Time to dig into the Hawks and Heat
Joe Johnson and the Hawks will have their hands full with Dwyane Wade and the Heat.
HAWKSVILLE - Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers at point guard.
All-Stars Joe Johnson and Dwyane Wade at shooting guard.
Marvin Williams and Michael Beasley at small forward.
Josh Smith and Udonis Haslem at power forward.
And Al Horford and Jermaine O’Neal at center.
I spent more time than is mentally healthy thinking about those 10 guys (projected starters for the Hawks and Heat in Sunday’s Game 1 at Philips Arena) last night and early this morning. Such is the curse of playoff basketball, when your brain locks in on a specific set of teams and nothing else.
It’s still unclear how Hawks coach Mike Woodson and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra are going to play things. Both starting lineups could see a tweak here or there, though I’m fairly confident that the Hawks’ starting group will look like it does above.
The Heat, however, could go a couple different ways. Beasley could be used off the bench, where he would wreak havoc on a Hawks’ second unit without anyone close to him in size, athleticism and just flat out ability to score and rebound at an exceptional clip.
There’s some healthy debate going on in South Florida about whether or not it’s wise to start Beasley in place of Jamario Moon (another elite athletic talent that could cause matchup issues if brought off the bench). And as an observer of this series, I’m siding with the start-Beasley camp. I want to see the kid out there from the start and watch him match up with Williams, Smith or whoever else the Hawks have guarding him. I want to see both teams go at it with their best on the floor.
Beasley serves as the X-factor in this series for me the same way Smith did last year when the Hawks took on Boston in the first round. Smith played through the roof in those three games the Hawks won at Philips, proving my pre-series premonition correct. I have a sneaking suspicion that Beasley will have a similar showing this time around.
NO STOPPING WADE … NONE!
Since there’s no Ron Artest-like defender in this series or any other except the series Houston plays in, I’m going to put an end to this silly notion that someone should even bother trying to STOP Wade (Jack Bauer’s NBA alter ego, according to Bill Simmons). The fact is, it doesn’t happen. Not in the regular season and certainly not now.
The Hawks did about as well as could be expected on Wade in four regular season meetings, holding him to 25.5 points in those games (five below his league-leading average). I think that had a lot to do with the fact that the Hawks are capable of guarding the rim (with Smith and Horford in particular) better than most teams. But this idea that one person can deal with him in this series seems a bit misguided, and I’ve heard it from several people in the last few days.
“There’s not many guys in this league that can stop a person one-on-one,” Bibby said. “You could probably count it on one hand. It’s going to have to be a team effort. It’s about stopping the ball, getting back in transition, rotating and scrambling around to help each other. There’s going to be a lot of scrambling to do on the defensive end because [Wade's] dribble drive game opens up the floor for everybody else. So it has to be done together, five guys guarding five guys.”
TOUGH DAY IN BOSTON
I realize that the love for the Celtics around here is invisible after all that’s gone on the last year, but you have to admit it was a rough day for our friends (or not) in Boston yesterday.
First they get the news that Kevin Garnett is likely done for the rest of this season with a knee injury. And then Celtics GM Danny Ainge suffers a heart attack.
This has the folks at the Boston Globe putting an end to the Celtics’ dreams of a repeat NBA title before we even get started. But of all the teams in the Eastern Conference playoff field, Paul Pierce and Co. are the group I’d try to avoid at all costs if I were another team.
Last year they had all the pressure on them to make it to the NBA Finals. This time around, there’s no pressure at all. While everyone else will tell you why the Celtics won’t make it, I’m here to tell you that there’s no team more dangerous than the defending champs.
That said, no team (outside of the Lakers if Kobe Bryant went down or the Cavaliers if LeBron James went down) could suffer a greater blow than what the Celtics have in losing Garnett.
Not only is he their best player and emotional leader, he served as the backbone of the stifling defensive team that smothered teams all the way to the Larry O’Brien trophy last year. Without him there to control that defense, I just can’t see any way that the Celtics win a title without owning home court advantage. And they’d have to hit the road against Cleveland and LA if they were to get that far.
NO PARTYING FOR THE HEAT
Sorry Hawks fans, there will be no Buckhead flu (or whatever it’s called these days) for the opposing team in this playoff series.
Wade and Haslem, the Heat captains, have apparently instituted a “no-going-out” rule for the team’s three-night stay here. That means no mysterious energy lapses for select guys. I’ll be curious to see if they find any rule breakers before we finish up the first two legs of this series, because the temptation will be there.
I know for a fact the Celtics didn’t have that rule last year, because my main man Marc Spears and I were leaving bible study the night before Game 6 last year and saw some Celtics coming out of a club across the street one night.
Good luck to the Heat on that one.
HAWKS INJURY UPDATES
– Acie Law IV is looking more and more like a no-go for this series, or at least for the first few games. Woodson said Law couldn’t get through Thursday’s practice because of the lower back pain that kept him out of all but one of Hawks’ final 13 games of the regular season. This is a blow but hardly an unexpected one since Law’s contributions have been non-existent for weeks now.
– Zaza Pachulia said told me after practice that he’s feeling “great.” He took a nasty lick on his hip and side in the win over Indiana last Friday and sat out the Miami game earlier this week. But he did come back and play in Memphis, mostly to make sure his timing was on for this series. He’ll be an important factor off the bench for the Hawks in this series, especially with Jamaal Magloire playing the same role off the Heat bench.
– Marvin Williams indicated that he’s ready not only to play but ready to assume his starting role after a 16-game layoff late in the season due to his lower back injury. That’s huge news, obviously, because for a long time it appeared that Williams might be done for the season. His long layoff might actually end up being a benefit to the Hawks, as his legs should be fresher than anyone’s during this series.
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182 comments Add your comment
Astro Joe
April 18th, 2009
6:51 pm
MannyT, yep, too late. Congrats on your fantasy success this year. I was disappointed that Jhan beat me (even though I had homecourt advantage). Next year (if we play next year), I plan to talk more smack. For a bunch of bloggers, we had an extremely quiet Fantasy season. I’m not sure that there were more than 5 posts the entire season. I plan to “stir the pot” next season. Be careful, Manny, I may fill your car with thighs and breasts from Hooter’s. And I expect you to return the favor.
Big Daddy
April 18th, 2009
7:00 pm
I agree with StevetheHawk – Marving should come off the bench. I will even predict that if Marving comes off the bench – the Hawks win in 5 games-if not we might lose in seven. Our starting 5 with Mo Evans has been outstanding and he gives us great defense and an occasionaly dunk on the fast break or a 3-pt bomb. His starting has also opened things up for Horford and Josh. If we add Marvin to the bench that gives us a good center in Zaza, Marvin who can play both forward positions, and Flip who can play both guard positons. Beyond that we have Solomon and Othello, Mario and Hunter, and maybe Speedy. Not too bad. Go Hawks!
MannyT
April 18th, 2009
7:29 pm
Astro, we need a league that gives bonus points for smack. Maybe we need to have a live draft while saving souls at Hooters or a similar locale.
I’d expect those parts to be rare and a little wild
Ariose, unless the free agent plays center or PG, I doubt that I am interested. Resign Flip, maybe Bibby if the money ain’t funny–but some of that cash needs to go toward a big. Both Zaza & Solo can fly the coop this summer.
Beat the Heat.
BWAF
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2009
7:39 pm
Haha I was wondering what the reaction would be to my post about Josh Smith’s mid-range shooting percentage… it is definitely something he needs to work on in the offseason, probably more than any other aspect of his game, but I only posted it because it stood out to me. I’m as big a Josh Smith fan as anyone here, and I’ll say over and over again that his positives far outweigh his negatives, but I’m not beyond pointing out his flaws.
“If we insist on continuing primarily as a 3pt jumpshooting halfcourt team, then yes, he’s indispensable. Hoeever, if we decide to cater to our talents by using our speed, quickness and athleticism to become an uptempo team that attacks the basket, then he’s not indispensable.”
The thing people don’t realize is that Acie Law is actually a pretty good shooter when he, you know, actually gets an opportunity to put some shots up. In fact, shooting was a bigger strength of his game in college than his ability to get in the paint. He probably won’t be the dead-eye 40% shooter that Bibby is from 3, but given a chance to play extended minutes I certainly think he can make more than the 31% he is averaging this year. I don’t think replacing Bibby with Acie would result in losing so much perimeter shooting that it would cancel out the improvement in defense and ability to penetrate from the point guard position.
As far as replacing Marvin with Mo Evans, I think it could be done on a matchup basis. In this series, if the Heat are going to start Jamario Moon at small forward, the Hawks could get away with starting Evans since Moon isn’t much of an offensive threat, even though he’s taller than Mo. But if they start Beasley at SF with Haslem and JO inside, there’s no way you can leave Marvin on the bench. The +/- people say the Hawks are better with Mo in the lineup, but that’s the nice thing about having versatile players — you can change what you do depending on the matchups posed by the opponent. The nice thing about bringing Marvin off the bench is that he would get more offensive touches — sometimes it seems to me that when Josh and Marvin are in the game together, one of them usually does well offensively (usually Josh) while the other gets a little lost.
And about Sheed… I don’t think any contender is going to say “no” to a guy with a ring who can defend 7-footers and can make an impact on the game without the ball in his hands. If he can fit into the Hawks’ salary scheme and he’s willing to come off the bench (two HUGE “if”s) then hell yeah the Hawks should sign him.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 18th, 2009
7:46 pm
For whatever it’s worth, Snoop Dogg thinks Josh Smith had one of the top ten plays of the 2008-2009 season.
Snoop is officially a parody of himself…
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
8:04 pm
NAJEH,
Hey, you reported the info, and if it’s correct…then it’s correct. Josh needs to work on his jumper, handles, still on decision-making (though less so), setting screens, blocking out for rebounds, and the list goes on. He has suddenly gotten a bit better with his jumpers in the last few games of the season that he actually played significant minutes in. Was this a fluke? Will we see this during the playoffs? Do we NEED that in the playoffs? We’ll see…But the fact remains, he finished the regular season shooting 49.2%. And that includes all of his “errant” jumpers. Not bad for a 23 yr old who came into the league with practically no basketball skills…Now one thing I REALLY, REALLY want to see very significant improvement in: his free throw shooting. He needs to be about a 70% FT shooter. I’d rather see it be a higher percentage, but he’s averaged in the mid 60s throughout his young career. 70% isn’t too much to ask. And 72-75% is even better.
On the subject of Acie, I’m not ready to give up on him. You make some good points about his shooting. The fact is (and some idiots just can’t get this through their thick skulls), Law has hardly been asked to shoot. What do you do when you’re the back-up 2nd year pg, and you’re on the floor in Woody’s offense with Flip, JJ, Mo, Al, Josh, Marvin, basically any combination of the aforementioned guys?
You give up the ball, that’s what. Anybody expecting Law to take shots like Thomas Gardner does when on the floor, with that many veterans is delusional. Woody would yank him faster than normal. You can’t have it both ways. Notice that Acie has done the most scoring/shooting when he’s not been on the floor with a ton of veterans, all of whom have the green light AHEAD of him.
Some people like to criticize Law with a reckless abandon. They might try remembering who he plays for, and what the roles of his teammates are.
Having said that, he has another year to show he can be healthy and effective. But if Bibby gets re-signed, I don’t expect to see any more out of Law than we saw this past year, injuries excluded. If Bibby is NOT around, then we need to get another pg (not a broken one, either, and no rookies). Ready to give Law a chance, but it’s stupid to not have an option/back-up plan. And we’ve been playing stupid with the pg position for too long, before Bibby was acquired.
ASTRO JOE,
Point taken. We might NOT be a running team anymore, and if management is going to stick with Woody, then that makes practical sense. He doesn’t seem to be much into the fast break. Here’s where things are a bit dicey: Sund also needs to add/subtract whatever kind of pieces it takes to succeed in this sort of offense.
And Woody has to come up with an offense (or he needs an assistant who can do so) that will work consistently, and that is versatile. But he will need the players that fit the mold. And that may mean letting go of some of the guys we really like (well, you know, some of us) for other guys. That’s the nature of the business. As long as the team is winning, is all I care.
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
8:06 pm
“The thing people don’t realize is that Acie Law is actually a pretty good shooter when he, you know, actually gets an opportunity to put some shots up. In fact, shooting was a bigger strength of his game in college than his ability to get in the paint. He probably won’t be the dead-eye 40% shooter that Bibby is from 3, but given a chance to play extended minutes I certainly think he can make more than the 31% he is averaging this year. I don’t think replacing Bibby with Acie would result in losing so much perimeter shooting that it would cancel out the improvement in defense and ability to penetrate from the point guard position.”
Couldn’t agree more. But still thinking that an option at the position/back-up plan is called for as well. One not named Speedy Claxton…
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
8:19 pm
Snoop is the shizzle. He’s an all-timer, man. Never gets old, smooth as glass. Nice clip, Najeh.
Blast
April 18th, 2009
8:23 pm
Way to go, Chicago! Beat the Champs! They must be reeling in Bean-Town right now.
Derrick Rose = Rookie Of The Year.
Nice to see Joe getting some love from the league.
Go Hawks! Trash the Heat tomorrow!
A Thinkin Fan
April 18th, 2009
8:36 pm
Congrats to the Hawks’ players & go Hawks tomorrow!
Ariose
April 18th, 2009
8:36 pm
I think we need another swingman(Maion is the best defender of the bunch) SPECIFICALLY to deal with LeBron, and Pierce to a lesser extent. I know you all remember what happend when marvin went to the bench with those two fouls the last time we played the Caves at home. LeBron had a feild day.
Either Way we defenetly need a Big. That is the main goal this offseason. If Woody develops Acie he can eventually take over for Bibby so I don’t think it’s imperitave that we get another Point BUT Swapping Bibby out for Gordon? HELL YEAH i’m down!
Also if the Rookie is Patrick Mills I Garentee not even Woody would be able to deny thet kid for to long. Did you see what he did to Stephen Curry? Did you see what he did to Team USA? I would PERSONALLY Track Woody down if he neglected that kid. I’m tellin’ you he’s the real deal. I like Johnny Flynn, but Mills is better…..now and in the future…well, I won’t go THAT far lol.
Ariose
April 18th, 2009
8:43 pm
Marvin+Marion>LeBron James
I just recently read an Article talking about how bad players perfrom if their being defended by Marion. Toronto wants him to come back.
I twitterd him “You know you wanna to tha ATL and Kick it with a boi Joe next season, the Hawks are on the rise, we just need a few more pieces”
He doesn’t respond to peoples comment though. He just leave updates lol. But he’s been answering a lot of questions from the Media lately. He says he’s going to do whats best for him, but he als says he likes to win.
keepin it real
April 18th, 2009
8:44 pm
its going down tomorrow cant wait heat in 6 or less
Astro Joe
April 18th, 2009
8:52 pm
Ray, we finished something like 6th in TOs and probably middle of the pack in offensive scoring. I don’t think our offense is awful but it caqn get better (and will organically). Our front court has shown flashes this season of each being above average offensive forces. Unfortunately, they each lost valuable time due to injuries. So it becomes a chicken vs. the egg debate. Does our front court (who celarly have well-developed offensive skills) shoot too much to give the young guys an opportunity to show and prove or are the young guys too inconsistent at this stage in their development to carry the offensive weight of a team seeking home court advantage? As in most things, the truth likely is somewhere in the middle. I’d like to see the Hawks hire a big man coach who can teach our young men how to score (of course, I have called for Antoine Carr for years… as if I know that he would even be interested in the gig). But I’m not sure that I would do much more with the offense other than find someone to give to the front court players what Mark Price seemingly has given to Marvin (and most recently, Smith).
keepin it real
April 18th, 2009
8:57 pm
man im BORED
Ariose
April 18th, 2009
9:03 pm
ESPN scouting breakdown: Hawks Vs. Heat
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/columns/story?page=ScoutingHeatHawks
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
9:11 pm
ASTRO JOE,
I agree, the offense isn’t awful. It lacks consistent identity and purpose. As much as I’ve said about Woodson, the truth is I want him to have a solid offensive gameplan. I realize this is a lot to ask of a guy who has been probably doing defense his entire career as an assistant coach. And the fact is, he may not have much in the way of an offensive coordinator on his staff.
If not, then Sund needs to GET HIM ONE.
Come to think of it, that may be why he has relied so damn heavily on Bibby. In fact, I think that’s it (I’ve had an epiphany!) in a nutshell! Why hasn’t somebody said anything about this?
It’s either that, or he’s not listening to the guys he does have, when it comes to offensive gameplans. I’m not in the mood to think negative, so I’m not going to expound upon or push the idea.
But either way, we do need some improvement in that area, as it will only help our defense and make us a much more difficult team to deal with. And I’m not going to lay all of that on Woodson, either. Sund has to show some guidance in this area (it’s his job), and put the right pieces in place. Woody DOES know defense. Offense is his achilles heel. But that can be improved/solved/helped.
And much as I hate to keep saying it, that’s a major shortcoming for the Bibby, and how he fits on the team.
Your point about having a big man coach does not go ignored. Well, let’s hope that management doesn’t continue to ignore it. Love for them to bring in a specialist and let him do his thang.
keepin it real
April 18th, 2009
9:23 pm
man im GAY
Astro Joe
April 18th, 2009
9:27 pm
I think that Larry Drew is tehnically our “offensive coordinator”. The same Larry Drew that has an instructional DVD for PGs (funny, huh?) The one thing is our team is so clearly a work in progress. Remember Sekou’s article about how Jim Todd was showing Smith videos of past games? I was outraged that Smith seemingly had never had an assistant coach to sit down with him and use that very old teaching aid to help him. Maybe he didn;t want to use it previously, maybe Todd was able to sell him on the value of video sessions. I don’t know. I just think that is yet another example of how this team (and coaching staff) is still a work in progress.
keepin it real
April 18th, 2009
9:31 pm
i guess since u wanna be me u should know huh
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
9:43 pm
JOE,
If Drew is our coordinator, then I’ll go with your “work in progress” take. Otherwise, I’d have to say something negative like “Woody ain’t listening to him, or Drew doesn’t know Jack.” And I’m not inclined to think that either is the case (at least I hope not). Lookin’ forward to this matchup.
Funny thing about the ESPN take on the series. The descriptiono of Chalmers’ role is exactly what I see Acie being able to do, if he can manage to stay healthy and gets the chance to play enough. And the take on Bibby is exactly why I’m not campaigning hard for his return…
Meanwhile, it appears that “keepin it real” is yet another one of those multiple personality board-crashers. First he’s bored, then he’s gay, now he’s talking to himself. Why do we always get the weird visitors?
keepin it real
April 18th, 2009
9:53 pm
i can get it done in six strokes or less. i mean uh the heat will win in six games or less yeah thats what i meant
Ariose
April 18th, 2009
10:27 pm
Ray, Soooo…..Ben Gordon? Acie, Flip, Gordon,and Johnson seems like a redulously talented backcourt to me With almost NO defencincies on either side of the ball.
Although, I’d rather keep Bibby for cheap and add Marion and Sheed(I know, only in my dreams) But we’d defenetly make it to the finals….
Oooh Gordon, Marion AND Sheed(Now i’m crazy lol)
otrhawksfan
April 18th, 2009
10:30 pm
yea i agree who is this dude..lol
Lets put the heat on ice sunday night fellas!!!
Go Hawks!!!!
Volman
April 18th, 2009
10:44 pm
Big Ray, Doc, Manny T, CP…
Thanks for everything. I really appreciate it. I’m doing my best with what I know to get through these rough times. It can only get better, right? Here’s to me making it back down with the “big dogs” at the pretzel stand. If you all will let me! haha!
Anyway, does it feel like Christmas eve to anyone? I’m pretty anxious. I want to go and look at the tree to see what Santa has left in my stocking. I hope it is a game 1 victory. One game at a time, Hawks fans!
niremetal
April 18th, 2009
11:07 pm
Watching the Rockets-Blazers game, I’m reminded of all the debates during which people argue “We need a real big man.” The more I watch the NBA today, the more I think that’s not true.
Yao just dropped 9 points in 3 minutes on 7′2 Joel Przybilla, the 3rd tallest player in the NBA (after Yao and Z). Clearly, when Yao is on his game, NO one in the NBA can guard him, no matter how tall they are. And really, other than Yao and Dirk, there are no 7-footers in the league who are deadly forces on offense; maybe you can argue for Shaq and Z, but they are both on their last legs. Add in the people who are 6′11, and you can put Bosh, Duncan, Garnett, and Howard on that list. But Shaq aside, would you really rather have Joel Przybilla guard any of the players listed above than Al Horford?
I suppose it would be nice to have a true 7-footer in the wings for when we play a team like Milwaukee (Bogut) or Portland (Oden) who has a potentially dangerous 7-footer. But outside of that, what benefit would we really get out of having Diop or Hibbert guard them instead of Horford? (I’m obviously assuming we couldn’t get a potentially elite 7-footer like Oden or even Bogut)
The real benefit, of course, is that having a starting-quality 7′+ or even 6′11 guy would allow us to slide Horford over to the 4, where he could do significantly more damage on the offensive end. But I really think the idea that we’d be a much better defensive team if we swapped out Marvin or Josh for a second-tier big man is a bunch of hooey.
Ariose
April 18th, 2009
11:44 pm
I guess I we sign Sheed AND Keep Zaza, that will free up Josh to take on some Small Foward Defensive duties along with Marvin……especially against guys like LeBron….
SouthAfrican09
April 18th, 2009
11:46 pm
Sund said the goal this year was to have a winning record and make the playoffs.
So basically his only goal was to win 5 more games over last year?
Nice
Big Ray
April 19th, 2009
12:01 am
Ariose,
Pass me that pipe. Those dreams are something else! Naw, I think ‘Sheed’s talent is something we all want. And while he hasn’t made a lot of noise in a while, I don’t see Sund (or Woody) going for that. On paper, he fits, particularly at the 5. But if you start him, then it’s bench for Marvin or Josh. We both know who would take that “demotion” better…
Niremetal,
Houston is pounding the crap out of Portland. And the reason isn’t just Yao. You know what it is. The dastardly defense led by none other than Artest and Battier. That is what will win them the series (and perhaps more), aside from a healthy and productive Yao.
Houston is big. You know just HOW big when they start Artest at the 2 spot.
As for us not needing a bigger big man, I’ll let sleeping dogs lie on here for the moment. But you know I’m good for a game of e-mail tennis.
keepin it real
April 19th, 2009
3:28 am
“Watching the Rockets-Blazers game, I’m reminded of all the debates during which people argue “We need a real big man.” The more I watch the NBA today, the more I think that’s not true.”
I agree in the sense that height alone doesn’t make a player more capable of guarding a 7 footer. This is why I don’t think the Hawks should pass up a guy like DeJuan Blair in the draft for a guy like BJ Mullens just because of height. Physicality and positioning are a lot more important than height when it comes to playing defense. I’d rather see another undersized but tough, gritty and talented player on this team than a 7 foot stiff. Many NBA GMs have lost their jobs after overpaying for size instead of skill (the new coach of Florida International University for example).
It was pretty amazing though how dominant Yao was in the post tonight. When they actually make it a point to feed him the ball he is unstoppable. I’ve always wondered why they don’t just take the Duncan-centered Spurs offensive scheme and implement it in Houston. It always seems like every time I see the Rockets play there are way too many possessions where the perimeter players jack up contested shots while Yao doesn’t touch the ball, especially when Tracy McGrady is healthy.
Dante Fitzgerald
April 19th, 2009
11:29 am
Ay, Hawks n 5!!!
Da Real Real
April 19th, 2009
12:28 pm
Starting to feel like last year again with EVERYBODY selecting the Heat to beat the Hawks. Granted last year was a different story when it was pretty clear that we’d lose to the eventual champs, but right now I’m scratching my head about all of this talk about the Heat beating the Hawks. Doesn’t really bother me to much because nobody expected the Hawks to make the playoffs this year and finish 10 games above .500 so I don’t mind the ‘Us against the world mentality”. I sure hope the Hawks take that frame of mind to go ahead and dominate the Heat. I still say we beat the Heat in 6, I think we’re a better team then they are.