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
Ron E.
April 17th, 2009
11:22 am
It would be more accurate to say Law’s contributions have been non-existent for several years by Woodson’s choice. If he can’t go, does that mean Claxton makes the roster as backup PG?
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
11:23 am
I’m guessing the Heat will start Moon and have him double Joe. I don;t see Beasley being quick enough to find him and most teams would rather leave Marvin than leave Bibby. Wade is obviously an elite defensive player but I don’t think that he will want to try to take on Joe one-on-one… too big of a difference in body types. So I think Moon will play a huge role in Miam’s plans to defend Joe. Plus, Beasley could try to counter-act what Flip will bring in terms of offensive punhc from the bench.
2 more days until we get started. And then another 2 day wait after that. Kind of hard to get too hyped when you talking about 2 games in a space of about 5 days. Must p-a-c-e yourself.
Reality
April 17th, 2009
11:26 am
Sekou Smith, I’m here talking trash to Hawks fans, but I must say you write an excellent, not terribly biased blog. Keep up the good work…
Stinky
April 17th, 2009
11:43 am
The Hawks should win this series in 6 games. I’m not particularly concerned about MIA’s bench or their role players. Allow Wade to score his 30 and make MIA’s rookies & journeymen beat us. ATL is deeper, better & more experienced than MIA so this should go 6 at the most.
Sekou,
How much time will Mario West see in this series? And is Marvin starting or will he be coming off the bench to start this series?
-Ya Smell Me?
Westurd
April 17th, 2009
11:44 am
Got a steal of a deal on tickets……look for me on tv, I’ll be right in Wades face throwing him off his game.
Last year the fans nearly blew the roof off of Phillips. Can’t wait to get back in that atmosphere!
HAWKS in 6.
Get it done!
cowboys67
April 17th, 2009
11:50 am
Its not The Buckhead flu it will always be the curse of Magic City….
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
12:03 pm
WTF is up with Acie? He was looking great last summer, got in great shape,, was healthy, optimistic…Now he is a ham sandwich in a deli.
Hawks in 5 if Bibby and Joe play well and Josh plays intelligently.
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
12:05 pm
Anyone else think Magloire is the most unathletic player in the NBA (worse than Morris)?
Jamario Moon looks like Shareef
Ariose
April 17th, 2009
12:09 pm
Sekou, Speedy has looked good in the two games he played. I think he could really be an X-factor in his series’……do you think Woodson will give him any PT?
Dan
April 17th, 2009
12:14 pm
Acie might be making the decision on whether or not to resign Bibby easier on the owners. Acie is just proving to be unreliable. I know injuries happen, but Acie just never seems to be there when we need him. Resigning Bibby will be a must (at least I hope it is).
Anyone else nervous about this series? I am. I am already upset at the refs. You know they will bow down to Wade on any close call.
O'brien
April 17th, 2009
12:16 pm
There are 2 ways the Hawks can go about this series (in my opinion).
1) Let D. Wade get his (even if he averages 30 for the series), and clamp down on his supporting cast
2) Double D.Wade if needed, and force somebody else to step up and make shots.
Because the Hawks have homecourt, I think they win the series (in 6 games).
Reality
April 17th, 2009
12:20 pm
“Allow Wade to score his 30 and make MIA’s rookies & journeymen beat us.”
But it’s going to be more like 40, and that’s why the Hawks are in big trouble.
And too many people are sleeping Michael Beasley. He will become a star this series.
Mark Bradley
April 17th, 2009
12:29 pm
“Leaving Bible study” — I laughed out loud, Mr. Sekou.
stevethehawk
April 17th, 2009
1:01 pm
Marvin should come off the bench, and start Mo. Why isnt anyone syaing this?!?!?
It makes too much sense
KingCobra
April 17th, 2009
1:02 pm
The Hawks should get past the Heat. I would double team D-Wade and not let him beat you. Make the other 4 guys beat you but keep the clamps locked down on Wade. That formula should allow you to advance, but to secure the conference title will be difficult indeed with Orlando, Cleveland and Boston all in the same conference. It will be quite a trick for the Hawks to outlast those teams and and get represent the conference in the NBA finals, but I think they (the Hawks) can get it done. Their collective group of parts is as good as any team in the league. The Hawks have proven that over the last two years. All I ask for the Hawks is to give the fans an honest effort for 48 minutes of basketball each night. Thats all I ask. It will serve two purposes. First, the fans will be satisfied because they will have watched inspired basketball for complete games (remember the Boston series last year); and secondly (the Hawks should advance through ALL rounds and be the Eastern Conferences represenative in the finals if the Hawks give their best effort for 48 minutes. Thats how much confidence I have in the Hawks. When the Hawks played that way against the LA Lakers last time they faced them, the Hawks clearly outplayed the team with second best record in the association and easily pummelled the Lakers. The Hawks have suddenly become one of the elite teams and monsters of the NBA, but it only happens when they throw everything they have at their opposition including the kitchen sink. When the Hawks do that, no one team or player can stop them. Atlantas Air Force will fly high throughout the playoffs at the Highlight Factory. Go Hawks.
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
1:20 pm
Why has game 1 not sold out yet?
Ariose
April 17th, 2009
1:33 pm
stevehawk, because if Beasley sterts, then Marvin starts.
Barry
April 17th, 2009
1:45 pm
Hey Y’all;
Quit talking about how exceptional the Heats players are. The Hawks have a buch of exceptional players the Heat have to watch out for and they are Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby, Flip Murray, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Mo Evans, and Marvin Williams. These guys are going to cause havoc and concern for these Heats with their athletism and their talen, especially on defense. I challange any team to match up with our Hawks. These Hawks are no joke. I guarantte you they take it to another level during these playoffs. Therefore, we should not be too concerned about other teams except play our game. Hoewever, the other teams have better worry about these hungry Hawks in these playoffs. The are a very, very, dangerous team. They are ready for the battle. The hands are wrapped and they are ready to put the gloves on for this playoff for the HAWKS to “SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!” They are standing toe to toe with the basketball elite and are afraid of no one. This is for real, baby. These Hawks are ready to take the Heat down quick. There fore, have the referee with a water bottle to spray water on the Heat when we “KNOCK THEM OUT!!!”
NOW, ARE YOU READY TO RRRRUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMBBBBLLLLEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET’s GO HAWKS!!! SEE Y’ALL AT PHILLIPS!!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…………………….”ATLANTA HAWKS, BOOM-BYE-YEAH!!!!”………..
…………………………..”SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!!!”…………..
GO HAWKKS
otrhawksfan
April 17th, 2009
1:51 pm
when you have the upper hand on in the games they win or lose. A steady diet of acie would have been nice. I hope he returns soon and healthy.. I see the hawks putting the ice on the heat in 5!!! I sense a amazing atmosphere full of eye candy and grills gallore.
Lets Go Hawks!!!!
Blast
April 17th, 2009
2:01 pm
I’m waiting to see if ANY Heat player can avoid the ATL nightlife for five days. Five days in HotAtlanta, and you stay stuck in a motel room? With those fine chicks in Magic City, the bad nightclubs, NBA groupie girls flocking around games and their hotel? Give those guys a medal in perseverance if none of them goes out anytime during those four games.
Then again, they don’t really have to worry about the nightlife. They only have to worry about a core of players trying to prove they belong. Those players are JJ, Mike Bibby, AL the Boss Horford, Josh Smoove, Marvin, and Flip the Switch the Assasin Murray. That’s all Heat players have to worry about, not skimpy clad beauties in nightclubs or fine, naked chicks in birthday suits jiggling all that God gave them in strip clubs.
Without Garnett, Celtics will not repeat. I will eat my belt if they win the championship this year. Though Big Baby has been putting up almost Garnett like numbers, he ain’t Garnett.
asdf2
April 17th, 2009
2:09 pm
Remember what happened to the Falcons in Arizona? Let’s not get too over confident that we will win this series but go Hawks!
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
2:22 pm
if u gonna give WADE his and BEASLEY take his which will be 20-10 thats at least 50-60pts it will take at least 3 hawks to match it man BEASLEY showed tuesday no can guard him and that he can rebound with any of ur post players only thing missing from series being lopsided is ZO. HEAT in 6 or less bet that
doc
April 17th, 2009
2:22 pm
sekou, care to tell me where midnight mass is so i can lay down some alms in the basin?
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
2:28 pm
Sekou u speak the truth and i hope these hawk fans dont turn on u for that this series is gonna be much tougher than they seem to think but seem like they dont hear ur warnings but like they say a hard head make a soft behind… ps dont sleep on j oneal might not rebound the same but jumper still works and play good d
bali
April 17th, 2009
2:29 pm
sure wish AC would get well soon. I think he could really help out in the playoffs. Hope he does not get the Rep of always being hurt. The thought of speedy claxton being the backup point guard is really scarey.hope Flip is ready to play large minutes. Shoot, that sucks too.
Reality
April 17th, 2009
2:31 pm
If you guys think the Heat will be tempted by the Atlanta nightlife (way overrated on this board) then HOW DA F\_/CK ARE THE HAWKS GOING TO HANDLE SOUTH BEACH!?!
Get out of here with that crap. I don’t think either team will be tempted or affected. A week of not going out is a very small sacrifice to make.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
2:33 pm
blast ur not play bucks who has more stuff to get in to than miami u trippin with that,that sh*t aint important hangin out we got nite-up the u know what so i can see us jus chillin but can hawks stay in when they come to SOUTH BEACH thats the question
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
2:35 pm
reality great mind think alike
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
2:39 pm
Sounds like Sekou was trying to reach out to the wicked and the sinful. Can’t stay in the safety of the pulpit if you want to cast out demons.
More than night life, I’m concerned about the Hawks eating those Cuban pork sammiches. I recall that Josh lost a fight with a burger in Boston during the playoffs last year. Stay away from those pork sammiches. Stay away from the pork sammiches. Hey you in the Hawks uniform, STAY AWAY FROM THE PORK SAMMICHES.
Sekou Smith
April 17th, 2009
2:40 pm
Magic City cowboys67? Never heard of it.
And I spoke with Acie again this afternoon and he said he’s not going to play Sunday. That leaves the Hawks PG situation in limbo. They do have Flip Murray, though. And that’s an explosive insurance policy. Still, the Hawks have issues there that need to be cleaned up.
Reality
April 17th, 2009
2:41 pm
They sure do. As our handles suggest, we are just using our common sense.
Common sense says South Beach has always been NOTORIOUS for affecting visiting teams. Not Atlanta.
Common sense says that Wade will dominate in the playoffs, and not let his team lose to the Atlanta Hawks.
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
2:43 pm
Sekou, no mention of Speedy in your 2:40 PM post?
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
2:54 pm
Reality, how many playoff games has Wade won since 2006? I think it is less than the number of games Speedy played during the ‘08-09 season.
SilentAssasin
April 17th, 2009
2:55 pm
The Hawks wont have to worry about Boston this year because Boston wont repeat as long as Garnett is out. That leaves just Cleveland and Orlando to be concerned about. The Hawks have beaten Cleveland once this year and should have split the season series with them had it not been for a phantom call on LaBron James or a non-call. That series would have been tied 2-2. As far as the Orlando Magic are concerned, the Orlando Magic are good, but they are no match for the Hawks when the Hawks are playing solid basketball (Hawks crushed Orlando in the season opener). So there you have it. I have predicted, in a sort of roundabout way, that the Hawks have the best talent in the league and will win the conference and therefore the NBA title because there is no one out there that can touch the Hawks, when the Hawks are playing what I call “Hawks Basketball”. By this I mean that the Hawks are playing championship defense, keeping their turnovers down to a minimum (almost none), outrebouding their opponents, hitting their shots (48+% shooting), taking good shots (great shot selection), running their opponents out of the arena (getting plenty of assists) AND hitting their 3-point shots (high percentage, Hawks led the league in 3 pointers made when they started out the season 6-0). If the Hawks can do all of these things I see no reason why they cant win the NBA title this year. Good luck!
Dom
April 17th, 2009
2:59 pm
I dont know about miamis journeymen—-Jemain Oneil is now healthy and only 31. When he is healthy, he is an allstar . Michael beasley is not some 2nd round rookie your hoping can come alive, he is the real deal who was brought along slow this yr. Leave beasley alone while doubling wade, and he can go off ., Its going 7 games, Dwade will not have a problem guarding johnson, AND, had this Miami team been together since the beginning of the year(Jermain Oneil and “new”micheal beasley”" miami is a 55 win team. good luck
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:01 pm
the worse thing t’hat could’ve happen for HAWKS is for WADE to finally look at BEASLEY like yea it on, b/c if not mistaken look like WADE told j ONEAL damn that muthaf***er got a jumper could be wrong but… wade is the killer the HAWKS need to win title,they currently dont have one, name team who won title without BONAFIDE superstar,or household name
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:09 pm
espn give king james all the billing only player in sports to not win title to get press everyday u watch that garbage for years marino was best qb in nfl but cuz he neva win title u always say montana why they so set on the next JORDAN it will neva be another JORDAN they say wade not magnetic personality thats garbage every arena wade go to u see his #3 jus as much or more than other teams best player ESpn is full sh*t i believe they got money on cavs
Volman
April 17th, 2009
3:10 pm
Dom….55 wins? Puhhlease.
Can I have some of that kool-aid you’re drinking? Must be reeeaaaal good on a Friday afternoon. You must be starting early. Oh well, “it’s five oclock somewhere”.
Hawks in 6. Enough about Michael Beasley. I want to see how the Heat are going to guard Joe Johnson, and how they will stop AL HORFORD in the post…or even, JOSH SMITH in the post…or Bibby from outside.
Does the Heat even have a bench? Their bench CANNOT stay with Mo, Flip, Solo, and Zaza. Heck, throw Speedy in there to guard Chalmers or that little run Quinn. It doesn’t matter to me.
Get the job done, Hawks. You know you’re capable. If Woodrow were smart, he’d play Speedy in the playoffs. Speedy has something to play for (his career) and he could play some solid D. PLEASE Woodrow!
Volman
April 17th, 2009
3:12 pm
“Keepin’ it Real”, aka “Reality”…..English, please.
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
3:13 pm
Dom, and had Smith, Marvin and Horford not missed around 40 games combined…
Keepin it real, we just need to beat the Heat for now to get you off our blog. We’ll worry about world domination later.
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
3:15 pm
The Return of Volman. Oh-oh Heat fans. You’re bringin out the big dawgs now!. What up Vol? Where have you been hiding for the past few months? Have you heard… Hawks had a VERY nice season.
Volman
April 17th, 2009
3:21 pm
Haha, It is official.. I have returned.
Life has been pretty rude to me lately. I just lost my mom (52 years young) in late January, so I’ve been dealing with that. (Okay, enough of the sadness talk here!)
Just re-upped my season tickets, and hopefully I can spend a little extra when I’m done with school to hang out with you big dogs down in the “good seats”!
I’ve been following the blogs for the most part but just haven’t done my fair share this season with blogging, and that’s on me. Maybe it’s the new online system they have on here or something. Who knows?
Like I said, I am here to defend my team. I will be there Sunday, and the next game, and the next, and the next cheering “deeeeefense!” in the first quarter on the first possession. This team deserves that. They deserve the support. Lord knows that they feed off of it. It’s called homecourt advantage for a reason. I just hope the Hawks “fans” can figure that out and make this series somewhat like the Boston one (except for us winning, of course)
Hope all of you regulars on here are well. I miss blogging on here, but I promise that I will be in full force since playoffs are around.
We always have the offseason, too…right?
God bless. Hug your family. Life is precious.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:27 pm
hawks got nice group of players but all are passive not one of them got killer instincts, bibby use to be,y u think kobe chill this year he need to see if team would step cuz he is the best player game has to offer hands down. go thru history hell last few years,y u think teams afraid of healthy spurs team b/c they got 3killers…celtics 3 killer lakers 1 celtics win,spurs 3 cavs 1 spurs win, heat 1 mavs none heat win and so on and so on!!! all it takes is 1 and HAWKS have none
GuntherWilson
April 17th, 2009
3:28 pm
I agree that LaBron James is getting more hype than he is worth. Sure, he is a great player, no doubt about that; but this year he is only the third best player in the game behind Kobe Bryant #1 and D-Wade #2. LaBron is #3 and I hope that LaBron doesnt win an MVP because he doesnt deserve one when his team hasnt won the title yet. Sure hes good but not as good as Kobe or D-Wade this season. LaBron will win MVPs, titles, trophys, etc. but please dont win anything this year until you have earned it.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:29 pm
a man sorry bout mom
Al
April 17th, 2009
3:31 pm
Sekou, as a Heat fan visiting your blog, I have to agree with Reality. You write an excellent column here. Not biased at all, showing a true love of the game, and even providing links to other local newspaper stories. Nice.
Volman
April 17th, 2009
3:32 pm
Keepin’ it real, I appreciate it.. I am assuming you’re a Heat fan.
I would love your prospective on things. The Heat cannot play their starting five for 48 minutes a game. Who will be coming off the bench for the Heat? Do they have ANYBODY that can adequately contribute off of their bench? Aren’t you afraid that the Heat have a very young team and aren’t very playoff-savy outside of Wade and Haslem?
Yes, Dwyane Wade has a “killer instinct” but I do not know if you remember last year’s game in Miami where that “killer instinct” was REJECTED by Atlanta’s own, Josh Smith, to win the game….
AND THE GAME WAS ON THE LINE.
Just reminding you.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:38 pm
reg season much different than playoff and by listen to fan as long as u won reg season matchup they think they will win not the case can hawks play a slower pace gm and be successful no tru great shooter, on my bench i got beasley d. cook james jones j. magloire,chris quinn capable of doing descent job but doubt he plays much,and diawara
Volman
April 17th, 2009
3:38 pm
Pardon me, perspective. My apologies.
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
3:40 pm
Volman, you have my sympathy. Much, much too young. Stay strong and keep your voice strong at the arena.
It’s the HIGHLIGHT FACTORY, BABY!
Al
April 17th, 2009
3:41 pm
I was planning a trip to Atlanta this weekend for the game, maybe catch that Buckhead flu. But they made the game late Sunday. Doesn’t work out for me. That’s one less Heat fan in your arena. I’ll be at the AAA next Saturday though. Already got my tickets. So who’s going to game 1?
Volman
April 17th, 2009
3:43 pm
I will give you Beasley off of the bench.. I thought Daequan Cook was a starter. I am probably wrong. He is good at the 3 ball, but a terrible defender and a non-entity on the glass. Maglore is just a big body… Not very offensive minded. He’s a pretty solid defender. I would take Zaza’s offensive ability as well as heart/passion (not to mention his popularity with the fans from last season) over your guy.
James Jones is a good shooter, but again, there’s just another shooter. He isn’t really a scorer…nor will he win an award for defense. Please don’t mention Chris Quinn as respectable. He’s borderline D-league material…. Bibby can guard him, and that’s sad.
Anyway, our starting five vs yours should be interesting. When it comes to the bench, Atlanta has the nod.
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
3:44 pm
THE GAME HAS NOT SOLD OUT. PATHETIC
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:45 pm
we got enough dept and length to matchup with hawk plus series is equally in my eyes u beat,us we beat, u then we mk trade,and u win soon after trade and last gm was for BEASLEY and he show no starter on hawks can stop him so how u defend 2 unguardable players 2 same time u cant double both and even though he rookie i put his jumper up against anybody @ his postion with better jumper plus he uses either handle equally well around basket
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:48 pm
i dunno i think my bench is much better they score like 35-45 pts a game if cook wasnt in slump since winning 3 comp i would damn near say a sweep
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:50 pm
keep thinking cook or jones dont play d or get board or tip pass and magloire is weaker than zaza gabore he will definitely wear down ur post players lets not forget hawks not much more exp.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:52 pm
AAA gonna be D^ with the all black theme this year jus mean we out to take ours GOON-STYLE i cant wait all black from head to toe
Al
April 17th, 2009
3:53 pm
Volman, in my opinion, Beasley and Magliore are the best and most consistent contributors off the Heat bench. Magliore would start ahead of O’Neal if I had my way. Everyone else is inconsistent. Daequan Cook can heat up at times. And if James Jones is on, you’re in trouble. He just stands in the corner and shoots threes. With Wade and Beasley on the floor, he always gets open looks.
Your assessment about not playing 48 minutes is true. But Wade will come close. With a full week off now and two and a half days off in between the first three games? He’ll push himself to the limit. So you’ll see a lot of minutes with Wade at the 1 and that “little runt” Quinn on the bench.
Buckwheat
April 17th, 2009
3:55 pm
I always amember to read keepin it real’s posts. The guy is wicked smart.
Al
April 17th, 2009
3:56 pm
Ah, I just read your comment underestimating Jamal Volman. He’ll grab offensive boards and he’ll get dunks or free throws. If you don’t think he plays with intensity, you definitely have not watched any Heat games in the last two months.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:56 pm
AL i see a lot of 06 in this team minus zo but with a more dangerous WADE and a strong 2nd option in BEASLEY
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
3:58 pm
thanks buckwheat jus tryin to keep hawks fan cool calm and collected
Reality
April 17th, 2009
3:59 pm
Volman, I am not keepin it real, we cleary have different writing styles….hahaha….no offense keepin it real. I’m also very sorry about your Mom.
Anyways, I don’t think you’ve seen too many Heat games by the sound of it.
The Heat’s bench has been very solid all year, mostly because Beasley has been leading the 2nd unit. Daequan Cook, although struggling lately, has been nearly dynamic for us off the bench.
James Jones has finally gotten past his wrist surgery, and is starting to nail 3s with ease. Jamario is on and off, but him and Wade have some great chemistry, specifically when Moon cuts to the basket for alley oops.
Chris Quinn….dude looks like a retarded elf….but he can play. He’s a very good shooter and he takes care of the ball well. He had 26 pts on Wednesday against Detroit.
Jamal Magloire has been very good for us all season. His offense is quite limited, but he provides tough D, good rebounding, and intimidation with hard fouls. He’s a goon (in the basketball sense) but certainly makes his impact on each game he plays.
All in all, the Heat bench mainly relies on Cook and Beasley for scoring. Of course if Beasley starts then the bench becomes weaker. That’s obvious.
Regarding the Heat being a young team, you’re very correct. But I feel that Chalmers (clutch all his life) excels in these kind of moments and Beasley is too naive/confident to really feel the pressure of playoff basketball.
Anyways, Wade and Haslem are the bonafide leaders of this young team and they have set tone the entire year. We hustle and we’re scrappy because of those 2. It’s contagious.
And by the way, while Josh Smith has rejected Wade before, Wade has posterized Josh Smith many times already. This year he totatlly embarrassed him, if you remember the play.
Regardless, the regular season and the playoffs are 2 different animals, as you know well.
Keep downplaying Wade’s impact and this young Heat team. Y’all are in for a big and disappointing surprise.
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:00 pm
keepin it real, remember the last time they had the black theme for the games? ‘04. Young team. Rookie coach. Rookie phenom. I think we went 6-1 at home. I think this Heat team compares more with that team than ‘05 or ‘06.
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:02 pm
…with an obviously more dangerous Wade.
Reality
April 17th, 2009
4:03 pm
Volman, Cook is actually a good defender, one of the best on our team.
And to say Zaza heart/passion > Magloire’s is ludacris (for you ATLIENS).
Magloire plays so damn hard, he hurts others and himself.
Volman
April 17th, 2009
4:04 pm
Al, good response. I agree that Cook and James Jones are great shooters, but I am not worried about them, like I said, past that. That is what they’re known for. There’s more to this game than just shooting threes in the corner.
Maglore is a force in the post, I will give you that as well. He will bang bodies around and give hard fouls, and get the occasional offensive rebound. The playoffs are about a lot more things that are not tangible (heart, desire, intensity) and I think Zaza brings that off the bench. Heck, even Solomon Jones (who was a non-entity this year for the Hawks, due to Mike Woodson) got into a little shoving action with Maglore. He could be used as well off the bench. I’m not underestimating Maglore, but I don’t think he will “go off”. It’s weird, I but Jermaine O’Neal hasn’t even crossed my mind. I don’t know if that is because I am not worried about him, but I think the hawks should be because he can be a force to be reckoned with.
I was not trying to poke fun at Chris Quinn, but just be a little “light hearted” here. The playoffs make us so intense! I always call him “little runt” when I see him out on the court!
It should be a fun game… I can see Wade going the ENTIRE game, but I can also see Woodson putting in Joe Johnson all 48 minutes as well. Whoever makes it out of this series will probably be pretty beat up when facing the Cavs.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:04 pm
thanks real my reasoning for bad spell is blunted jus waiting on this good sh*t to go down they should be mad nba give so many days to break the star treatment wade getting benefit of doubt already by being able to stay fresh gm in gm out that the real benefit. PS not taken reality
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:05 pm
Reality are you talking about a play where Wade made a fake, and his defender fell backwards. I think that was against Atlanta. Was that J Smith?
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:05 pm
none taken
Daniel
April 17th, 2009
4:08 pm
alright guys- got tickets to the game Sunday night. Cannnot wait for the playoffs to be back at Phillips where we will destroy the Heat. Yes, they have the glamour and love of ESPN, and yes, the Hawks continue to be overlooked, which is fine. The national media is missing the boat here. and “keeping it real” thanks for your input as a Heat fan, but to truly keep it real you have to know that your team is going to get beat like a rented mule. This is Atown and we don’t need your help.
doc
April 17th, 2009
4:08 pm
aj, i have a buddy that saves souls about every day at hooters.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:10 pm
if joe johnson play wade whole time hes in gm thats very bad for hawks foul-out and too tired to be effective on offense dont do it woody and seriously nobody name on hawks bench strike fear in me they all are 1 to 2 years from being out of league
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:11 pm
Volman, its ok. I’ve called Quinn quite a few names myself at times. The truth is we both see all our guys all year so we probably have more confidence in their effort, heart, etc (Magliore v. Zaza). Jermaine O’Neal can’t rebound for some reason but he still has a nice soft turnaround J, he is definitely still a shot-blocker, and he makes some nice passes from the post. I would really like to see him coming off the bench though. Also, I know there is more to the game than shooting threes, but ask Jordan if he didn’t enjoy having Steve Kerr standing in the corner shooting threes when the defense collapsed on him.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:13 pm
speedy mo evans flip murray zaza if hawks wasnt stuck with em u would say same thing remember we win 15 gms last year and look @ us now with healthy WADE and some young impact players lose couple with young team and rookie head coach couldve easily been 4 seed how quick u forget u didnt wrap 4 spot up until last week of season
Reality
April 17th, 2009
4:16 pm
keepin it real I hear ya – blunts n mo blunts n mo blunts. Gotta love that Miami fire.
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:18 pm
Keepin it real, in fairness, they’ve been holding that 4 spot all season. They fought hard for homecourt for months n months. Kudos to them. But with that homecourt advantage, comes pressure. It would be a shame to lose months and months of work in 48 minutes on Sunday night, wouldn’t it?
Reality
April 17th, 2009
4:18 pm
Al, there’s actually a few nasty highlights Wade had against the Hawks this year. I don’t know if that was J-smooth in that play you’re refering to. I was talking about one play where Wade split the double (his signature) and dunked it in J-smooth’s face.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:18 pm
if you tell me and mean it who’s gone stop WADE and BEASLEY i will stop bloggin cuz i dont see with the names u call, i might be a homer but BEASLEY is head and shoulders best player out of his class
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:21 pm
and when beasley shoot that jumper to u it looks ugly as hell but if u see it overhead, it as pure as anybody shot so when he release jus say to ur self KABOOM!!!!
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
4:22 pm
Marvin will stop Beasley.
We can give Wade his 50 and let scrubs like Joel Anthony beat us, or we can play the Woodson defense, hold him to 20 and win that way too.
Your team’s 2nd best player is Jermaine freaking O’Neal. His knee braces are bigger than Shaq’s arms
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:23 pm
ok i finally concede….hawks will win
was just playin with yall
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:23 pm
be back n hour might heat heads hold it down need blunts and maybe a lil goose to keep up with volman and crew!!! o yea b-easy till i get back
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
4:25 pm
doc, those souls at Hooters often require a second touch. Especially when the AC is turned up too high.
Reality
April 17th, 2009
4:26 pm
Al and keepin it real, remember game 1 in the ECF against Detroit in 2006? We stole it, and set the tone for the rest of the series.
Hopefully on Sunday, we do the same.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
4:26 pm
man beasley dont need to be play by the handicap(bad back) thats will i keep bloggin b/c of the ludacris in hearing and i like luda but to ludacris
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:31 pm
Our team’s 2nd best player is Michael Beasley.
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:32 pm
Reality, think 04 instead of 06. But that team didn’t win a single road game. This one should be able to.
But yeah I do remember that game. Wade and Shaq were out early with foul trouble. The rest of the team stepped it up.
Al
April 17th, 2009
4:35 pm
Sekou, any word on the Hawks “no nightlife” policy when the series shifts to South Beach? Lol.
Volman
April 17th, 2009
4:47 pm
You Heat fans must be pretty worried if you’re over here on our paper’s blogs writing to us about how good your team is..
I hate to look back at the regular season, but there are definitely flaws in your team if you lost the amount of games that you did. The Hawks had to be without Josh Smith, Al Horford, and even Marvin Williams for EXTENDED amounts of time, and still kept the 4th seed.
Wasn’t Wade healthy all year?
Reality
April 17th, 2009
4:57 pm
You’re mistaking excitement and boredom for worried.
I’m at work all day, I need something to keep me excited about the playoffs. Nothing better, than talking some trash to opposing fans throughout the workday.
Sekou Smith
April 17th, 2009
4:57 pm
Nothing definitive on the active roster for the playoffs yet folks. Woodson said only that Speedy has a “chance” to be in the mix. As for the no-nightlife policy in Miami … I’ve heard nothing about it. I guess it could always become a factor later, but there’s been no talk of such a foolish thing yet.
Glad to have you back Volman and so sorry to hear about your loss. And welcome to all of our visitors, glad to have you in the ‘hood.
Ariose
April 17th, 2009
4:58 pm
I saw this on twitter and on his website. It’s really true Stepen A. Smith is leaving ESPN. First Greg Anthony and now this….
http://thebiglead.com/?p=13341
Reality
April 17th, 2009
5:00 pm
Al, I completely agree, this entire season has been like 04 all over again. We’re young, scrappy, and talented. Can’t wait.
Sautee
April 17th, 2009
5:01 pm
Dan,
You said this: “Acie is just proving to be unreliable. I know injuries happen, but Acie just never seems to be there when we need him. Resigning Bibby will be a must (at least I hope it is).”
Dan, do you realize that over the last two years, Bibby has played a whopping 16 games more than Acie?
I’d also venture a good guess that Acie’s had MANY more than 16 DNP-CD’s in that time. So Acie, if Woody had used him, could have played MORE games than Bibby over the last two years. Why does “injuries happen” not apply to a 31 year old?
And you’d HAVE to say that Acie WAS there plenty of times when Woody left him on the bench. Don’t you KNOW it’s killing him to not be out there for the playoffs?
As much of a Bibby fan as I have been through the years, I’d rather NOT re-sign him unless it’s for MLE kind of money. And I doubt he’d settle for that coming off a $15.25M year.
And I think it’s WAY too early to give up on Acie. Look how it took 5 years before Devon Harris blossomed. Same with Chauncey.
Sautee
April 17th, 2009
5:05 pm
Volman,
So sorry about your mom. Mine died at age 74 and I thought that was way too young. In her 50’s. Wow, man, that’s a big loss. Hang in there.
Nice to see you back. Stick around if you can. And that’s sage advice about hugging the ones you love.
Volman
April 17th, 2009
5:12 pm
Thanks, Mr. Smith. It is nice to be able to come on here and “get lost” in these blogs while trying to clear my mind.
I think the Heat are a good team, but they are very flawed in certain spots. They are not very athletic outside of Wade, Moon, or Beasley. I hope that the length of the Hawks cause HAVOC on Wade all series long.
Samuel
April 17th, 2009
5:17 pm
Cuz,
Great stuff with “The Boss”.
I think you have to play it by ear as far as guarding DWade. Change it up on him. Double him some and play him straight up some. Switch different people on him.
The key to this series is how we handle Chalmers and Beasley. When Beasley is in the game we have to go straight at him and force him to either foul, play defense or allow our man to score. Wear him down. We hold him down and Miami doesn’t have enough other scorers to beat our balanced attack.
There is no way you can turn the team over to Acie after this year. Say what you want about Woody not giving him minutes but fact is, “he’s not available”. Who knows, maybe he’s been getting hurt like this all year in practice. I’m gonna start calling him “Speedy Jr”.
Actually, I think Speedy will give us some help in this series and the rest of the playoffs. He’s rusty but he really will not be asked to score. Basically a quicker more experienced Acie.
Here are my Western Conference 1st Round match up Predictions.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/157717-2009-nba-western-conference-playoff-first-round-match-ups
Woody=COY
Volman
April 17th, 2009
5:23 pm
Mr Sautee, thank you. It’s pretty rough at the moment (everything is so new to me right now) so I am trying to get by the best I can. My world is upside down, but things like this blog can take me somewhere else for a little while.
I’m hoping that I can stay
gusman354
April 17th, 2009
5:24 pm
wade and beatly are the two best players of this series
Volman
April 17th, 2009
5:28 pm
Gusman, you lose all credibility with incomplete sentences and the simple fact that you cannot even spell the players’ names correctly. Fail.
richbrave
April 17th, 2009
6:22 pm
HAWKS in SIX.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
6:30 pm
yo im back jus rolled up so let go for another hour or so plus u need heat fan on blog and i hope y”all talkin smack in our blog cuz truth be told at the end of the series we the fans of the losing team gonna be only ones upset players gettin paid plus they gonna hug slap five and the rest of the bs they do after loses while we are here steamin
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
6:31 pm
on the real im not reality seems we jus share same view about our team
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
6:37 pm
not to change subject i wish LEN BIAS would’ve been alive to see how JORDAN legacy would’ve been cuz BIAS was way better than JORDAN coming out of college way better
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
7:04 pm
nba playoff preview on espn
Blast
April 17th, 2009
7:08 pm
Sekou,
Nice article about Mike Bibby. I’ve said it before and will say it again. Bibby needs to retire in a Hawks jersey. He might have lost a step, his defence might not be so good anymore, but you cannot buy the trust, confidence, and hence chemistry he has instilled into the Hawks line up. The important thing is this. His teammates like and trust him, and that’s all you can ask from your starting point guard. Coach wants him back, and Joe sort of hinted that if Bibby was not resigned, he might be gone after next year. Hawks cannot afford to lose one of the best backcourts in the East, man. That would be tragic to the core they are trying to put together.
Volman, sorry about your loss. I will offer a prayer to your family.
I see Heat fans are still filling up our blog. Y’all gonna be here till May? Don’t mind having you guys here, but it would be nice if you could expand your conversation, and not talk about the same thing over and over.
keepin it real
April 17th, 2009
7:29 pm
that cool with me b/c the MARLINS on, wanna talk about them instead
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
7:33 pm
Sekou, does the playoff roster Woodson sets have as much importance as we think? If he can switch out players for game 2 (Speedy for Gardner, let’s say) it’s not a huge deal.
Hawks in 5.
We need to win in 5 so we can rest for Cleveland. If Marv is healthy for the Cleveland series, we will pull the upset of the century (bigger than GS over Dallas
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
7:34 pm
Anyone else think Bibby has been hugely overpaid the last 3 years and might take a huge paycut to stay with us after we win the championship this year?
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
7:43 pm
Every Bibby article i read, he never explicitly says “I want to retire a Hawk, or I wanna be here.” Seems a bit ambiguous, what he says on the most part.
As for Bibby being JJ’s best backcourt mate, that sounds good, but the only backcourt mates Joe has had are whatever scrub PG was in Boston with him years back and Nash (did he play with Marbury)?
STACEY AUGMON
April 17th, 2009
7:43 pm
SOUTH AFRICAN 09,
ONE MINUTE MARVIN IS GARBAGE, THE NEXT MINUTE WE NEED HIM? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT BUDDY?
HAWKS IN 6
STACEY AUGMON
April 17th, 2009
7:44 pm
OH YEAH, WE SHOULD LET BIBBY WALK… WE CAN WIN WIT ACIE LAW
Ken Strickland
April 17th, 2009
8:05 pm
You don’t stop players like DWade, you just try to oontrol them and limit the way they score. You also want to make sure they don’t get their teammates involved. You do that by forcing him into the strength of the DEF and force him to beat you from the outside. Forcing him to become a jumpshooter means he doesn’t draw as many fouls, which limits his freethrow attempts and assists.
If Woodson steps up and does a good job of making in gm decisions, we’ll win this series easily. I’m excited about our prospects for the entire playoffs. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
8:13 pm
Woody will show his genious in this series. He is a student of the genious Larry Brown and will thoroughly outcoach that rookie scrub.
Reality
April 17th, 2009
9:33 pm
Spo is a student of the genius Pat Riley.
Middle school basketball players often display better bball IQ than Josh Smith.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 17th, 2009
9:44 pm
According to this article, Josh Smith is the worst mid-range jump shooter in the league, at 32%.
Astro Joe
April 17th, 2009
9:51 pm
Be careful Najeh, someone may accuse you of being a “hater”.
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
10:06 pm
Reality, Pat Riley is washed up. He won the title that year with SVG who was forced out.
SouthAfrican09
April 17th, 2009
10:07 pm
Reality, Pat Riley is washed up. He won the title that year because of SVG who was forced out.
Big Ray
April 17th, 2009
10:18 pm
Najeh,
I believe it. And yet he’s still shooting right near 50%. Considering he came into the league knowing how to do nothing more than run, jump, and dunk….I’ll take it…for now.
Astro Joe,
Why call Najeh a hater? He stated that according to that particular article, Josh Smith is the worst midrange shooter. Okay. So he’s not saying the guy sucks. He’s just saying that according to that particular source….that’s what Josh is. Maybe it’s true. Wouldn’t surprise me if it was, but then you have to account for how many defined mid-range shots each player in the league has taken, along with how many shots you have to take to qualify for that particular survey.
At least it’s based on hard figures, not just hard opinions. You know…like comparing a coach to a player…;)
doc
April 17th, 2009
11:18 pm
aj, you are a baaad man or did someone tell you about it?
volman been looking for you all year, sorry for your loss. i was well into adulthood but still my mom was “only” 66 when she died of a diagnosis i made as one of the interested medical specialists involved. tough no matter when and i understand your silence. always around the pretzels at half time.
seems like the interest in the hawks is accelerating, cool. it is a long series folks dont shoot it too early. looking forward to th rumble on sunday, anyone hear about ticket sales?
swatguy
April 18th, 2009
12:00 am
Retaining Flip is as important as signing Bibby. We should draft the BAP regardless of position. Speedy and “Rio should get 5 minutes in each game. Zaza will be Huge spelling Josh and Al. When Woody goes to the three guard lineup (Bibs, Flip and Joe), Wade will be forced to cover a scorer and Joe will not be doubled as Flip and Bibs should burn them. Mo should be huge also.
Hawks in 6.
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
12:02 am
REALITY,
I think Pat Riley was a good coach, but like Phil Jackson, we’ve never seen what either coach would do without seriously talented and self-motivated star players. Not that I can recall, anyway.
Spoelstra no doubt learned quite a bit from Riley. But Spoelstra has done a lot with basically ONE sure-fire solid player. Wade is a bonafide superstar. But look at the supporting cast. Chalmers is a rookie, and not a lottery pick. Beasley is a supremely talented rookie who was coming off the bench. O’Neal is a shadow of his former self. Moon is a basketball journeyman who didn’t make it into the league until he was 27. Haslem is one of the most unheralded/underrated role players, but he’s also what some would call undersized for a PF. Funny, nobody seems to notice that these days. Mostly because they don’t notice Haslem, himself. The rest of these guys? Who are they? Cook was part of that very talented Florida national championship team. But he’s a gunner with a streaky shot. If he is something like the second coming of J.R. Smith, we haven’t seen it yet.
This team won a grand total of 15 games last season, ALMOST doing as badly as the Hawks did nearly 5 years ago. Yet, in one year they go from THAT bad, to 5th seed in the playoffs? Sure, the resurgence of Wade had something to do with that, but he’s not the whole or even half of the story. Wade played plenty of minutes for certain. But you didn’t see “ISO Wade left, ISO Wade right, ISO Wade middle” all the time. He didn’t face a ton of double teams every single night.
The Heat players have done a good job. But I really have to applaud the coach and his staff. How many seasoned veterans has he had? Worst in the league to 5th best in one year? That’s a tad rare, and consider something: there was no blockbuster deal, no draft day boomer (Beasley is a beast, but he’s put up Marvin Williams numbers, so we can’t count him as a huge contribution) that produced a 20ppg rookie. No complete roster makeover with the addition of two all-stars like happened in Boston.
That points toward the coach. And to be honest, I don’t think Riley could have done the same thing. I could be wrong. But I don’t see Riles having the patience to do it. Spoelstra was probably just the right guy for the job. The question is how far can he take that team? He’ll prove himself over time. Either he can take them further, or he can’t. If he’s lucky, he’ll have the kind of opportunity Woody has had: 5 years.
But trust me on this: 2 or 3 years down the road if Spoelstra’s team begins regressing, the hot seat comments will come raining down on him. Quick….
KevinA
April 18th, 2009
12:12 am
The Hawks win because of their maturity. Lord knows we get down early. Lord knows we miss jumpers early and often. Hawks have a way of coming back strong. They don’t get rattled. Flip and ZaZa seem to come through when the rest of us have given up. With a rocking Atlanta crowd, look for the Hawks to take the first two games
.
cp
April 18th, 2009
12:13 am
Volman I send my condolences to you and your family. I lost my mom last year around this time. It was tough. My team had finally made the playoffs but I had lost my mother. I watched all the games and rooted for them to win…The playoffs helped me a lot. It was like an escape so hopefully this years playoffs will be an escape for you.
As far as this series I think we win in 6. Beasley is a tough match up but he is not a good defender so you have to attack him. Wade will get his you just have to try and contain his supporting cast…I wish Law was available but you have to go with the guys who are available…Should be a fun series.
Just an unbiased NBA Fan
April 18th, 2009
12:16 am
I am not Heat fan but I hate to tell you Hawks will not make it out of the first round.
Hawks fans, I am not trying to rain on your parade, but
this is not a good match-up for Hawks.
Last year with Boston was fluke, this time there no surprise and they are playing a team just as athletic as they are.
. My pick is Heat and 6 but it may not be that close.
Cut and and save it! Sorry better luck next year.
KevinA
April 18th, 2009
12:26 am
We are a jump shooting team. If JJ /Bibby/Flip are hot we can’t be beat. Over 5-7 games is what will be the difference. I still think Josh and Al will be the X factor. By the time we get into the fourth game they will begin to take over.
Miami will get wore out by the overal defense. Backcourt will chip in end the end to polisfh it off. Hawks in 6
KevinA
April 18th, 2009
12:55 am
Miami is no Bosten a year ago. The Hawks are playing better ball. While I think every game will be competive, Miami is not up to the task. Next year? Maybe. This year? no chance.
HB Ando
April 18th, 2009
2:13 am
Lot’s of match-up discussion highlighted here. My Hacks’ “Tough Call” blog tackles some contentious questions seemingly worthy of extended ponder, which hopefully generate a bit more smack ass to the conversation, should avoidance be preferable for streams of consciousness, here cozily imbedded. Right or wrong will be constructed by the evolution the most unfiltered points, countered by alternatively insistent segments of brevity, marginalized by either meaningfully tangential streams of brevity-driven competence, or stoic, oak-esque, disturburance outlined discontent, ultimately stand-offish in it willingness move beyond the general scope of its range of plausible insightl
Where is the home, for those who espouse a mildly uncomfortable association? Bluffs are far more than moments in a hand, as the dynamics of both groups and individuals, before, during and after the confrontations, make up a far greater essensce for the upcoming outcomes that will be seen, in later play, by massess who do not know, have not seen, the pre-game gyrations of personality and strategy.
Hmmmmm
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
3:42 am
Ando,
Whatever that $hit is, don’t smoke it again.
doc
April 18th, 2009
7:55 am
najeh, you are as much of a hata as aj is … heh heh, tell the rest of he story. his company is pretty good in ron artest and baron davis. well, i think josh’s avg around the bucket is better than jj and waaay ahead of bibby who missed two big bunnies uncontested to the point he got a little shy putting it up there. at least josh has no fear, triple heh heh on that one.
ray, aj was taking a pleasantly aimed barb at me and maybe even you dude. oh by the way have you heard woody had a pretty good year coaching this team this year? interesting he wants an old defenseless point guard back because he doesnt know how to coach up that position? oooh, did i really say that? shame, shame, my bad.
also ray, good thoughts about the coaching of spoelestra, riley didnt have the heart to take on this roster. quite an accomplishment for the team for sure and the coach. did you also say it didnt have to take five g d years to get back into the hunt with a bit of commitment and competence? ooops, there i go again. yeah ray, i read it between the lines.
earth to ando, earth to ando. now i am a little bit concerned to read the next edition to the hacks blog as it may be way over my head. ok i’ll say it for ando … it doesnt take much. peace guys and dont be to hard on each other as we still have about 36 hours to go before tip off, at that point ….. get a rumble on.
look forward to seeing the heavy hitters at the phillips tomorrow.
GET THE LINT FLYING GUYS!
Show me state
April 18th, 2009
8:41 am
Marvin Williams will start game 1 vs Miami. Go Hawks!!!!!
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-hawks-flippingoverflip&prov=ap&type=lgns
MannyT
April 18th, 2009
9:58 am
Seems like the Hawks Hacks humidor should not have made it through customs…hmm
Lot’s of interesting chatter here.
In article, Bibby never said he wanted to retire as a Hawk, but that’s what Woody wants.
I was a little surprised that we start at 8 PM on Sunday instead of a game in a later time zone, but that’s the way it goes…I’ll be there with my fan…gotta beat the heat
Samuel–jhan was looking for some pub after winning fantasy hoops. I’ll leave that to you as league commish. I’ll just whine that the deal should have ended before everyone started benching their top players in the last few games. That’s how it works in football
Volman, sorry for your loss. I look forward to seeing you around the pretzel stand.
BWAF
doc
April 18th, 2009
11:04 am
manny t i agree, though it is true for everyone and that was what i was told when i suggested a modification it made for some silly stuff. that is true especially when the “playoffs” are done at the time span when the benchings occurr. though i “won” it was silly season for fantasy which is silly to begin with. at least the year i was in there was unlimited subs so you could trade like mr. charley finley did of the a’s back in my day. you sure had to get up early in the morning to get your line up ready for the night to come, even at that it was a crap shoot.
Astro Joe
April 18th, 2009
11:20 am
Congrats to Jhan for winning the Fantasy League.
MannyT
April 18th, 2009
11:35 am
doc…and I forgot to mention. Sounds like your friend that looks to save souls at Hooters might need a wingman
I’m sure we can rustle up a few volunteers.
No worries about fantasy league. I was in 2 this season and I was a top 2 seed in both. Made the finals in both. I can live with that.
Less than an hour to the start.
MannyT
April 18th, 2009
11:46 am
Just because an idle mind causes trouble. I created one of those leagues on NBA.COM 2009 Pick N Roll. Join up, have fun, let the smack continue.
League Name Blogging SKS AJC
League Creator MannyT
League Type private
Password Sekou
BWAF
otrhawksfan
April 18th, 2009
12:31 pm
the hawks do take too many jumpshots in the 1st period. i would like for the hawks to attack the goal. let the playoffs begin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lets go hawks…now you know!!!!
otrhawksfan
April 18th, 2009
1:44 pm
upset brewing in boston..their pickups this year will not help them this year.
Nookah
April 18th, 2009
3:44 pm
HAWKS in 5!!!!!!
The Bulls have given the Garnett-less Celtics all they could handle and some. Folks what you are witnessing is the gradual changing of the guard (oh maybe the guard has already changed). The Hawks have played a significant role in erasing the one-time mystique that existed in playing Boston. You are also witnessing the heir to the throne….Derrick Rose!!!
Yes I know there is Lebron but this guy is the real deal with ice in his veins!!
Someone in a previous blog mentioned Noah to be paired with Horford. At the time I heard the suggestion I was a little apprehensive but I can see the passion and the heart. If you put those two together they would be certainly a force, not necessarily a physical force but the heart and the passion with which these guys play is great. Not to speak of the energy that they would generate from just playing with each other.
Go Hawks!!!
Nuff respect!!!
Big Ray
April 18th, 2009
3:48 pm
VOLMAN,
Very sorry to hear about your loss. Really sorry, dude. Here’s to a short road to coping with the grief.
DOC,
I know. I was just taking a jab back, lol!
Speaking of gauntlets being thrown, is anybody catching what just happened in Boston??!!
Whooooooeeeeee! THIS is why Chicago took Derrick Rose, and not Beasley.
We can only wonder what it would be like to have such a dynamic point guard. Of any kind. Man…
Meanwhile as Doc says, Woody wants Bibby back in the worst way (I’m interested in seeing if he does any better in the playoffs this year than he did last year as a final piece of the body of work to assess).
And so does Joe. Huh. Joe must LOVE guarding the opposing team’s point guard.
And here I find myself agreeing with Samuel “Woodson.” Acie isn’t ready to be handed the keys to this team next year. But Samuel simply and conveniently got it only HALF right: Acie hasn’t been available for us to play him (mostly in the last 15 or so games) due to injury. But how about the bulk of the OTHER 67 games, when he WAS available, and just didn’t get the sufficient playing time?
Oh yes, two sides to every coin…
Ken Strickland
April 18th, 2009
4:09 pm
I just finished reading the article about Bibby being indispensable to the Hawks. Well, my take on his value is a little different. 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.
I love PG Toney Parker’s penetrating style of play and how it benefits his Spurs teammates. Even without Bibby, we still have some very good outside shooters. JJ, Marvin, Flip, Evans, Zaza, Solo, Horford have all been very effective making open jumpshots. Quick, fast penetrating PG’s like Acie or Speedy can create a lot of open scoring opportunities for their teammages. Speed and quickness aren’t inconsistent like jumpshooting.
Astro Joe
April 18th, 2009
4:25 pm
IMO, the Hawks lost their designation as being athletic when Childress was replaced by Flip. Smith is the only guy on the team that I would consider a great fast break finisher (now that Chill is gone). It’s one thing to have Chill & Smith sprinting down the floor filling the wings. But we don’t have that anymore. I think it is less about having Bibby and more about not having that second high-flyer/fast runner/rim-attacking wing to complement Smith. Sund made this a half-court team when Chill left and Flip came in. I’m not saying it was a bad move, as much as suggesting that our run-and-gun days are gone.
Astro Joe
April 18th, 2009
4:31 pm
Manny, I can’t get to the NBA.com site. Can you please provide the link to the Pick N Roll page?
terrell barron
April 18th, 2009
5:02 pm
Derrick Rose is a beast. He might just be better than CP3 after it’s all said and done. And btw, Boston is NOTHING without KG.
otrhawksfan
April 18th, 2009
5:11 pm
who are those free agents that we can look at to improve this team?
Ariose
April 18th, 2009
6:14 pm
Rasheed Wallace is Unrestricted……nothing Wrong with a two year deal….
Ben Gordon is Unrestricted…..
Shawn Maion is Unrestricted…..
Lamar Odom is Unrestricted……
Trevor Ariza is Unrestricted…..
Ariose
April 18th, 2009
6:14 pm
Marion….lol
MannyT
April 18th, 2009
6:34 pm
Astro, it might be too late because it is linked to some kind of contest. If not, it is under the Fantasy drop down near the top of the page.
http://www.nba.com/playoffs2009/picknroll/game.jsp
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.