Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks: Win And They Are In (Again)
Well, it turns out the Hawks haven’t clinched a spot in the playoffs after all. Elias Sports Bureau called the league to tell them that the Hawks would lose a tiebreaker if they lost all of their remaining games and finished in four-way tie for the final playoffs spot. Well, OK, then. The Hawks will clinch tonight if they win or Chicago loses to Houston. Really.
Anyway, at the moment the playoffs bracket looks like this. Assuming the Celtics are going to win the Atlantic, which is a safe assumption, they would win a tiebreaker with the Hawks. From NBA.com:
TIEBREAKER BASIS:
(-) Tie breaker not needed (better overall winning percentage)
(1) Division leader wins tie from team not leading a division
(2) Head-to-head won-lost percentage
(3) Division won-lost percentage
(4) Conference won-lost percentage
(5) W-L Percentage vs. Playoff teams, own conference
(6) W-L Percentage vs. Playoff teams, other conference
(7) Net Points, all games
Suddenly solid vet John Salmons, not super rook Brandon Jennings, is the story for the Bucks.
The Bucks loom as a potential playoff opponent. Normally the Hawks might not have too much concern about a team that hasn’t been anywhere near them in the standings and can’t match their talent. But these are not normal circumstances. The Bucks are just 38-30 but they are 14-3 since the All-Star break. More to the point, they are 14-2 since adding John Salmons in a trade.
You might remember how Salmons lit up the Hawks for 32 points during Milwaukee’s overtime loss at Philips Arena and did a respectable job checking J.J. until he got Iso-Joed at the end. What you may not remember is how Salmons joined the Bulls in a trade last season along with Brad Miller and helped catapult them to the playoffs. Now my man Charlie G at the Journal Sentinel notes Salmons is having a similar effect on the Bucks since the Bulls unloaded him to clear space for the summer free agent bonanza.
“When we were talking about making a move, we looked at him, and still do, as just a good, all-around pro guard,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. “He can post up a little bit. He shoots the ball well enough. He can put it on the floor and get to the rim. He can dish it if necessary. He’s a solid defender. He’s a professional and has a real calm demeanor out there, and that has helped our guys.”
Since the Bucks and Hawks strangely didn’t meet for the first time until the late date of Feb. 28, the Hawks can measure themselves against the new-look Bucks and not the team that was sputtering along at 24-28 before Salmons arrived. Looking at the game-by-game efficiency numbers, the Bucks seem to be a better team offensively with Salmons –they’ve topped 100 points in offensive efficiency in 13 of 16 of games with him after doing so in just 31 of 68 previously. Their rugged defense also hasn’t appeared to skip a beat on defense–they’ve held 11 of 16 opponents below 100 points in defensive efficiency with Salmons after doing so in 21 of 68 games before his arrival.
It should be noted that the Salmons Bucks didn’t go a good job stopping the Hawks in their first meeting and have had similar problems with the better offensive teams. But the Bucks also have more offensive punch with Salmons. This is all along way of saying the Bucks would be a dangerous opponent for the Hawks to face in the playoffs.
That’s assuming the Hawks really, truly clinch a postseason berth at some point.
MC
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371 comments Add your comment
JustChillFans
March 22nd, 2010
11:16 pm
Man the lakers run kobe-iso and the end of EVERY game thats close and EVERY team knows its coming. How come they still cant stop Kobe?? Exactly, u people say whatever comes to ur head. Take the time to think about what ur about to say for once. Can yall stop acting like the bucks are garbage! They have beating sum great teams.
Anthony
March 22nd, 2010
11:19 pm
Why do we continue to not play team ball at the end of games. Standing around watching Joe doesn’t get it. And the stupid foul to put em on the line. He is not Kobe or LeBron and the coach keeps trying to fool all the fans into thinking he is a superstar. He;s good but not that good. I know I’m not the only one that knows that we play best when everyone gets involved and we pass the ball. It’s getting old, same old thing. Close game, everybody stand around and watch Joe. And nobody goes after the rebound. We’ll get killed in the playoffs cause every other team knows what we do. What’s the point in having the other 4 guys out there?
BirdDawg
March 22nd, 2010
11:20 pm
If this team plays up to its capabilities we wouldn’t have to worry about meeting any team in the playoffs except for maybe Orlando, and even then we wouldn’t have to be concerned with 18 – 20 point blowouts. We certainly wouldn’t be worried about what team we meet in the first round.
Rod from College Park
March 22nd, 2010
11:21 pm
“Rod, Wrong. He never touches the ball in the half court. Plays are never called for him. He creates a mismatch every night on the block, but……”
He can’t ever take advantage of it. Have you not noticed that teams guard him with much smaller players fro a reason.
northcyde
March 22nd, 2010
11:24 pm
LOL . . . what an ungrateful full of fans. I’m glad a few of you have called these dudes out. All of that euphoria over last night is tossed right out the window tonight.
And how DARE any of you blame JJ for this loss . . . after basically putting this team on his back at a time in which in 4 minute span ( end of 3rd – beginning of 4th ), the Bucks go on a 11 – 2 run to cut a 12 point lead to 3.
The JJ makes 7 of his next 9 shots in the quarter.
And you dudes try to act like he wasn’t ballin?
Yeah, that was a bad foul at the end. Way too overzealous in his denial of the ball of Salmons ( who sold it well ). But JJ did the damn thing in that 2nd half.
It’s amazing the flat out hate some of you show toward JJ ( although I perfectly understand it from you undercover fake fans from other teams, acting like Hawk fans ).
Jamal Crawford basically plays the same way in the first half, and it’s “oooohs and ahhhhs”, slobbering all over that dude. But as soon as JJ takes over a game ad misses ONE SHOT, it’s “why didn’t JJ pass the ball? I know he’s 7 – 9 FG in the quarter, but he should’ve passed”
LOL . . .GTFOH
Great game JJ. We’re going to need you to play just like this in the playoffs.
Like JustChillFans said . . . you guys expect the Hawks to win every game. And instead of simply giving the Bucks props for making plays, some of you go on manhunts to try to scapegoat somebody.
Basically, Milwaukee did the same thing we did to San Antonio.
This is the NBA folks. Nobody is going to lay down and die for us. Just ask Boston right now, out in Utah.
The Bird and Indian (Reggie)
March 22nd, 2010
11:28 pm
How can you people blame the game on Joe? He kept us in the game with bucket after bucket in the 4th. I miss the good folks from the blog last year. I’m sorry you gotta go through this, Ray.
BirdDawg
March 22nd, 2010
11:31 pm
I get it now. In order to be a real fan, I should be satisfied with the Hawks repeatedly allowing teams of lesser talent to erase double digit leads and come back for the win. Awesome. In that case I hope they do that four times in a row in the first round of the playoffs!!!
That would really be something wouldn’t it?
JeJe
March 22nd, 2010
11:33 pm
So if we don’t resign Joe, we are screwed? We cannot go over cap by signing outside free agents. SIGNING JOE OR S&T JOE IS ONLY CHOICE
JeJe
March 22nd, 2010
11:33 pm
“I get it now. In order to be a real fan, I should be satisfied with the Hawks repeatedly allowing teams of lesser talent to erase double digit leads and come back for the win.”
LOL!
IDIOT POST OF THE NIGHT
March 22nd, 2010
11:48 pm
JustChillFans
March 22nd, 2010
11:16 pm
Man the lakers run kobe-iso and the end of EVERY game thats close and EVERY team knows its coming. How come they still cant stop Kobe?? Exactly, u people say whatever comes to ur head. Take the time to think about what ur about to say for once. Can yall stop acting like the bucks are garbage! They have beating sum great teams.
SINCE WHEN WAS JOE JOHNSON, KOBE???????????????? WOW@COMPARING ISO-JOE to ISO-KOBE
Big Ray
March 22nd, 2010
11:50 pm
John Salmons is a good player, but him scoring 32 on us again…at will…says something about our defense.
Our perimeter defense, that is.
JJ played like the star he is.
I still don’t undertand Horford going 5-5 and not seeing the ball ever again.
Marvin has become the very opposite of what he once was.
Josh Smith is faltering in the last few games, making bad decisions and not playing totally focused.
How do you let Luke Ridnour beat you up?
BirdDawg
March 22nd, 2010
11:51 pm
LMAO @ “IDIOT POST OF THE NIGHT”
I’ve been trying to figure that one out myself.
Big Ray
March 22nd, 2010
11:54 pm
JJ was ballin’. Crawford was, too.
How does this JJ vs. Crawford stuff always come up? Picking favorites…
Big Ray
March 22nd, 2010
11:57 pm
Bird Dawg ,
If that happens, the only thing that I can say is that people will do what they always do:
Some will blame the coach.
Some will blame whichever players they use as their favorite targets.
And some, believe it or not, will blame the fans.
northcyde
March 23rd, 2010
12:00 am
The fake fan comment was to one or two of those Cavs fans who come on the board. It’s no doubt that trolls from other teams frequent this board.
Some of the rest of you simply overreact to everything . . . wins and losses ( which is what I said 3 weeks ago ).
Go look through the Hawks – Bucks play-by-play, and tell me what the Bucks shot from like the 6 min mark in the 3rd, to like the 7 min mark in the 4th.
Look at the amount of shots they made . . . sometimes in a row.
Sometimes, the other team just beats you, no matter what you do to try to stop them.
And the Bucks are far from a lesser team. Snce they got Salmons, they’ve been THE BEST team in the league. They’re like 17 – 2 since that trade ( with the Hawks giving them one of those losses ).
WE LOST . . . simple as that. Most everyone played well tonight. The Bucks just played better on their home floor.
Now, here’s the psychological game of the year for the fans . . . the Battle of Orlando. Lose the battle, and most of you will be in doom and gloom mode. Beat them, and some of you will say that we can win the NBA title, based off of this one win.
LOL . . the league don’t work like that folks. If it did, Cleveland would’ve won a ring last year.
Good game Hawks . . . you guys just couldn’t slow down that stretch of Bucks hot shooting in time to close out the game.
BirdDawg
March 23rd, 2010
12:00 am
Big Ray,
Not picking sides, but that’s the point. Why does it have to be JJ vs. Crawford at the end of games? Why can’t one set up the other and play as a cohesive unit? That’s what I would like to see. They would be almost unstoppable setting each other up because you can’t really guard either one let alone both.
rusty
March 23rd, 2010
12:41 am
i wish jj leaves & takes woody with him. joe cant carry kobes jock strap. he always takes us out of our of our offense .he took allf our shots leaving none for ah or jc we play like crap because woody lets him get away withj it. he must of had money on this game for us to lose. i been watching the nba since the 50 s & that foul was the dumbest play that i have ever seen. i am so sick of his sefish play & where the hell was his defense on salmons regardless of the stupid defensive swithching. why the hell was teague not played.
JustChillFans
March 23rd, 2010
1:17 pm
@IDIOT POST OF THE NIGHT, my point was that iso is common in the nba. Im not comparing kobe to joe you idiot. Yall acting like we suppose to have plays with easy layups at any point of the game or something. This is the nba not high school. Its tuff at times to score in this league. Boi i wish sum of you idiots could just coach one game and see. What was you saying when joe made like 5 str8 buckets in the 4th??? Answer that.
JustChillFans
March 23rd, 2010
1:21 pm
@NORTHCYDE, well said brother. These fans gone look sick when jj leaves this summer. Our backup sg is going to be mario west lol. Im pretty sure some of you all would rather have west right? Haha, silly fans.
Marcus
March 23rd, 2010
2:23 pm
Ray,
that has been our Achilles heel (Kalin Lucas send help). Just about every “winnable” loss has the same m.o.
Question: Maybe I am not understanding … are we basically locked in to the 4th playoff spot?
Does BOS being Atlantic Div. champ *only* come into play if a tiebreaker is needed or do all div. champs basically default to the higher seeds, even if we end up having a better reg. season record?
falcons pick spoon
March 23rd, 2010
4:37 pm
Exactly Jeje. We cannot scream for Wade or Lebron we would not have the money for them. We MUST resign Joe.