How does that line from Lawrence of Arabia (1962) go? “The trick… is not minding that it hurts.” Well, it’s a good thing, I suppose, that the Atlanta Hawks’ 2022 first-rounder regularly surfs around his social media sites (burners notwithstanding) like he is living comfortably numb. Not so much for his sake as for mine, as an Atlanta Hawks fan with certain sensibilities and sensitivities, but I really need my young son AJ Griffin to learn the four simplest keys to sustained living on this green Earth.

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit in the wind. You don’t pull the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger. And you don’t mess around with The Beyhive. (That didn’t rhyme at all. Sorry, Nipsey Russell, I have failed you yet again.)

In Pastor Griff’s worldview, as in many others’, there is but one true Superhero, who’s decidedly not a she-ro, and it’s His Green Earth for as long as it suits Him to keep it green, or round or, like, around. That belief is perfectly copacetic in my book, one which of course pales in comparison to The Good Book that small-h he, AJ, chooses to share line-by-line with his flock of e-followers.

Many of us aim to live and thrive in a world where people of divergent faith perspectives, or even none at all, manage to co-exist and thrive together. It goes without expounding (i.e., getting myself in hot water with somebody’s Loyal Order of Endangered Species) that it seems awfully hard these days to aim toward the equilibrium of free coexistence most everywhere around the globe, and with considerable effort, I hope that challenge eases over time. But none of us are digging around here to delve into that. We’re here for some (Don’t dare say His name in vain)-dang Atlanta Hawks Basketball!

I remain trusting that my son AJ can keep the main thing the main thing (yes, AJ, I understand there is The Main Thing) whenever Quin Snyder summons tiny-h his name to come off the bench and help our dear Hawks attain higher heights (no, AJ, not The Highest Height, I gotcha). What this mere mortal wants is to watch this kid blossom into a fullcourt threat, and a headlining role player, or perhaps even an All-NBA caliber starter, on a club in need of someone to seize those reigns. Did I say reigns, AJ? Sorry. Reins.

But if it isn’t too much to ask, of any celestial body Up There, I’d love to be blessed with hoopers whose religious e-xpressions don’t render them a parodied caricature of themselves. Behind that signature winning smile of AJ Griffin’s, and that sweet, goofy giggle, there’s a smirking Church Lady with a pillbox hat yearning to be set free.

As NBA fans, we’ve been riding parallel to Damascus Road with the Mark Jacksons, Allan Houstons and Charlie Wards who browbeat their 90s Knicks teammates to figurative death in the locker rooms, then got the whole club in hot water speaking ill of certain religions outside of them. We’ve watched Jonathan Isaac, now playing, spend the past few years earning himself a sweet non-basketball bag while drawing thousands of new “fans” and detractors who previously didn’t know him from, well, Adam.

And then, there’s Kyrie. Say, remember when Teenage Mutant Super-Dwight came Straight Outta SACA vowing to use his newfound hardwood platform to “save” everybody, and not just from the Legion of Doom? Hm.

Athletes, and coaches, especially when the whistles stop blowing, can be Religious As They Wanna Be, and there are fellowship groups that help foster and protect their right to convene and express themselves free of gubmint persecution. Would I prefer that the pro ballers I root for understand that “Pro” is shorthand for Professional, not Proselytizer? Sure, one day. But my immediate concern is that AJ hold little-h his unchanging hand fully outside of The Beyhive.

“If you call yourself a follower of (J.C., and I don’t mean John Collins, or Joan, for that matter), you shouldn’t be going to any Beyonce concerts,” posted Pastor Griff, “or any concerts that promote…” Now, dude he’s talking about is no Candyman, but I won’t reiterate that other name out loud. Dana Carvey does it way better anyway. “Ephesians something:something.” AJ wants us all to really know who run the world.

Bear in mind, we had JUST recovered after the onslaught of Swifties invading and ruling downtown, MARTA, and the hotels, motels, and Holiday Inns right around the time the Celtics were pinning a bow on AJ and the Hawks’ final game last season. We hardly had time to shake it off, shake it off, when Hark! Here cometh Queen Bey and thousands of her dearest friends with her Renaissance Tour for several days in August at The Benz. All Hail Sasha Fierce!

August, through early September, is the one stretch of the Gregorian calendar where thoughts, if not prayers, ought not be directed en masse toward the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and its diehard adherents. If I’m that desperate to see the Hawks dominate the news headlines during that time, I’d just surreptitiously videotape one of their free agent board meetings, or maybe ask some traffic cops to double-check the head coach’s taillights on the freeway.

Alas, lo and behold, here comes The Gospel According To AJ. Griffin figured he may be unable to break their souls, but he sure could do his part as a humble servant to save a few, while this big mega-concert and its associated fashion circus rolls through A-Town. “ALL Hail?” Aw, hell.

Pastor Griff was but a rising middle-Sunday-schooler when the adults in the room at Hawks, Inc. nearly nuked this franchise with commentary, accusations and inferences absolutely no one asked for, burying the team beneath a bunch of picket signs and sandwich boards.  I can’t blame him for misconstruing the scale of blowback his sincerely held belief could have wrought on this star-crossed organization. I must admit, though, the clapback from the aggrieved was bound to be way more fun this go-round.

Social media convos do a horrible job at changing opinions, however honest and earnest they purport to be. They do a good job, though, at encouraging those who hold those not-nice views to scrub them tout suite once the reaction gets too heated for themselves (what’s that, AJ? “You think it’s hot now?” Okay, touché, mon frère.), and/or the associates around them.

What compelled the swift deletion of the post was not some evolution (in thought, AJ. Thought!), or Beyhivers reading him and one of his relatives up and down in the QTs (along the lines of, “You need to be worrying about your sketchy daddy!”), but the calls coming from inside the Hawks’ house: “Ayo!”

Griff may not have minded the smoke, and perhaps intended confronting it, but his teammates didn’t need any of that smoke wafting over them, second-hand. And I empathize with them. The players have enough on their plate, as proven by their performances in the first two losses of this season. The thing I feared most was to have the excitement and tension of a home opener at State Farm Arena sidetracked by protestors clad in tinfoil – not the hats this go-round, but the silvery booty short ensembles – protesting vociferously outside.

I also don’t doubt that’s why the rumor mill began creaking with talk of making our prototypical young gunner a centerpiece of whatever Landry Fields and Company were throwing Masai Ujiri’s way to spring the latter loose of Pascal Siakam. Considering the wildfires raging up there, Ujiri knew he didn’t need to add any Beyhive smoke to the mix. Besides, as we all knew by that point, AJ wouldn’t be joining his pops up there.

Obviously, I only reference “my son” in a figurative sense. AJ is the true son, albeit not the only begotten one, of Dr. Adrian Griffin, who left the Raptors’ bench to happily assume Mike Budenholzer’s seat as the head taskmaster of the Milwaukee Bucks. We’ll recall it was AJ’s mom who nearly blew up Adrian’s head coaching trajectory, right as he was filling in to direct the defending champs for Nick Nurse in the 2020 Bubble, with #MeToo-style allegations that, with the Raptors’ help, he managed to wagon-circle and lawyer down.

Dr. Griffin was able to outlast his accusations, but left behind, if you will, was the suspicion that a combative personality, if true, might prove to be his undoing. It didn’t help when former Atlanta Hawks coach Terry Stotts reportedly fell out with Griffin at a practice weeks ago. The team’s new, intended offensive coordinator quit just as it planned to embark, with Stotts’ longtime point small-g god Damian Lillard in tow, on a reinvigorated championship campaign.

Back when Stotts, in his first time holding an NBA clipboard, took over the helm midway through 2002-03 from Lon Kruger, only Garfield Heard had any semblance of head coaching experience along his bench. Things didn’t go swell for Stotts in Atlanta, but it didn’t stop a floundering Bucks team from picking his up two seasons after being fired here. Neither did the mediocre results there keep Portland from giving him yet another try, six years after the Bucks tenure ended.

Lillard’s surge to prominence made Stotts worth the Blazers’ while for a while, and vice versa, similar to the hope that Quin Snyder holds in attaching himself to the Hawks’ Trae Young. Terry and Dame rode it out together, through thick and thin, for nine seasons. Lillard prying his way out of Portland and forming “Freak Time” with Giannis Antetokounmpo made Stotts’ presence in Wisconsin look like a facilitative fit.

Alternatively, Stotts’ abrupt pre-season-tipoff departure turned eyes furtively toward Doctor Griff. How did you manage to peeve that guy off, Adrian? More importantly, in Milwaukee, who are you ticking off next?

Griffin, Sr. passed his first full-time coaching test, needing all of Lillard’s 39 points to outlast Nurse’s new team, the bald-chinned Sixers, by a 118-117 score. Lillard’s initial blend with Antetokounmpo (23-and-13), and the Bucks’ array of perimeter threats (one less tonight, as Khris Middleton’s knee gets Injury-Managed), was encouraging.

But Milwaukee (1-0), once more the preemptive Finals favorites (sorry, Horf) following last month’s blockbuster acquisition of Dame Dolla, did manage to blow a 19-point lead along the way. And how well this increasingly cap-constrained team wages through the regular season with a still-green set of backcourt reserves remains to be seen.

Some NBA clubs have seen championship-level success in recent years with experienced first-timers coaching, and the Bucks have their fingers crossed that will hold true again. But Adrian’s interpersonal skills, and his past, will come under strict scrutiny if Milwaukee slips too frequently during the season.

No matter the alleged iniquities of the father, I do not wish them to be visited upon by the children (Deuteronomy something:something).  While not the praying type, this heathen Hawks fan sincerely-held belief is that Adrian’s assumed standoffish, scorched-earth personality can’t rub off on Junior. Not in ways that drag down the Hawks’ locker room vibe, and not in ways that cleave off segments of Atlanta’s already fickle yet diverse sports fan base.

Atlanta, the team, has shown they have enough going on basketball-wise to work through, especially if a third-straight loss concludes for the Hawks tonight in Milwaukee (at this point, y’all know to just keep scrolling down for this info: 7 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, BS Wisconsin).

We are only but games in, yet I am already prepared to drop the pretense that thou shalt rely on the supporting casts of playoff runs gone by to win games in 2023-24. If Young can flub lobs with Clint Capela with game outcomes hanging in the balance, why not just have Onyeka Okongwu on the receiving end? If we’re not dictating tempo, or holding leads, or keeping Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks (all of 87 points last night after flying to N’Awlins… their arms must be tired, I guess?) below 65 halftime points, with De’Andre Hunter starting games, why not place spark plug Jalen Johnson in his stead?

If we’re already not creating decent three-point looks off drives and screens, why must it be chiseled in stone that Bogi Bogdanovic digs us out of holes for 28 minutes per night, and not my prodigal son AJ (9.0 MPG thus far, down from 19.5 in 2022-23; 24 points and 3 steals in a win without Trae vs. MIL on Nov. 7 last season)? If Pastor Griff would allow my query, are these Hawk vets that Irreplaceable? Further, how far below .500 does this team descend before Snyder considers these burning questions? Coach Quin, let my people go!

On second thought, perhaps I’m coming across as a bit too preachy and judgmental. Please turn the other cheek, Clint, DeAndre, Bogi, and forgive me. It’s just that I like the Hawks, and I like my child of destiny, AJ Griffin, on this team. I like it enough that I’d put a ring on it, if I could.

A championship ring, AJ. Relax.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[theheroatl]

Every game I'm curious to see if our backcourt picks up the defense scheme better. Hopefully we aren't caught leaving Dame open the entire game.

[lethalweapon3]

Middleton's the only Buck on the Boo-Boo report, and 2 T Matthews (calf strain), the former Buck/Marquette star/Wisconsin native, is the sole Hawk on there.

Miles Norris and Seth Lundy on our Skyhawk duty.

Hawks' GameNotes notes the Bucks, by virtue of their last victory in Atlanta back in January, leads the all-time series 117-116, and it suggests that if you dig free throw shots, this game might be for you. Atlanta's 25.5 makes per games paces the NBA in the early-early going, despite drawing whistles just 21.0 times per game (12th in NBA). The only team with more attempts per game than the Hawks (31.0) is the Bucks, who got 36.5 in their season opener but sunk only 25 of those.

With Stotts out of the picture, the top guy with HC experience left on Adrian's assistant bench is our old friend, undefeated former Hawks head coach Joe Prunty. Tread carefully, Joe P.

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

Things I'll be looking at:

1. The PF and C defensive assignments: Lopez will pull CC from the paint, CC doesn't like to stray too far leaving Lopez open for 3s. Giannis vs Bey, oh boy .  Or does CC guard Giannis. 

2. DJ vs Lillard, or do we see a lot of Hunter vs Lillard.

3. This has gotta be OO's time to step up, yes he has the best +/-, but he's not been impactful. Let's see the Giannis stopper today.

4. JJ - will be interesting to see how Quin deploys him this game.

5. We shot 37% from 3 last game, can we do a better job on 3pt defense in this game.

6. Will we see a Hunter repeat performance?

7. Trae - better shot selection.

 

[Bonkers]

2 hours ago, theheroatl said:

Every game I'm curious to see if our backcourt picks up the defense scheme better. Hopefully we aren't caught leaving Dame open the entire game.

Unfortunately Dame doesn't have to be open to roast Trae or DJ

 

You just have to hope that he has an off game

Edited October 29, 2023 by Bonkers

[JayBirdHawk]

3 hours ago, theheroatl said:

Every game I'm curious to see if our backcourt picks up the defense scheme better. 

Unfortunately, it's not just the backcourt having difficulty with miscommunication or lack of communication on defense.

Guys have to talk on defense.

[Packfill]

Good for the Hawks that Middleton is getting the night off.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

 

 

[theheroatl]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Unfortunately, it's not just the backcourt having difficulty with miscommunication or lack of communication on defense.

Guys have to talk on defense.

It's not the front court players keeping 3's pointers wide open in the scheme.. We have a collection of guard learning when to close out, what areas they need to patrol while keeping an eye on man coverage.

This is some zone-man hybrid scheme requiring the backcourt to think the most.

Keep in mind our offense is already set up to be a top ten offense or higher as it has been since Trae really burst out. 

 

It's our defense that has always been putrid.. I believe Quin is drastically changing what we've seen and ran and behind the scenes the backcourt players are struggling the most.

Edited October 29, 2023 by theheroatl

[Phunkabilly]

Tonight's the night when the Hawks commit to Quin's system for all four quarters and pull out the upset for our first dub of the season... 115-112 Hawks.  Trae gets back on track with a 26 point, 13 assist game.

[shakes]

Do I put down a bet or not?   
 

too late, already did.  

[JayBirdHawk]

JJ with the start!

 

 

[Vol4ever]

Gotta play defense period to have a shot.  Poor Quinn.  

[terrell]

18 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

JJ with the start!

 

 

"I think the Hawks should try a different starting lineup"

     I had Trae/Murray/Dre/JJ/OO

One out of two aint bad I guess.. lol

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by terrell

[terrell]

Dame isnt trying to play any defense.. If our backcourt cant get on track tonight....................................

Just play smart, keep the ball moving, and feed the hot man..

Edited October 29, 2023 by terrell

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Bonkers]

Did I just see Flava Flav???

 

Wtf lol

[terrell]

Shouldve started OO imo.. He plays well vs Giannis and Embiid for some reason.. But oh well..

 

[terrell]

LIke I sadi shouldve started OO.. WTf Clint man

[hawkman]

Capela missing dunks now???