Official Game Thread: Hawks at Cavaliers -- IST Game #4

[lethalweapon3]

“Congrats, D.J.! I just found out, we both passed T.I. in the race for Daddy of the Year!”

 

Our Atlanta Hawks tricked off the games they needed to win, earlier in the season, when their rotations were at relatively superior health to their opponents, and whenever they had any semblance of a homestand.

With that sun setting, and the In-Season Tournament Group Play coming to a close tonight against the Cavaliers in Cleveland (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, BS Ohio), Trae Young’s Hawks can now revert to doing what they do at their letter-best. That Mission Possible, should they choose to accept it: playing the spoiler.

The Cavs (9-8; 5-2 over last seven) got Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell back together over the weekend, and after Jarrett Allen missed the first five games, coach JB Bickerstaff has his preferred starting lineup together, tonight, for just the eighth time. While the IST Knockout Rounds are a virtual impossibility for Atlanta (8-8; 1-2 in IST play), Cleveland (+6 through 3 IST games, behind NYK +18, MIA +11, BRK +8; BOS at 0 but hosts CHI) understands they need to win at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, and win big, in order to finish 3-1 and advance.

The challenge for the Cavs, beyond dealing with Trae (last 4 games: 50.0 2FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 35.0 PPG, 8.5 APG, 1.8 SPG) and a Hawks offense that loves, if nothing else, to run up the court and strike fast, is that running up a score is a tall order. They held the Raptors to 105 points on Sunday, in the middle of their five-game homestand, and only held on to win by three. They weren’t so fortunate last Wednesday, absent Mitchell, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro, when Jimmy’s heat swung by and held them to 36 buckets, 10 free throws, and 96 points.

Cleveland (110.6 O-Rating, 24^th in NBA; minus-2.0 Net Rating) has been a bit of an inverse of Atlanta (117.1 D-Rating, 24^th in NBA; plus-2.3 Net Rating) to this point. They haven’t compiled any losses to bad teams, and the season-sweep of the Warriors, a recent home win over the Nuggets, and an OT road win at Philly are feathers in their cap. But their defensive aptitude, specifically in the frontcourt, hasn’t been enough on many nights to overcome an inefficient offense.

Bickerstaff needs more than Garland (9.4 TO% on drives, highest among players with 10+ drives/game) burrowing his way to the hoop, or Mitchell (0.5 points per off-screen possession, lowest among players with 1.0+ possessions per game) and Garland (20.8 TO% as P&R ball-handler, lowest among players averaging 7+ possessions per game) pounding the rock into pumice. Cleveland, like Atlanta, needs to lean a little more on their respective Trojan Man. It’s a stretch, to be sure.

For Evan Mobley (9^th in RPG w/ 10.4, 12^th in BPG), his scoring, passing, and offensive glass-crashing have elevated a smidgen over his first two seasons in the league. To the limited extent that he gets to the free throw line, he’s shooting those better, too. But everyone is waiting for an All-Star to crack out of his 1^st-Team All-Defensive shell, and it won’t come to pass for Mobley (12.1 shots/game, up from 12.0 last season; 3.5 FTAs/game, down from 3.8) if he isn’t seeking out mismatches and demanding the ball on the block with greater frequency.

His fellow Cali prep standout and ex-USC teammate grew an inch or two over the summer, added some pounds to his frame, and hides even more.

Three seasons and change into his NBA journey, Onyeka Okongwu has been the inverse of De’Andre Hunter when it comes to their draft classes. You must descend to the 12^th pick, Tyrese Haliburton, to find a 2020 lottery pick that has compiled as many Win Shares as #6 pick Okongwu (19^th pick Saddiq Bey ranks right behind him, and ahead of the cursed LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards). No one in the draft, among 60 picks, registers a more efficient per-48 Win Share tally than Gwu Tang, including Messrs. Haliburton, and Maxey, and Bane, and Quickley.

What he can do, he does proficiently, just not sufficiently. Even with a depleted bench brought about by Jalen Johnson’s sudden absence and Bey’s re-ascension to the starting five, Onyeka runs up and down Boston’s parquet floor for 27 minutes and contributes two shots (made ‘em both, so, good) for four points, three D-Rebs, two steals, a block, and fewer free throws than you’ll find partridges in a pear tree.

The Shmedium O (The ShmOO is already taken), now the same dimensions as the block-hunting Allen, hair notwithstanding, has used his newfound head-to-toe length to occasionally up-periscope for three, and not much more (last 10 games: 6.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 51.9 FG%, 1.4 FTAs/game).

Slightly poison-pilled by his recent four-year, $62 million contract extension, the Hawks need to palpably upgrade Okongwu’s value to the team on the court. Inert performances as exhibited in Sunday’s 113-103 loss in Beantown won’t help coach Quin Snyder’s club wage through a very home-unfriendly schedule between now and mid-January.

A silver lining in Atlanta’s playbook is that Johnson’s injury would have been more untimely had it occurred after the eight-day IST Break that the Hawks “earned”. During that off-time, the Hawks can work to help the soon-to-be-23-year-old Okongwu blend as well with his other teammates as he did so resoundingly in lineups alongside Jalen (+15.8 net points as a 2-Man lineup).

But there’s no need for him to wait. Onyeka can assume some of the verve displayed by Johnson in drawing contact in the paint, rolling to the hoop off picks, and sparking fastbreaks after securing the defensive boards. And Okongwu (career-best 21 points, plus 9 boards and 3 blocks, off the bench in a win vs. CLE on Mar. 23) can do all of these things, with greater relentlessness, tonight to help spoil Mobley and the Cavs’ hopes for an IST berth.

It has been a minute since we’ve seen a highly-drafted player out of USC truly fulfill his potential, and neither Cleveland nor Atlanta should have to wait and see what Bronny does in the Pac-2, or the B1G, before it happens. Mmm-hmm-hmmmm...

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[Atlantaholic]

Another game against a member of the  east "rest of the pack". Can't drop these games if we want to avoid the play-in.

[lethalweapon3]

Dean Wade and Ty Jerome have been out with matching right ankle sprains. Jerome's injury plus Ricky Rubio's personal leave has pressed Bickerstaff into playing the undrafted two-way guard Craig Porter, Jr.  The Wichita State product has been a bit of a Shocker with double-digit scoring in his last five games, and even started in place of Mitchell in last week's blowout loss to the heat.

Nothing new on the Hawks' front in the Boo-Boo Report, after Jalen and the rooks. Trent Forrest remains the sole two-way player presently with the big club.

~lw3

[HawksNWaffles]

You know it's coming...................

 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by HawksNWaffles

[JeffS17]

I expect front court struggles this game... hoping to see some improved effort on the boards from 1-5.

[lethalweapon3]

"MMMDROP!" A reminder for the Hawks to be careful running out of bounds. What in the Vanderbilt is this?

https://sports.yahoo.com/miami-calls-league-complain-raised-161712993.html

Quote

How (Dru) Smith injured his leg had the Miami organization calling the league office. Smith lept to contest a Max Strus corner 3 and landed out of bounds near the Cavaliers' bench, where there is about a 10-inch drop-off from the court to the floor. Smith landed on the edge of that drop, and his leg twisted under him.

Quote

As Joe (Vardon) and other reporters covering the Cavaliers noted, that 10-inch drop has been there the entire 30 years the Cavaliers have been in this building. That doesn't make it right or safe.

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

Mobley and Allen vs CC and Bey? Might need some Bruno tonight.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Mobley and Allen vs CC and Bey? Might need some Bruno tonight.

Actually would love to see some OO and CC lineups. Something has got to give with this rebounding.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[BrazilianHawk]

GO HAWKS!

I think we're pretty much screwed for the season without JJ, but still. At least Dre has awakened from his deep sleep. 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

OK Hawks . . . let's get this 22 point win and sneak into the tournament!

[JayBirdHawk]

Love aggressive Dre!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Capela playing like Moses Malone forreal

[JayBirdHawk]

Capela doing work early!

[BrazilianHawk]

eh, strange, no one high-fived OO.

[JayBirdHawk]

1 minute ago, BrazilianHawk said:

eh, strange, no one high-fived OO.

that was too funny!

[JayBirdHawk]

Good none-Trae minutes.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Around the league

 

Boston 33 - Chicago 20

Milwaukee 31 - Miami 22

Toronto 21 - Brooklyn 22

Charlotte 16 - New York 29

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Looks like they overturned the half court 3 by Mitchell as they were going to commercial break.