Magic at Atlanta Hawks Game 6: Larry Drew’s move in ‘chess match’
Hawks players have said more than once that a playoff series is like a “chess match.”
Your move, L.D.
The Hawks have had success defending Orlando’s pick-and-rolls by frequently using a funky scheme, as detailed by Brett Koremenos at hoopspeak.com. (H/T Hoopinion) The alignment didn’t work so well in Game 5, though.
It’s a strategy that has been effective in large part because Hinrich, J.J., Smoove and (sometimes) Jamal all can cover enough ground to make the switch and run out to corner shooters. Those guys also are tall enough that they can bother the shooter even if they don’t make it all the way out. It also helps that the corner defenders who pinch in to help against the ball handler are big guys.
Watching the Magic’s Game 5 pick-and-rolls on Synergy Sports Technology, I noticed that Redick and Jameer changed up. Instead of going all the way to the rim and either looking for the corner 3 (which the Hawks have covered well) or try to get to the basket (where help awaits), Redick and Jameer put on the brakes and shot step-back Js.
Twin and Zaza weren’t mobile enough to challenge those shots while also protecting against Dwight’s roll to the basket. The corner help man couldn’t get over to contest. And the ball handler’s man was trailing the play (and also had to be in position to switch and run to the corner on a kick-out).
It was a subtle change. The Magic got their offense rolling because their guards made better decisions.
“That was clear,” Stan Van Gundy said. “I did not think we forced plays and I didn’t think we got going too fast. We had very few turnovers and, for the most part, we were making simple, solid basketball plays.
“When you get into this mentality with your back to the wall, we didn’t want ‘hero plays’ where a guy is like, ‘I will just take on two guys and score over them.’ That doesn’t end up working. You want to play your game, make simple plays, take open shots and live with the result.”
So how do the Hawks counter that chess move from the Magic?
“You adjust,” L.D. said today, smiling.
Van Gundy noted there are a finite number of (realistic) ways to defend the most common play in basketball.
“There is only so many ways you can guard a pick-and-roll,” Van Gundy said. “We all will make adjustments and try to do what’s best. But it’s not like I have a way to play the pick-and-roll that Larry and his players have never seen and we are going to shock them with it tonight. And it’s not like Larry has got a way to play the pick-and-roll that is going to shock our guys, where Jameer is going to say, ‘Oh, my God I’ve never seen this before.’
“You have got to make plays.”
Notes
- Smoove wasn’t happy about Mike Bianchi’s “Atlanta Birdbrains” column in the Orlando Sentinel. Bianchi was in the locker room today and Josh gave him some typically-candid and colorful feedback.
- “I’m not sure how you’ve got reporters calling people idiots and dummies,” Josh said in an interview. “I don’t understand how people can challenge somebody’s intelligence when you are talking about a basketball game. Some people take it too far.”
- L.D. on his team’s focus: “I think everybody is ready. I’ve seen this group in this situation before. In the playoffs this is the type of position you want to be in. We have an opportunity to close on our home floor. It’s not easy to close out anybody but I’d rather do it in these circumstances.”
- Jamal: “It’s us against the world. It’s funny how before the series everybody was all about Orlando. Then we went up 3-1 and it went back to us, and now it’s back the other way. They are fighting a hungry team.”
- The Magic sent more doubles at Jamal in Game 5. “I watched a lot of tape and I will adjust,” he said. “I’m excited. I see how I can take advantage of different things and get myself going and get my teammates involved and come out with a victory.”
- L.D. though the Hawks played too fast in Game 5. He’s OK with them pushing the pace at home: “We definitely want to get the crowd involved with the pace. We want to get up-and-down and use our athleticism. But we’ve got to be smart about it and not get caught up in a jump-shooting fest with that team.”
- Al on his sagging shooting (19 of 49) since Game 1: “They’ve done a great job defending. This is a game that I’m coming in with the same approach. I’m just going to make sure I get myself going.”
- J-Rich is expected to play after cutting his foot in some glass on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s OK,” Van Gundy said. “We didn’t have him go through the walk-through [today] because we didn’t want to risk him opening up the stitches.”
- Van Gundy on the Magic’s shooting in Game 5: “I was only half-joking when I said a lot of this game comes down to making shots or missing shots.”
- Magic CEO Bob Vander Weider told the Orlando Sentinel that he and team owner Rich DeVos are happy with Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith.
- “I can laughingly say that votes of confidence are the kiss of death,” Van Gundy said today. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. But knowing Bob and taking him at face value after working in the organization, you are always happy when your bosses are happy with you. But that’s not where my head is at. I just want to win the series.”
- The Magic won’t necessarily go back to a Dwight-centric offense after they had success scoring other ways. “We found an offensive attack that was working,” Van Gundy said. “It’s not about who scores. We had our best offensive game of the year.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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793 comments Add your comment
J from the A
April 28th, 2011
3:44 pm
Joe will show up tonight.
Hawks by 8.
Melvin
April 28th, 2011
3:45 pm
The Magic are going fishing after tonight game. Tell Kenny and Charles it’s time to put them on that boat….
J from the A
April 28th, 2011
3:48 pm
But even more importantly, J from the A is going to show up tonight!!! lol
GO HAWKS!!!
Smiling Jack
April 28th, 2011
3:49 pm
All the Hawks need to play better tonight than they did the last game. Let’s hope they do! It will give them a great sense of accomplishment and the fans a lot of joy! Otherwise, we’ll just kill them with words.
SteveW
April 28th, 2011
3:51 pm
I had a terrible feeling about game 5, and we we’re blown out.
I’ve got a decent feeling about this game, maybe we win?!!!!
I don’t see how we win empirically, but I also didn’t see how a bunch of college kids could beat the Russians in hockey either. But they did.
Go Hawks!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 28th, 2011
3:55 pm
“However, ultimately the isssue isn’t the Hawks defense, the issue is the offense, will Crawford and Joe hit their jump shots? Will Horford get his mid-range going? Can we get some paint points from Josh and Za?
The way to combat the Orlando offensive wrinkle is to give them more to deal with defensively.”
This occurred to me too, and in theory you are right. The most reliable way to beat the Magic to me is to get Dwight in foul trouble and then incessantly attack the basket and win the game at the free throw line. The problem is, the Hawks are so undisciplined on offense that the only thing they can consistently do is shoot mid range jumpers. In Game 5, they got Dwight in foul trouble in the first quarter and could have probably made a run of their own when he went to the bench, but they elected to shoot jumpers instead and the Magic ended up being the team that went on a run in that situation. If they were capable of playing disciplined and efficient enough on offense to dictate terms to opposing defenses, they probably would have won a lot more than 44 games.
JeJe
April 28th, 2011
3:59 pm
Round 2 starts next Tuesday [I believe].
Let’s win tonight and rest up before then. Last year we played MIL 7 games then had to play Orlando 2 days later (although I’m sure some people in ASG/Rick Sund probably feel that is the reason Orlando destroyed us)
MUST-WIN MENTALITY TONIGHT
WE AIN’T WINNIN GAME 7 IN ORLANDO WITH THOSE SHOOTERS ALIVE NOW
Hoops
April 28th, 2011
4:01 pm
Hawks win tonight if:
1. We don’t pass Josh the ball on the three point circle. Kirk will not pass it to him out there. We need the other players having the same discipline.
2. Play Jamal @ SG not PG.
3. Zaza and Twin play physical on Howard.
4. Guard the pick and roll by our center hedging and the guard getting under the screen.
5. Hawks play with their HEART!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 28th, 2011
4:02 pm
“Collins may not be fast but he moves his feet and shows his hands in the right defensive postures a lot better than most players in the whole league.
That is why he got more charges called in our favor than all other Hawks put together before the Hinrich trade (who is the close second).”
Here’s the problem though. It’s one thing to ask him to move his feet in the low post, and another thing entirely to do the same on the perimeter. To cover the same fraction of the court on the perimeter, he has to move his feet over a much greater distance. Yes, he is very fundamentally sound as a defender, but he does lack footspeed, which means his fundamentals are only going to allow him to defend effectively up to a certain distance away from the hoop. If the Magic are setting picks at the 3 point line, it takes him out of the zone where he can be effective.
mykhalc
April 28th, 2011
4:06 pm
@303.I can live with losing….can’t live with not playing hard
CO-SIGN!!
drmaryb (*_-)
April 28th, 2011
4:08 pm
303
“But, I have a white Joe Johnson t-shirt that I wore on Sunday night. I may go with that again tonight.”
________________
303 just make sure you wash that thing. Get the stain out!
LOL! Seriously though, yall be careful out there and have some fun!
Above all, come home with a smile on your fave. Let’s Go!
Najeh Davenpoop
April 28th, 2011
4:08 pm
“Over the years, I have built up a pretty strong collection of white, Hawks t-shirts.”
And white Hawks playoff j-zz towels, too. The DASG is real generous with those.
northcyde
April 28th, 2011
4:09 pm
The Illusion are not that good. They’ve proven this all year. The likelihood of JJ and Jamal shooting 4 – 20 FG, combined with a guy like JJ Redick shooting 6 – 8 for 15 points or more, is damn near slim to none.
I’ll be highly disappointed if the Hawks don’t close this team out tonight. This isn’t Boston or the Lakers we’re playing here. This is the F’in Illusion.
Put those fake azz sorcerers out of their misery, and let Dwight know that he’ll NEVER get back to the NBA Finals, while a member of the Illusion.
BrianinAtlanta
April 28th, 2011
4:10 pm
I hope its more than a article in the Orlando Sentinel that is motivating them tonight.
Slimjr
April 28th, 2011
4:15 pm
The Hawks will get’er done tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The guards will show up tonight and carry the bigs as usual..
Al going 19-49..just keep feeding the guards…..
Handle= using both hands to advance the ball to the rim…not one hand(Al’s right hand),ever heard of a cross over dribble from right hand to left hand????
Grandad
April 28th, 2011
4:16 pm
Pressure, trap, deny, overplay passing lanes, no cushion,
put ‘en in the box, shrink the box, move your feet, hands up,
94 ft., shorten the clock, bump the cutters, guard the ball,
guard the basket, get in their drawers, get in their head,
box out, GATA, that oughta’ do it. Check & Mate !
Slimjr
April 28th, 2011
4:16 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^enough said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
lea
April 28th, 2011
4:16 pm
section 303 is looney !! go hawks lets finish these losers tonight
Slimjr
April 28th, 2011
4:18 pm
Real coach talk GRANDAD! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
cp
April 28th, 2011
4:18 pm
They have to close it out tonight. They should already be motivated from the multiple whoopings they got in the playoffs last year. I hope the good Hawks show up tonight but you never know with this team. It also looks like a Bob and Nique night so ehhh
Rod from College Park
April 28th, 2011
4:19 pm
The problem with some who think Horford can just hit the midrange shot at will is that he can, when he is wide open. Orlando is not leaving him wide open, because he is being guarded by Bass or Anderson. When he plays center, most centers are not quick and agile enough to be out 15 to 20 feet from the goal checking a jump shooter. His FG% is down so much because Orlando is refusing to give him that open look. LD is so worried about Al defensively having to check Howard, that he does not realize that Horford poses just as big a mismatch on the offensive end for Howard. If Howard has to come out an defend Horford beyond the foul line, it takes him out of the lane, which in turn should open up the drivng lanes. Problem for us is nobody on our team will ever try to drvie the ball except Josh, and he won’t finish strong, or he goes to the line and misses free throws. Oh well!!!!!!
Slimjr
April 28th, 2011
4:20 pm
i GOT MY MUTE BUTTON READY……………….whew……………LOL
Slimjr
April 28th, 2011
4:24 pm
Rod its called intimidation.If we could just transplant ZAZA heart into ALLstar Al’s body,ASA would probably go for 40 tonight 15 feet and in!…….
JOEY1
April 28th, 2011
4:30 pm
hawks win tonight 94-84
Najeh Davenpoop
April 28th, 2011
4:33 pm
200 level tickets are on Stubhub for as little as $15. Upper level as little as $2. Go get yours now.
superiorblogman
April 28th, 2011
4:38 pm
Nobody cares about the Hawks usually. So, you know noone will care tonight after those storms hit.
JeJe
April 28th, 2011
4:39 pm
Cosign Northcyde
Close it out tonight
LOL it’s hilarious every time Hinrich/Smoove dribble it up and one ignores the other.
IDK if anyone else noticed, but the other night Hinrich drove the lane (early 2nd half), dished it to Smoove, who was looking like he was about to shoot it, and as soon as Hinrich saw what Smoove was about to do, he just dropped his hands in disgust
JeJe
April 28th, 2011
4:41 pm
excellent post Rod
What’d you think the other night of Marvin getting stripped by Jameer?
What a joke. The guy gets worse with every game. yes, that is possible
JOEY1
April 28th, 2011
4:45 pm
23
O'Brien
April 28th, 2011
4:46 pm
Rod,
Another complaint I have of LD is he is so caught up with playing Al at PF that he does not realize that Josh at SF is not a good look most of the times.
O'Brien
April 28th, 2011
4:46 pm
If Al is going to be taking midrange jumpers, then Josh and whoever is at Center need to be ready to rebound.
If the Hawks make enough of their jumpers, they will win. It’s that simple. If they dont make enough of their jumpers…it will be up to LD and the players to adjust. Unfortunately, this is the one thing they havent done a good job of all year. Adjusting.
Gainesville#1
April 28th, 2011
4:49 pm
If they can pull out the win tonight, I think they’ll have a chance. Of course they’ll have a problem with Rose but the pacers looked really good against them and Rose had to work very hard.
Gainesville#1
April 28th, 2011
4:49 pm
AGAINST THE BULLS
superiorblogman
April 28th, 2011
4:51 pm
Hinrich is a nobody it is hilarious that some dummies are trying to say they are happy with the way he and Josh Smith interact. Josh Smith has been and most likely will be a long term figure within the Hawks success, while Hinrich is just a stopgap that when you look back on things will have meant little good considering that was still a trade in which the Hawks organization lost out. So, I hope Josh losing no confidence over anything Hinrich does or says because he means little to nothing. I would much rather that be Jeff Teague out there bickering with Josh than Hinrich considering Teague is a young guy that can actually grow with Josh. You people have it wrong.
LakeDawg
April 28th, 2011
4:54 pm
J Smoove is a damn idiot.
James
April 28th, 2011
4:58 pm
I have a feeling that Al is going to have a big game tonight. He hasn’t had a dominant game all series long, and he usually doesn’t go for long stretches without having an inspiring performance. I think he’s due for one tonight. I just hope I’m right. One thing you can count on is that he’ll be fired up and full of energy. I just hope the guys who dominate the field goal attempts for the team (Joe and Jamal, sometimes Josh) are focused and playing smart tonight, because regardless of how much energy our guys come out with, it won’t necessarily win the game if we are playing low-IQ, selfish “hero-ball”.
More than anything, we need the Hawks to play smart tonight. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the energy will be there from the players. That should be a given.
At any rate, I have a quiet calmness about me today that makes me believe that the Hawks are going to close out this series tonight in impressive fashion.
5manattackmachine
April 28th, 2011
4:58 pm
Go Hawks. close out party, tonite! be there.
The Owl of Prophecy
April 28th, 2011
4:59 pm
I’m thinking that tonight is actually game seven for the Hawks. If they don’t win here, then game seven in Orlando will be another blowout. The key for us to win tonight would be duct-taping Larry Drew’s mouth shut, so he can’t call more bone-headed strategy…which never works. Anyway, I hope we win.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 28th, 2011
5:00 pm
“LD is so worried about Al defensively having to check Howard, that he does not realize that Horford poses just as big a mismatch on the offensive end for Howard. If Howard has to come out an defend Horford beyond the foul line, it takes him out of the lane, which in turn should open up the drivng lanes. Problem for us is nobody on our team will ever try to drvie the ball except Josh, and he won’t finish strong, or he goes to the line and misses free throws.”
Great post.
The thing is, as much as people want Smoove with his horrible handles to drive the ball even though his right hand might as well be a prosthesis, Al with his excellent handles and very good finishing ability would really murder bigger opponents if he would face up and drive aggressively. Every now and then he does it and looks like a first team All NBA player in the process. More often than not, he does his little jab step routine and ends up with his back to the basket trying to hit a fadeaway or a hook shot, a situation where he is far less effective. As athletic as Dwight is, there is no way he would be able to keep up with Al if he had to respect the jumper and the drive.
Just as Smoove is too aggressive in looking to make things happen, I wish Al wasn’t so passive and ready to defer to his teammates.
mykhalc
April 28th, 2011
5:00 pm
Josh has had a problem with EVERY PG except Bibby…for whatever reason. it’s clear Josh has defined his role differently than the PGs see it.
James
April 28th, 2011
5:01 pm
“If the Hawks make enough of their jumpers, they will win. It’s that simple. If they dont make enough of their jumpers…it will be up to LD and the players to adjust. Unfortunately, this is the one thing they havent done a good job of all year. Adjusting.”
It’s about more than just making jumpers though. I know it may seem that simple with this team, but we’ve won before when the jumpers are not falling, just not very often. As long as the defensive intensity and activity level are high enough, and the players for the Hawks are playing smart, we’ll have a shot at winning, even if we are shooting below 40%. This, of course, means that we will need to take care of the ball, hustle for loose balls, and attack the glass with a vengeance. I’m hoping that Al, Josh, and Zaza really own the boards tonight.
Gamer
April 28th, 2011
5:03 pm
Tonight game is going to be crazy instant craze plays.
Why?
After game five both teams are re-tooling offensive attacks and defensive stops..don’t expect a dominant outcome by Hawks or Magic’s….neither team want to risk losing game 6….WELL, THE MAGIC’S CAN’T LOSE AGAIN IN THIS SERIES…..
ADVANTAGE GOES TO HAWKS::WHY? HOME-COURT…HOT-LANTA SHOULD BE ROCKING!!!!!!
IF HAWKS LOSE GAME 6 AT HAWK-NEST(PHILIP’S ARENA THEN GAME 7 IS A SETUP FOR MAJOR OFF-SEASON CHANGES IN TEAM’S ROSTER AND COACHING STAFF!!!!
dacheesecakeman
April 28th, 2011
5:08 pm
going to the game (in the high nose bleeds). Hawks better show up and take the proverbial dog behind the woodshed!
Atl hawks
April 28th, 2011
5:08 pm
Thanks fans for your all your support and your unwavering faith. Without all the positive energy emminating from this blog we couldn’t have made it this far.
Section 303
April 28th, 2011
5:19 pm
Got home. Had a nap. Now, off to Philips. I’m still not feeling it.
Are tickets really going that low on stubhub? Getting pretty clear to me that the season ticket investment is a financial disaster. Making me think that next season (whenever that is), when I become Section 212, will feature tickets with no resale value whatsoever.
James
April 28th, 2011
5:24 pm
Najeh,
In regards to your 5:00 pm post, I agree. I’d also like to add in that I feel like L.D. is adding to the problem by not showing enough confidence in Al. It’s obvious that he wants Al to be matched up on Dwight as little as possible. It’s smart to want to keep Horford out of foul trouble (actual foul trouble, not this 2 foul-rule BS), but I think L.D. needs to also show more trust and confidence in Horford, sort of the way Woodson did. Even if it got us into trouble, Woodson would always put Al on the opposing team’s best big man and trusted that he would get the job done. I really feel like one of the biggest reasons why Horford isn’t more aggressive on the offense end is due to the fact that he doesn’t feel like the coach has confidence in him to do other things outside of shooting his mid-range jumper. I could be wrong, but based upon L.D.’s comments on Horford during the season, it seems like L.D. wants Horford to focus on the midrange shot as his main attack, and as a result, Horford has become too comfortable just settling for that. Also, based upon Al’s own comments on numerous occasions, I feel like he sells himself short and doesn’t have enough confidence in himself. It’s clear that he doesn’t regard himself as a “star” or a “go-to” guy (I’m not suggesting that he is), and is perfectly comfortable just deferring to others on the offensive end.
As much as I wish that a hard-nosed coach would discipline Josh and put him in his place so that he starts playing more under control and playing more toward his strengths, I wish that a coach would show confidence in Horford and motivate him to be “a focal point on offense”, even if he is not ready for that type of role, and even if his skill-set isn’t great enough for that yet, I feel like he needs to believe that he is that type of player for him to be more aggressive. He’s smart enough not to force shots or do things out of character, but I also feel like he is too passive in using abilities that he already has. The only thing he has confidence in seems to be his mid-range face-up game, when we all know he can do other things such as drive the ball. Also, I feel like Horford has more in the post than he is showcasing. Early on in the season, he was starting to impress me in the post during the time when JJ was out when he was starting to close out game that way for a short stretch. He showed some moves that I didn’t even think he had. I’m not saying he’s some sort of elite post player, but I feel like has more than just the simple middle-of-the-lane right-hand jump hook that he always seems to try and go to. I feel like he probably has other moves, but he just isn’t comfortable enough using them yet, or doesn’t feel like they are effective enough yet. Maybe he doesn’t, but I feel like the biggest thing that is holding Horford back is himself.
The mental issues are very similar to Josh in some ways, but with Josh, I think the case is not that he doesn’t believe in himself, but that sometimes he believes in himself a bit too much and tries to do things that he really can’t do yet. For both of them though, I think their biggest flaws are mental. Josh’s flaws tend to be pointed out much more often since he often gets into trouble by trying to do too much and hurting the team with noticeable overaggression (typically referred to as “stupidity” on this blog), while Al’s flaws are noticed less since he doesn’t try to do too much, but instead, plays it safe, and if you’re not watching closely, you don’t realize that his lack of confidence is actually hurting the team in subtle, yet significant ways.
At any rate, I think good coaching would solve a lot of these problems. One of the biggest reasons why I am not a big Larry Drew supporter is not necessary by just the way he coaches x’s and o’s during the games, but due to how he manages his players. I feel like he has guys playing to their weaknesses far too often and I don’t feel like he knows how to get the most out of these guys, nor does he try to. A lot of what he does sends the wrong messages to his players. Subtle mistakes, like assigning Horford to defend players who are total non-factors on the offensive end, and drawing up plays where Josh is spotting up beyond the 3 point arc, can have a much bigger impact on player psyche than a lot of people realize.
J.J.M.
April 28th, 2011
5:33 pm
^^^^nobody will read all of that james
J.J.M.
April 28th, 2011
5:33 pm
oooh junk thanks najeh I’m bout to print tickets out and head down there now
drmaryb (*_-)
April 28th, 2011
5:46 pm
303
Cheer up! Hawks will WIN tonight. I promise you, I got a sneaky feeling.
Besides, I’ll be at my spiritual meeting and praying too.
I may get home in time to see the 4th.
Rod from College Park
April 28th, 2011
5:56 pm
James,
I agree. If a guy shoots the midrange jumper over 50%, and continues to pass the ball to a guy who is not a good three point shooter, then he is as much the problem as the 3 point shooter is. Passiveness from Al and Marvin is just as big a problem on this team as overconfidence is with Josh.
JeJe,
Marvin is such a waste, I don’t even focus on him anymore. He really would not be an above average D-League player. Sad thing is, if we do advance, LD will start trotting him out there as a starter again, and Deng will destroy him.
O’Brien
We both agree that Josh is a better power forward than Horford, but for some reason Horford has convinced LD otherwise, and his numbers are down because of it. I still really don’t feel that Josh at PF would prevent him from shooting 3 pointers, but it would help our interior defense. I also know that Ryan Anderson, or Brandon Bass could not contain Josh in the post, like they have Horford.