Atlanta Hawks: Send-Da-Bucks (UPDATE: Playoff Schedule)
This didn't mean much in the big picture but it sure looks cool. (Reuters photo)
EDIT: The NBA released the schedule for Hawks-Bucks:
Game 1 – Sat April 17 Milwaukee at Atlanta 5:30 PM ESPN
Game 2 – Tue April 20 Milwaukee at Atlanta 7:00 PM NBATV
Game 3 – Sat April 24 Atlanta at Milwaukee 7:00 PM ESPN
Game 4 – Mon April 26 Atlanta at Milwaukee TBD TBD
Game 5 * Wed April 28 Milwaukee at Atlanta TBD TBD
Game 6 * Fri April 30 Atlanta at Milwaukee TBD TBD
Game 7 * Sun May 2 Milwaukee at Atlanta TBD TBD
All games also to be televised by either Fox Sports South or SportSouth.
*If necessary
– Not much to say about the game. The Hawks won 99-83, Rook’ looked good and nobody got hurt. Cavs coach Mike Brown summed it up: “Glad to get this game over with. Now we can focus on the playoffs.”
– It was a weird night. I spent more time looking at the out-of-town scoreboards than the main one. You probably did the same. I vaguely recall seeing Jason Collins shoot a 3-pointer but that can’t be right, can it?
– And then Heat-Nets went into overtime as us hacks waited for Woody to come out for his postgame presser. That was no good for my deadline. Then it went to double overtime, and Woody came out. That was no good for my questions because, really, I had none.
– The Hawks won 53 games, their most since winning 56 in the 1996-97 season. “It’s been fantastic,” Woody said before the Heat game ended. “We look at things in three phases: exhibition, regular season, and now it’s time for the playoffs. We don’t know who we are going to play, but it don’t matter. (Thursday) we start that journey.”
– Long story short(er), I had to leave the locker room before the Heat game was final. So I don’t know how the Hawks feel about playing the Bucks. But judging by their reactions while watching Heat-Nets, I’d say they are ready to take on Milwaukee.
– Coincidentally, I’ve lived in Milwaukee and Miami. I will let you guess which city I was trying to visit for the playoffs.
– Jamal and J.J. didn’t dress. Bibby, Al and Josh didn’t play. Woody says the Hawks are in good health. “Everybody is fine. If they had to play tonight they all would have played.”
– The Hawks were 2-1 against the Bucks during the regular season. All of those games were played after the Bucks traded for John Salmons. One of those, the Hawks’ 104-96 victory on Monday, came after Bogut was lost for the season.
– That was, in my opinion, the best road game the Bucks had played since winning at Utah on Feb. 22. If the Hawks play with that kind of energy and focus in this series I don’t see how the Bucks can stay with them. Of course, we know that’s a giant “if” for the Hawks.
– My quickie analysis says the Hawks enjoy significant advantages at center (Al/Zaza over Kurt Thomas/Gadzuric/Ilyasova) and power forward (Josh over Mbah a Moute).
– Salmons is sneaky good but J.J. obviously is better all-around. Brandon Jennings is good but he’s an erratic rookie. Ridnour is solid. But give me Bibby/Crawford over those two.
– Delfino/Stackhouse probably has the edge over Marvin/Mo. Probably, right?
– The numbers say the Bucks are a much better defensive team than the Hawks, and that the Hawks are much better than the Bucks on offense.
– I’d say if the Hawks really are capable of turning it on for the postseason, they have more potential to be a better defensive team than the Bucks do of being a better offensive team. Sound about right?
– Anyway, back to Hawks-Cavs. Teague had 24 points, 15 assists and five turnovers. “The young Rook’, I can’t praise him enough,” Woody said. “It’s been tough on him not playing many minutes.”
– Before the game, Woody offered some personal perspective on his handling of Teague: “I know it’s tough on him because I know how it was when I came in to the league after playing a lot of minutes in college. I played for a coach who didn’t believe in playing rookies, (former Knicks coach) Red Holzman. He thought rookies should sit and learn. And I learned a lot in that first year.”
– So that how it’s gone for Teague. “I think I showed that I can play in this league,” he said. “I think (Woody) believes in me. He’s told me it was going to be a learning year like he told you guys. So I just soaked everything up and tried to learn as much as possible, and tried to learn from Bibby and Jamal as much as I could.”
– Woody’s rotation includes Jamal, Mo and Zaza off the bench. After that “it’s up in the air” with Joe Smith, Collins, Teague and Mario perhaps playing “in certain situations,” Woody said.
– The league releases the official schedule early Thursday morning. I’ll update this post when I get it.
– I’m out, Hawks fans.
MC
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179 comments Add your comment
Section 303
April 15th, 2010
8:39 am
Guys, you’re really on here debating if Horford is a center or not? He isn’t. He is playing out of position. Did not realize that was earth shaking news. When the Hawks get a legit center he will be moved to the 4 spot, but not until then.
53-wins is great, but the building process still continues. Saying Horford is not one of the best centers in the league really is not that insightful.
“WOODSON WILL NOT USE TEAGUE OR ENOUGH IN 2ND HALF” …ummm….yeah, good point JeJe. You continue to put that 4th grade education of yours to work. What the h#ll does that even mean?
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
8:39 am
Horford is a weak defender, eh?
How about this quote from Mike Woodson:
Three years removed from his last season at Florida, Horford is still drawing attention. For the first time in his young NBA career, he is an All-Star, selected by coaches man as an Eastern Conference reserve. More importantly to Horford, his team is one of the best in the East. They face the Magic at Amway Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“He rebounds, he defends bigger guys, he switches a lot, switches on perimeter guys and is able to keep guys in front of him,” Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. “He plays backside defense for us great. [If] guys are beat, he comes over and blocks shots. Leads our break.
“I mean, there’s a lot of things Al Horford does for this team. Without it we wouldn’t be where we are today I don’t think.”
Huh. Sounds like Woody disagrees with the concept of Horford being a bad/weak defender.
Oh well, I encourage anybody to check this link out and read it for themselves, in case they think I’m making it up.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-01-29/sports/os-orlando-magic-atlanta-hawks-al-horford20100129_1_gator-al-horford-green-and-brewer-atlanta-coach-mike-woodson
JeJe
April 15th, 2010
8:39 am
Can Woodson PLEASE devise a plan to beat Orlando?
Can a rotation of Horford/ZaZa/Collins (wtf? I thought he was out for the regular season) “contain” Dwight and rotate on the shooters?
We are basically playing 3 on 5, since whatever points (10) Bibby scores, he’ll surrender to Jameer. Woody will only give Bibby 28 min a game because he knows this guy sucks on defense. Can anyone else guess who the other starter is that helps make it 3 on [8] 5? Me! Me!
When people say Bibby is gearing up for the playoffs, what’s this mean? He’s gonna shoot more 3s? I haven’t even seen him throw an alleyoop to Smoove in months
FIRE WOODY
JeJe
April 15th, 2010
8:41 am
“We are basically playing 3 on 5, since whatever points (10) Bibby scores, he’ll surrender to Jameer. ”
Whatever pts Bibby scores, Jameer will score 2x
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
8:41 am
Section 303 ,
Its not a debate. We all know the man is a power forward. But tell me, do you think he’s a weak defender, or a player who is keeping us from becoming a championship team? I don’t. And I don’t blame him for doing what we need him to do. I also don’t begrudge him an all-star berth. But that’s just me.
JeJe
April 15th, 2010
8:45 am
“Je Je, at least Grand Daddy speaks his mind elegantly. What is your beef? Coach Wooden has the Hawks peaking at the right time.”
Against who?
WE LOST TO THE BOBCATS AND THE PISTONS (MINUS 5 PLAYERS) LAST WEEK.
Wake up
Section 303
April 15th, 2010
8:46 am
Big Ray, I’m with you. Really do not even understand why the Horford at center thing is even being talked about. I swear, some just have to find a problem to complain about.
The team has 53-wins, playoffs are Saturday, and we have people on here acting like wannabe Hubie Browns pointing out obvious things like Horford is not a true center. I think some just need to chill and enjoy the ride. It has been a great season, playoffs will be great, too.
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
8:50 am
Big Ray- What is your case? That Teague hasn’t played major minutes this season? Since when do you substitute stating the obvious for being a position? I, mean, I could say… See I told you guys Crawford would get more minutes and score more points than Joe Smith.
Those statements do not however prove an argument that Woody doesn’t play rookies or young players, it does not prove that he isn’t an effective coach. It just means that Woodson did not play a 19 year old rookie that much on a team that has two All-Star calibre guards, a veteran guard and a bench with a defensive minded SF/SG with expierence. I don’t know about you but that sounds like good coaching to me. We ALL knew that when Teague was drafted and Bibby got his extension that the time table for Teague to move into major minutes/starter role was 2 1/2 to 3 years (barring injury), so what’s the point?
Do you really think that having more of Teague (which of course means less of Crawford [Not Bibby}) would have this team in a better position now and for the future? That position is at best supposition if not flat out wrong-headed.
Dude, you know I love ‘ya, and I know you know your hoops, but I have to disagree with you on this one. Maybe, I missed your point.
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
8:50 am
As predicted….
decatur joe
April 15th, 2010
8:52 am
woody would sit jordan lebron or bird as a rook?? are you guys telling me Salim and Acie were even near that type of player?? Teague got the minutes he needed considering who he is playing with. Crawford does not need a backup guard to facilitate him the ball. And Crawford is a better option in a close game then Teague. It is easy to see that Teague has twice the talent of Salim and Acie.
If they had true talent they would be displaying that for another team right now. If Woody could take their confidence then they never had it.
@ can’t Hyde- no GM in the league would trade Horford for, Dalembert, Kaman,McGee, Perkins or Lopez. AND YOU KNOW THIS.
Mr. Phil
April 15th, 2010
8:57 am
Dezz Nuttz: “Probably walks around with his pants underneath his butt like Ken Strickland.”
It takes great skill to pass judgment on somebody you know nothing about. To let you know (since you clearly have never heard of facts, stats, or watched a basketball game) .41 turnovers per assist isn’t bad. Heck it isn’t anything really. Jeff hasn’t played enough minutes this season to label him anything (good or bad). So going forward feel free to shut your trap.
justahawkfan
April 15th, 2010
9:04 am
Before we crown Teague an allstar, let just remember that this was the last game of the season, nothing at stake, both teams had starters in suits and etc….. In a real game with real starters that never would have happened. Not saying that Teague has no talent, he has plenty but he’s not quite ready for prime time. I know it, you know and woodson know it. But i tell you what, lets use him as another reason to hate on the coach. The coach that lead us to the number three seed in the east with 53 wins, sweep of the celtics, two allstarrs, sixth man of the year, five year continous postive growth of the team, should I go on? Before the start of this season no one believed in thier hearts that we would be here. A little positivity please.
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
9:06 am
Daniel ,
Missed my point? That’s an understatement of global proportions. I’m nto pissed because I know you have no idea where this argument came from or who was involved. I’ll sum it up as quickly and succinctly as possible:
The argument made earlier (literally, spanning the last two or three blogs) was that Teague didn’t get to play more minutes because he sucks, because he can’t shoot, because he is no better than Acie Law was, whatever. My counter-argument to this was that Woody had said before the season started, that he didn’t intend to play Teague that much. He said that due to the presence of Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford, he had the luxury of bringing Teague along slowly.
I didn’t agree with Woody’s decision to do so early on, and I figured 15 mpg for the kid wasn’t necessarily something that would be detrimental to the team. However, I also realize that you don’t sacrifice team success for the development of a single rookie player. Again, I didn’t think that 15 mpg would be an issue, but I’m not the coach. For the last 15 or so games of the season, I relaxed my stance on that completely and acknowledged that 1) Teague needs to work on his jumper, 2) The fact that this team has won 50+ games kinda makes the argument a petty gripe.
But, some people kept insisting that the kid had major issues, and that was why he didn’t get more minutes. I said that Woody never intended him to get many minutes, regardless of how he played. People replied that I was full of it, and some even suggested that he may not be a guy who could/would be an NBA player at all. I maintained my stance that Woody wanted to let the kid learn more from the bench than on the court in games.
That is the crux of the argument. It has nothing to do with whether or not Woody plays rookies. For that argument, you need to see JeJe, Ken Strickland, or somebody else other than me. As for this:
Those statements do not however prove an argument that Woody doesn’t play rookies or young players, it does not prove that he isn’t an effective coach. It just means that Woodson did not play a 19 year old rookie that much on a team that has two All-Star calibre guards, a veteran guard and a bench with a defensive minded SF/SG with expierence. I don’t know about you but that sounds like good coaching to me. We ALL knew that when Teague was drafted and Bibby got his extension that the time table for Teague to move into major minutes/starter role was 2 1/2 to 3 years (barring injury),
You are saying nearly exactly what I have been saying, but you have not been follwowing the conversation, so you couldn’t know that.
That has been my point in a nutshell: the kid is here to learn and develop. He doesn’t play because he CAN’T, he doesn’t play because we don’t need him to yet. It’s not yet his time. And I don’t know why that is so hard to understand.
JeJe
April 15th, 2010
9:08 am
GOOD JOB SECTION 303.
I MEANT TO SAY “MO.” GOD FORBID I DON’T HAVE TIME TO PROOFREAD MY !@#DAMN POSTS ON HERE
FIRE MIKE KNAPP
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
9:10 am
Big Ray- I stand corrected.
JeJe
April 15th, 2010
9:11 am
“My counter-argument to this was that Woody had said before the season started, that he didn’t intend to play Teague that much. He said that due to the presence of Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford, he had the luxury of bringing Teague along slowly.”‘
HE IS NOT GOING TO BRING TEAGUE ALONG SLOWLY.
Damnit — there is NO plan to make Teague this team’s PG. Woodson ONLY likes old PG’s who are midgets, shoot 3’s, and play no defense. How exactly is Teague going to be developed if J-Craw and Bibby are getting minutes? THERE’S NO CHANCE OR OPPORTUNITY FOR TEAGUE HERE IF BIBBY HAS 2 MORE YRS AND WILL START
WOODY WILL NEVER EVER EVER CHANGE THE STARTING LINEUP BASED ON PERFORMANCE. THOSE STRETCHES WHERE MARVIN AVERAGED 8 PPG FOR 3 WEEKS MEAN NOTHING TO WOODY
SACRED COW @!#!#%
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
9:13 am
[Teague]doesn’t play because we don’t need him to yet. (not because he can’t or will not develop)— I agree with this statement 100%. I also don’t see why that is so hard to understand either.
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
9:13 am
Truth Serum ,
Did you understand one single thing I said? Either you didn’t, or you are purposely twisting my words.
I did not say Lopez shouldn’t go to better teams. Funny that you mention that though….the New Jersey Nets are built around him. So, uh….why doesn’t he make them a better team?
Secondly, I didn’t suggest a trade of Horford for Lopez. I said it wasn’t going to happen, because if a team believes they have a franchise center, they will not trade him for a power forward. New Jersey believes Lopez is a franchise center they can build around.
Third, who is comparing Josh Smith to Al Horford as power forwards? I’m not.
Compare their number if you want. Horford gets more rebounds, Josh gets more points. Horford shoots a higher percentage, Josh gets more blocks. Josh gets more assists. Since Horford has played center all this time, how would you even know what kind of power foward he is? And since you don’t know that, how can you say whether he or Josh is the better power forward. The man has been playing out of position, which is your main gripe in the first place! You are essentially arguing with yourself on that one. Have fun…
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
9:17 am
Ray- I will poke you though (and myself) for expecting certain bloggers to understand. Who is more the fool? The fool or the person who expects the fool not to be one?
Mr. Phil
April 15th, 2010
9:19 am
Idiot Watch : Why is my name being dragged into a conversation about Horford? I didn’t offer any opinions on the topic. If you would like me to I will but….
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
9:20 am
Daniel ,
LEEDSATLANTA
April 15th, 2010
9:21 am
Truth – that would be be the same point guard who lost us 10 points from his 5 turnovers but created 54 points from his shots and assists.
That’s +44 points, in real game points,
nuff said!
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
9:22 am
JeJe- How do you call Bibby a “midget” at 6′2″ which is the same height as Teague, plus Bibby is often sat while Crawford at 6′5″ plays. I don’t know how you can be so sure of the future, when you can’t even tell how tall people are.
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
9:22 am
And I don’t take offense to your assertion. I know you are every bit as fired up and passionate as I can get, particularly when you think you have come across something that sounds absolutely absurd. Hard not to get after it like a linebacker.
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
9:24 am
Truth – that would be be the same point guard who lost us 10 points from his 5 turnovers but created 54 points from his shots and assists.
That’s +44 points, in real game points,
nuff said!
Nicely done.
Apparently you can fool dem nuttz….
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
9:25 am
Heh…. Daniel ….didn’t you just poke me with that thing about fools? LOL
See? It IS hard to resist…
Big Ray
April 15th, 2010
9:26 am
Gotta go, peace to my peeps and all the fools, too….
Mr. Phil
April 15th, 2010
9:29 am
Idiot Watch: Of course Teague lacks in some areas. He is an inexperienced rookie. But show me an NBA player who never made mistakes in a game and I will show you Oscar Robertson.
Nobosdy is born with a high basketball IQ. It is developed. Where would he have gotten this from. Wake Forest?.
Mr. Phil
April 15th, 2010
9:30 am
I gotta bounce too…
terrell
April 15th, 2010
9:46 am
Will you guys please stop calling Jeff Teague “Rook”?
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
9:53 am
terrell- The coach and team call him “rook”. We prefer JT0.
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
9:54 am
retrofit- both, neither, you?
vava74
April 15th, 2010
10:02 am
Million dollar question:
Why veteran bloggers waste any time replying to Truth-Serum’s rants?
I understand that neophytes may not understand his drill, but anyone who has been around for sometime surely understands that there is no point in arguing with a guy who “hates” Al Horford and says that his preferred C role model was Darryl Dawkins…
There is no logic (I guess that not even a real belief) behind his rants, solely the purpose of annoying people.
Daniel
April 15th, 2010
10:06 am
vava- great question. my answer— boredom
lewis
April 15th, 2010
10:07 am
I love Horford. He does the little things and plays to win. He exerts more effort than most of his bigger opponents, and that’s why he’s not a defensive liability at center. Sure, he’s not 7′1 270. But he’s a quick, strong, 6′10 245, and i’ve seen him give a lot of the centers in this league a tough time in the paint. He looks terrible on defense at times, I think it’s because he doesn’t understand how to position himself. He’s so used to playing PF he kind of plays center with the pf mentality, and that’s got to stop. Him and Josh Smith suck at boxing out, period.
To tell you the truth, and I never thought i’d say this, especially now that Al is solid with that 12-15 footer, I think were stronger on defense when Zaza is in. If Josh Smith knew how to shoot a jump shot and could play better on the ball defense, we could move him to sf, al to pf, and zaza to c.
I don’t want to hear the argument that josh is better at pf than al.
Put Josh Smith out of position at sf like Al is at C, than compare their numbers.
Melvin
April 15th, 2010
10:15 am
LMAO at Truth-Serum and Dezz Nuttz. Those guys (or guy) are out of control.
O'Brien
April 15th, 2010
10:21 am
Daniel,
Unless Bibby finds the fountain of youth this offseason (like Nash and Kidd have), I think Teague will get more consistent minutes next season (especially if his jumper improves). By then, Bibby will be older and slower (with worse defense).
By year 3, I dont think Bibby will be the starter anymore (as an expiring contract, he might be tradeable). And when Bibby leaves, I am fine with Teague as a backup (if he doesn’t materialize into a starter), as long as we can bring in a PG who is better.
The interesting thing to me is Teague said he tries to learn as much as he can from Bibby and Jamal. I’m very surprised he didn’t say Bibby, Jamal, AND Joe.
Hawks73
April 15th, 2010
10:25 am
I am very happy with the Hawks overall season, but the playoffs are a different animal. The Hawks will only go as far as Woody will let them. The lack of overall bench development will be their downfall. It’s quite evident that they have some capable bodies off the bench, if nothing more than to spell your starters and give the team the best chance to win.
I am not putting a tremendous amount of stock in Teague’s performance last night, but I must admit he was impressive (even playing with/against second teamer’s). You can clearly see that he gives the Hawks a great change of pace off the bench with his quickness, his desire to run up and down the court, and his ability to find the open man (as a true point guard). It’s a shame that Woody hasn’t given him the opportunity to play without training wheels with the first unit. He would certainly give the Hawks a huge lift off the bench and wear down opponents…oh well, Woody will be Woody and the Hawks will waist yet another player’s abilities.
Mike Jay
April 15th, 2010
10:39 am
Teague’s numbers would look even better if the players could handle some of his passes. They are not used to getting the ball in the spots that Teague is able to put it. The more he plays the less often they will drop some of those hot potatoes.
terrell
April 15th, 2010
10:40 am
Woody never called Horford, or Acie “Rook” did he? I bet it gets on Teague’s nerves.
terrell
April 15th, 2010
10:43 am
Didhe ever call Chills or Smoove Rook? How bout Sheldon? He only calls Teague Rook, because he knows he wont play a Rookie pg. I guess he thinks the rookie label gives him a pass.
terrell
April 15th, 2010
10:45 am
Obrien, Joe doesn’t play pg. Well he does, but…. You know what I mean. lol!
Fresh
April 15th, 2010
10:46 am
You know what’s funny?
While we argue sun-up to sun-down over whether or not the Hawks made the right decision drafting Marvin Williams over CP3 or D. Williams, the Milwaukee Bucks blogs is currently arguing over whether or not the Bucks made the right decision drafting Andrew Bogut over Marvin Williams lol.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/bucks/90889509.html
I guess we’re not the only disfunctional blog.
Mario West
April 15th, 2010
10:57 am
Did you guys see my slamma-jamma over Jamario Moon?!
The Truth
April 15th, 2010
11:07 am
Yeah I saw it Mario, Impressive, very impressive. Didn’t know you had that kind of game. If you keep that up, you might get more minutes.
darrell starks
April 15th, 2010
11:15 am
LETS GO HAWKS ITS PLAYOFF TIME WE TAKE NO PRISONER AND ITS TIME 2 GET PHYSICAL.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
April 15th, 2010
11:17 am
GREAT JOB WOODY EVEN IF WE FANS DONT AGREE WITH SOME OF THE THINGS YOU DO.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!
I'm a fool
April 15th, 2010
11:19 am
I must be a fool because I don’t know why I just read everyone of these stupid comments.
bigdave
April 15th, 2010
11:29 am
Fresh…
didnt look like too much of an argument… the case was rest in one post… dude must have been speaking sarcastically…
jerrywest
April 15th, 2010
11:30 am
I will go out on a limb and predict a Hawks vs Bobcats second round. Bobcats match up really well against the Magic. Magic won twice in November with a different Bobcats team. Recently, Magic won an overtime game on the road and lost at home to the Bobcats – both with significant Bobcats players out with injury. Bobcats big guys depth- Chandler/Diop/Ratcliff/Nazr/Thomas/Diaw allows them to put Howard on the line whenever they want. Bobcats are superior in the 3 small positions. However, they are not a good team on the road. Lets hope Brown and Jordan can inspire them to a series win.