Bucks at Atlanta Hawks: Hawks staying ’small’ against ‘big’
L.D. is using the same lineup as Saturday vs. the Blazers except Al (who still says he’s good to go) subs for Zaza. Remember that Drew sent out the Twin lineup against the Bucks in the previous three meetings, so I have to think that going with this new alignment mean he’s considering making it permanent (though you never can tell).
Drew said he could always go big if Bogut gives the Hawks problems. The hope is that the Hawks can give opponents problems by running.
“I like the speed, I like the quickness of it,” Drew said. “We have been struggling scoring points and we have not been a team that has played out in the open court. We have mostly been playing in the half court. By going with this lineup it gives us speed. What I really like is we have two guys who can get the ball off the glass and initiate the break. It puts such pressure on the defense.
“We have both Kirk and Jeff who can handle the ball, and Joe. Having all five guys running and racing the lanes, it makes us more effective. We’ve always put emphasis on it but I think we have kind of gotten away from it. I am just trying to get back to really putting an emphasis on all five guys running.”
Drew said not much changes for J.J. when he shifts to small forward.
“Usually at the two and the three it’s going to be very similar,” Drew said. “He will be defending the same type of actions. At the one it’s just totally different. One thing is that at the two and the three he will probably be in more switchable situations, which should help in defending some of the stagger screens and misdirection stuff. He is pretty much used to that. When you have the same size guys–Joe, Marvin, Damien, and depending on the matchup Josh Smith–usually those are switchable situations and he doesn’t have to do a lot of chasing.”
L.D. said the Hawks have been switching more on D lately but only in such “switchable situations.” The goal is to avoid ending up big vs. small.
Head wound
J.J. wore a large bandage around his head during shootaround. There was a spot of blood bleeding through an area on the right side over his ear. The Hawks said J.J. has an infected wound that was cleaned out.
“Just a little mishap. Nothing major,” J.J. said. “I will be all right.”
He said the wound didn’t happen on the court but wouldn’t elaborate.
Does it hurt?
“A little bit,” he said. “I will be all right.”
Joe said he probably would wear a headband tonight to protect the wound.
Just play
L.D. has a theory on Jamal’s recent shooting struggles:
“One thing I am trying to get him away from is trying to bait officials into calls and trying to be yourself. He has a tendency to try to draw fouls, especially at the three-point line, and it throws his shot off. He’s leaning one way and the ball is going another way. He’s got to just step up and shoot the ball and just be aggressive, be Jamal.”
After at first expressing skepticism about that take, Jamal said there might be something to it.
“All it takes is a second or a hitch or anything and it changes the way the shot is supposed to go,” he said. “I’ve shot 50 percent the last two games, though.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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354 comments Add your comment
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:24 pm
Sautee – And I have the same complaing about Al. He’s almost to unselfish usually, that Chicago game at Home notwithstanding.
tremaine
March 15th, 2011
9:25 pm
Can’t wait to see Teague vs. Bibby Friday.
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:25 pm
“Complaint” not “complaing” – trying to type to fast
papason100
March 15th, 2011
9:26 pm
Jordan Crawford is showing us all what happens when you give a rookie a chance instead of letting him ride the bench.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 15th, 2011
9:26 pm
The Hilton Inn!
I never saw Hilton play before. Impressive. I would like to see more of him to see what we got there. They said he was a lottery pick at #12 five years ogo. Where has he been all these years.
Typically, it takes big men a while to develop. Think about it, when you are 6′11″ or 7′ it takes a long time for blood and nerves to flow from the brain to the fingert tips and toes. That’s called agility. That’s really what it’s all about. “Fast-Twitch” muscle fibers are called Beta Waves versus Gamma Waves which are slow-twitch and more for explosion and strength, (like you see with lineman in footbal who explode off the ball, but have no speed or agility like skilled positions (wide outs and corner backs).
Sorry, for the tangent! but, big guys don’t have Fast-Twitch Beta Fibers, unless you were a freak like Shaq was. Shaq was unbelievable for a man his size. These big guys are phenomenons! And very rare amongst the general population.
Hopefully, Hilton is working on his pilates and plyo-metrics to increase the speed of his nerve flow to the muscles and hopefully his nutrition is that of a world class athlete. Nutrition is a HUGE part of performance, HUGE!
Sleepy
March 15th, 2011
9:26 pm
Now would be a get at time for us to put together a 10-12 game win streak .
prison mike
March 15th, 2011
9:26 pm
Most definitely rewatching the wash/chi game. JC2 is only shooting 36% since the trade but the guy can explode at any time. Nice to see teague hit consecutive threes.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 15th, 2011
9:27 pm
Pacers up by 1 and at the free throw line with 13 seconds left.
I know some people on this blog wanted the Hawks to draft Roy Hibbert a couple of years ago. That guy is playing some inspired basketball. Nice touch around the hoop, and active on the boards and defensively. Dude looks a lot more mobile than he did in college.
tremaine
March 15th, 2011
9:27 pm
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:03 pm
Tremaine – There is no subsitute for experience.
I know man, I’m happy the kid is out there learning.
Rufus1
March 15th, 2011
9:28 pm
The Headband has to stay.
Jae Evolution
March 15th, 2011
9:31 pm
DG taking this no doubt.
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:32 pm
Bulls game – Atlanta Ticketexchange on the Hawks website – you can still get some tix for $7.70 each. Go support our Atlanta Hawks!
With the 1.95 surcharge per ticket – that’s $19.30 for 2 tickets. You’ll be able to tell your kids you saw DRose play in person.
cp
March 15th, 2011
9:32 pm
Sautee i would love to see Horford attack more on the offensive end and challenge more shots on the defensive end too. I don’t even think its the ankle. Plenty of games Ive seen Al step back while guys go hard to the rim.
Najeh, yea its easy to replace undersized sg’s but then again we are talking about the Hawks
ICECOLD
March 15th, 2011
9:35 pm
Wow…. Jeff teague did good again tonight…. held Jennings to 4 points..1 of 8….6 points 5 rebounds 6 assist… and a great defensive night. I like this line up… instead of trying to match up with other teams, stick to one line up.. beat teams with your defensive and your speed no matter who the other team got .. make them come up to yo level.. don’t go down to theirs. Instead of us saying , they big so we gon go big , make them say, they small so we have to go small.!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 15th, 2011
9:35 pm
Danny Granger wins it for the Pacers. Hawks are now up by 4.5 on the Knicks (4 in the loss column). That was a hell of a game.
Watching the Knicks, I kinda get the feeling they may be better off with Toney Douglas handling full time point guard duties.
Dre
March 15th, 2011
9:35 pm
Pacers win.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 15th, 2011
9:36 pm
Dagger!
Granger throws a dagger in the heart of the Knicks, and swept the Knicks this season! Oh yeah!
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:36 pm
$48.50 per ticket are the cheapest on Stub Hub. But lot’s from that price range into the 50’s$
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:36 pm
That $48.50 is for the Heat game. Sorry.
Jae Evolution
March 15th, 2011
9:36 pm
Hawks luck turning around quickly.
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:39 pm
I know – some have asked where to get tix, and didn’t know about the Hub.
superiorblogman
March 15th, 2011
9:39 pm
Good game Hawks as a team. Joe played well, Josh Smith played well, Marvin played well, Al played well, Jamal did not try to force things on offense and Teague outplayed Jennings. Good game. Your not going to beat anyone with size until you get a legit sized C. So, why not beat people with the quick lineup? Good move by the little dummy LD.
Sautee
March 15th, 2011
9:40 pm
cp,
Maybe Nick the Quick needs to talk to Al about his “inner dog”.
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:40 pm
A guy like Collison can give Billups fits. Too quick
Rufus1
March 15th, 2011
9:42 pm
The DEFENSE!!!
Josh and Teague’s defense wes great tonight. Josh looked like the man from last year. No dribble penetration plus a rim defender= Great defense.
BJennings 1 for 8 total 4pts and 2 ast….Go Jeff
Josh 4 Blocks and 14 rebs
WE MUST BE DEFINED BY DEFENSE!!!!
Melvin
March 15th, 2011
9:44 pm
Oh my, Jordan Crawford has 25pts on 9-15 shooting with 3mins left in the 3rd qtr….
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
9:44 pm
Hinrich can play DWade well. He traditionally has.
I would like to see stats of opposing PG’s vs. Teague since the Bibby trade. It seems like Teague always holds them down below seasonal averages, esp. when he’s in the game, not Jamal on them.
Sautee
March 15th, 2011
9:45 pm
“Your not going to beat anyone with size until you get a legit sized C.”
Was 7′ Andrew Bogut named to the All-Star team?
No, but 6′ 9+” Al Horford was. At Center. Over every East center but Dwight.
But hey, those coaches probably aren’t “superior”.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 15th, 2011
9:45 pm
At this point, shouldn’t we want the Bulls to win? The overwhelming likelihood is that the Hawks end up with a 5 seed. Barring a total collapse at this point, the Knicks are probably not going to catch the Hawks, so even if they catch Orlando they are still in the 4-5 matchup. The winner of the 4-5 matchup plays the #1 seed in the 2nd round. Am I the only one who thinks the Hawks (if they beat Orlando obviously) would be better off facing the Bulls in round 2 than the Celtics?
Sautee
March 15th, 2011
9:50 pm
The better Jordan plays, the worse Sund looks.
Shoulda traded Jamal in the off season when his value was highest.
But I’ll say this about the trade: We have yet to see Hinrich play his game. When he figures out his teammates moves and knows the schemes, he’ll be a LOT better. Count on that.
O'Brien
March 15th, 2011
9:50 pm
Samuel,
Rick was in win now-mode, and was trying to save his job. Given the way the Bibby and the team was struggling, I agree with the trade.
However, Rick and LD deserves a lot of blame for not trading Jamal in the offseason, and finding a way to develop Teague and JC2 earlier.
Sautee
March 15th, 2011
9:53 pm
O’B,
Once again, great minds….
Sautee
March 15th, 2011
9:54 pm
Najeh,
Good point on the Bulls
Rufus1
March 15th, 2011
9:55 pm
Najeh
I am not convinced that the Bulls are a better Match-up. With Teague at the point and Kirk playing the SG, I think we match-up well with the old Celtics.
Najeh Davenpoop
March 15th, 2011
10:00 pm
I just think the Celtics have a much greater variety of ways in which they can score, and the Hawks will have to account for all of those options in the playoffs if they face them. The Bulls are so reliant on Rose that if the Hawks can contain him (easier said than done obviously) the rest of that team doesn’t have the variety of scoring options that would allow them to continue winning. In that sense, they remind me a little of the Cavs of the last two seasons, who were dominant in the regular season and an elite defensive team but broke down in the playoffs when they came across another great defensive team with multiple scoring options.
In the first matchup, Hinrich and Teague shut Rose down; in the second matchup, the Hawks did a good job on Rose in the first half but Jamal on Rose in the second half allowed him to go off. I think the Hawks have the personnel to contain Rose and make it a tough series for the Bulls if they stick to using Hinrich and Teague on him and not Jamal.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 15th, 2011
10:02 pm
SteveW
Do YOU! Keep posting them ticket prices, man. I was lovin’ that feed.
Bump that fool! Come on Steve1, don’t stop! Get it. Get it.
Mmmmmwah!
Rufus1
March 15th, 2011
10:05 pm
Najeh…Good points, I am rooting for the Bulls now.
rusty
March 15th, 2011
10:07 pm
I guess we got jj (at least for the night) too bad LD isn’t draining
SteveW
March 15th, 2011
10:12 pm
Sund doesn’t look bad to me – LD does. Sund was only trying to help LD with his Mo/Bibby addiction that was destroying this team. If LD would have played Teague properly, no reason for Sund to make the trade.
LD looks bad to me, not Sund.
But maybe the Hawks can pull it all together, and make us forget it about it all.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 15th, 2011
10:17 pm
O’B
Excellent post on the Jordan Crawford trade. It is easy to put up great numbers on a bad team too. Jordan to me has flashes of DWade, but lacks the size and defense at this point. If Jordan continues to be an
offensive specialist, and I think he will.
He will become reminiscent of a John Starks, Jet Terry, JJ Reddick type player. Because of his small stature, he will become a journey man as teams opt for defense, rebounders, assists and “do the dirty work” type players needed to win Championships. Ever wonder Jamal is such a journey man? See Nate Robinson beginning his world tour now as well.
Like Najeh said, those guys are a plethora. Teague is gonna give you 3 to 4 tools in his game. We don’t need another scorer, we need rbounds and defense. If Teague can sneak in there and rebound like Rondo?
Watch Out!
Melvin
March 15th, 2011
10:19 pm
Javale McGee would have a triple double if he could score 1 more point… 12rebs and 12blks….LOL
Melvin
March 15th, 2011
10:25 pm
Congrats to Javale he got his triple double with a dunk and then got a tech for hanging on the rim….LOL
drmaryb (*_-)
March 15th, 2011
10:27 pm
12 Blks? WOW!
Sautee
March 15th, 2011
10:33 pm
SteveW,
Sund should have traded JC1 in the off season for a starting PG. Bibby and JC2 (and MO) could have handled the bench scoring.
And way before that , he hamstrung himself by signing Bibby, Marvin, and Zaza for more than their worth.
IMO Sund is VERY MUCH at fault. He never thought Bibby would fade so fast, even if many of us saw it coming even two years ago.
We can agree to disagree on this one.
Rev in Tampa
March 15th, 2011
10:36 pm
Sorry that I had a late meeting at church, but I was sneaking peeks at my blackberry when I got a chance. Looks like I missed a fun game. I assume that “Fear the Deer” did not make an appearance on the blog tonght.
drmaryb (*_-)
March 15th, 2011
10:42 pm
Sautee makes the stronger point here. Imo put $5 on Sautee.
Sorry SteveW, you still my boy though.
Najeh! Excellent point re: The Hawks better chances of winning the Bulls series -vs- the Celtics. Too many scoring options in Boston.
Fear The Queer
March 15th, 2011
10:52 pm
Horford is too pretty to bang in the paint.
Good game big boys.
Rashod
March 15th, 2011
11:00 pm
Joe Johnson sucks !!! Go score 36 against the Lakers,Knicks or Heat !!! The Bucks are sorry.Hell, Jordan Crawford scored 27 tonight.The Hawks need him to score at least 25 every night to be a dangerous team in the playoffs.Joe haven’t did jack all year,so one game against the Bucks ain’t going to do it for me.They pay him all that money for him to play good 15 games this season.If that many games. He didn”t have to play good & we still could have beat the Bucks !!! C’Mon Son ( Joke Johnson
Evey
March 15th, 2011
11:16 pm
Najeh,Rufus1 becareful what you wish for,you guys seem to have no respect for Noah,Deng and the Bulls bench,I still think the celtics made a mistake by trading perkins,they are relying on 39yr.old. Shaq to come back,but we’ll see.
moreover
March 15th, 2011
11:57 pm
Horford Sucks!