Atlanta Hawks: Pick your lineup
L.D. says he hasn’t decided on a lineup. Knowing what we know about his ever-shifting rotations, I believe him.
I also believe that if Jamal starts ahead of Teague my blog people will crash the AJC.com servers registering their outrage.
My guess is Drew will go with Teague, J.J., Marvin, Smoove and Al. I figure the only reason he’s still contemplating starting Jamal because of his fondness for shotmakers, which seemed to trump defensive concerns for much of the season. But then L.D saw that the best way to beat the Magic was the Dwight Defense. Now that D-Rose is the big problem, I think L.D. again chooses D over points and sends in Teague.
Loading ...Yesterday I was going back and forth on whether it’s in the Hawks’ best interest to focus on scoring or grinding. They have more offensive talent than the Bulls, after all. The problem is the Hawks still haven’t figured to play a style that takes advantage of all that talent while the Bulls have mastered Thibodeau’s defensive system.
So eventually I settled on grinding as Atlanta’s best hope for an upset that finally gets them to the East finals. The clincher came today when us media types kept asking Josh questions about scoring and he kept talking about D.
“Defense wins championships. Bottom line,” he said. “You can put the ball in the hole but that part is not [consistent]. It’s a game of imperfections. Sometimes there are going to be nights where you can’t throw it in the ocean.
“It’s how stingy you make your defense and how ugly you make the game. That’s what we’ve got to get. I think we’ve really got that identity and we are OK with it.”
I’m OK with it, too. That’s why I think is the best lineup for Game 1: Teague, J.J., Smoove, Al and . . . Zaza!
The Bulls dominated the Hawks on the boards in all three games and now my lineup has three rebounders. Teague, Zaza and Al are a pretty good pick-and-roll group, too. You get Zaza’s energy and toughness against Noah from the start. After watching Josh work against Turkoglu, I think he has the desire and focus to check Deng as part of another spirited team effort on D.
The bench still has Jamal. He, Damien and Marvin can sub first for Teague, Smoove and Zaza. That’s still a workable defensive alignment, with Damien, Marvin and Al covering for Jamal and Joe. When Zaza, Smoove and Teague return, Al, Joe and Damien come out.
There are weaknesses to my lineup, of course. Basically it includes just three scorers–unless you think Zaza has a chance to get to the rim and finish against Noah or Teague can shake free and convert floaters against an elite D.
Jamal and Joe will do their thing, for better and worse. My lineup probably means Boozer has to spend a lot of time guarding Al and that’s a plus for the Hawks. The hope would be that Smoove takes Deng in the post instead of hanging out at the 3-point line. Better odds on that than Jamal staying engaged on D, right?
But that’s neither here nor there. My lineup is about defense. The Hawks may struggle to score but they need to put pressure on Chicago’s mediocre offense, too.
“It really doesn’t matter about what’s going on at the offensive end,” Josh said. “I think we are doing so good defensively. Offense is going to come. We are making it stingy for the other team to score. As long as we keep that attitude and that mentality I think we will be OK.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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176 comments Add your comment
RethinkPossible
May 1st, 2011
9:43 pm
First!
Scoop
May 1st, 2011
9:46 pm
FIrst…….. after first
niremetal
May 1st, 2011
9:46 pm
“It really doesn’t matter about what’s going on at the offensive end,” Josh said. “I think we are doing so good defensively. Offense is going to come.”
MC, did you check to make sure that was really Josh saying that, and not a robot being remote-controlled by Woody?
RethinkPossible
May 1st, 2011
9:47 pm
I am really excited for JT0, we are about to see what Teague is made of. And I think the potential pros of Teague’s game outweight the cons. The key will be his teammates (and in a way, coaches) trusting him and putting him in the right mindset. I like JT and think he is (like many hawk high draft picks) a untapped talent.
Scoop
May 1st, 2011
9:47 pm
BTW I got the Hawks in 7. This will be the tightest series in the playoffs and Josh Smith will put on a show and be MVP
Scoop
May 1st, 2011
9:48 pm
Yes I know……..the Hawks will win game 7 in chicago, along with game 1!!!!!!!!!!!
Scoop
May 1st, 2011
9:49 pm
Go Hawks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hawks_4_life
May 1st, 2011
9:49 pm
Teague, Johnson, Smith, Al, Pachulia.
hawks_4_life
May 1st, 2011
9:50 pm
End of the day, all I want from us is the “W”. Less jumpshot and more cuts, lay ups and rebounding please.
Scoop
May 1st, 2011
9:55 pm
The Bulls are going to match up Deng on Joe, which means Boozer will have to defend Al or Smoove and that is a mismatch!!!!!!
Also, that means our SF, either Marv or Josh will have a smaller guy to take advantage of. Which means when Jamal comes into the game he will have D rose defending him and it is imperative that he make him work defensively. Run him off picks and make him chase Jamal around the baseline!!!!!!
glw
May 1st, 2011
9:56 pm
If the Hawks view this as a grind it out series, then the Hawks best option is to use various defenders on Rose. Start Teague, but also throw Damien and some Pape Sy at him, too.
RethinkPossible
May 1st, 2011
10:00 pm
Rose is the ultimate leader when it comes to NBA. He puts the team above himself, he shows respect to his opponents, he never takes a night off, and lastly the guy is unstoppable when he goes to rim. JT0 – make sure you pay close attention, we expect the same.
Section 303
May 1st, 2011
10:00 pm
I would rather Coach Drew started Teague. I really to not expect anything from Teague (in fact, I think this series will overwhelm him), but it makes more sense. Crawford is our 6th man, That’s his role. And, if need be, Crawford can come in early in games to bail Teague out.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited for Teague. This is a big chance. He won’t stop Rose. No one will. But, maybe, he can at least make Rose work. Maybe, he can score a few points himself. Or, he might be awful. Going to be fun finding out.
Also, I feel good about this series. I think the Hawks will put up one h#ll of a fight. They are going out like last year. They just aren’t.
Nathan
May 1st, 2011
10:01 pm
If Marvin has no production in the first 2 games go with the Teague-johnson-smith-al-zaza lineup. Get pape Sy active to.
RethinkPossible
May 1st, 2011
10:04 pm
Can we all agree this is why you give Teague more time in the regular season?
northcyde
May 1st, 2011
10:04 pm
LOL @ niremetal. That’s exactly what came to mind when I saw that quote from Josh. Woody taught them well, even if he couldn’t get them over that 2nd round hump.
Ironically though, Bulls coach Thibodeau think the same way about offense, compared to defense.
Amazing how the perceptions are different, when you have a team that can actually live up to the defensive expectations of a coach, and execute his scheme.
Sam
May 1st, 2011
10:15 pm
Crawford-Johnson-Smith-Horford-Pachulia (-1%, 0 Votes)
Not made up, just copy-paste. Negative percent. Laws of statistics, take that!
northcyde
May 1st, 2011
10:18 pm
I hope Drew is simply being coy about not naming his starter, as to keep Chicago off balance. It makes no sense NOT to start Teague at this point. Play him with the people in which he can have the most success.
Why start Crawford, and force Teague to actually have to do more with the 2nd unit, than he’s accustomed to? Let him play with JJ, Marvin, Smith, and Horford, even if it’s only for the first 6 minutes of each half.
Drew acts like Teague is Willie Beamon or somebody ( Jamie Foxx in Any Given Sunday ). Jamie didn’t play until the veteran QB got injured.
FireLD!
May 1st, 2011
10:19 pm
The fact that this is even a discussion shows how stupid ld is. In a situation like this a coach with any common sense would instantly embrace the next player in line making a statement like “No one player is bigger than the team.,” but not ld. This idiot is considering starting an inept defender who happens to be your second leading scorer in the playoffs against the mvp of the league. Where did we get this guy. And someone tell me why Kirk is so much better than jt. You may say shooter, but did you know jt has the 2ndr highest 3 point percentage on the team. Mabye you say running the team, but hinrich is not even the second leading assist guy on the team because jj and jc dominate the ball with that iso crap. Look at jt’s numbers when he actually played with no reservation. He held Andre miller to 1 pt. and 4 assist. Jt (24pts, 5steals, 3 blks, 4 dunks, 4assist, and 5 rebounds). The next game he held B jennings to 1 for 8 shooting allowing him to score 4 pts, while scoring the same and dishing out 6 assist himself in back to back wins. Two games later he gets a dnp. When we start thinking about people being capable ld is the only one in question. Teague is not only our best on ball defender but is probably one of the best point guards in that draft. If you don’t believe me go back to his soph year in the acc and look what he did to players like toney douglass and ty lawson and by the way he averaged the most pts for wake since tim duncan and shot 48% from three that year. This is a blessing in disguise and even if we don’t win the series i guarantee jt does enough to make everyone say why has this kid not been playing. FIRELD! START JT YOU IDIOT!
NagoyaHawk
May 1st, 2011
10:30 pm
I like too that JT gets a chance. All us Hawks fans will be praying he seizes it.
JeJe
May 1st, 2011
10:31 pm
Start Teague and ZaZa
And make sure Josh doesn’t take jumpshots
And make sure Joe shows up
and we’ll be fine
Freshfromatl
May 1st, 2011
10:46 pm
Teague starting is going to be a blessing in disguise for the Hawks.
Hawks in 6.
Hoops
May 1st, 2011
10:54 pm
This will be a great series. Losing Kirk makes it much tougher, but Teague will get help on Rose from JC, JJ, and DW. We should be able to hurt them inside. I see a low scoring series. Hawks in 6.
South ga boy in the atl
May 1st, 2011
10:58 pm
This shows LD’s lack of experience. All yr long he’s been adjusting the lineup like pieces on chess board where you have unlimited moves. We should stay big (whether it’s JC or ZP), and start JT since KH is unavailable. That is what’s worked. It gives us a height advantage (imagine that) and let’s guys know what their roll is. A major issue all yr has been LD’s constant tinkering with the lineup and rotations. Most players have no idea what their roll is and if they figure it out, well he will change it for them. GO BIG !!!
Mike is back
May 1st, 2011
10:58 pm
MC, I really think the Hawks will compete in this series…it’s got to be ugly…if its ugly…that means LD has his guys focus and ready to play.
Nire, very funny on Josh.lol
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2011
11:03 pm
Teague/Joe/Marvin/Smoove/Al
Memphis in the 2nd round, Osama dead… the world really is ending. Time for the Hawks to get their rings before it’s too late.
chem
May 1st, 2011
11:04 pm
Marvin has the athleticism to guard Rose. He needs to be in the starting lineup.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2011
11:09 pm
“I also believe that if Jamal starts ahead of Teague my blog people will crash the AJC.com servers registering their outrage.”
Damn right.
Sleepy
May 1st, 2011
11:10 pm
roflmaoilikebbchicken someone trying o compare Andre Miller on 4 games in 5 nights to Derrick Rose with a few days rest ?
I agree with MC’s lineup because if you gotta start Teague you gotta start Zaza the Marvin as a starter era on this team is over DEAL WITH IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ant banks
May 1st, 2011
11:10 pm
teague GOTTA have one of those games when he goes into THAT zone. do y’all remember when d’antoni was HATIN’ nate robinson? he put nate in the game against the hawks and nate SCORCHED us for 40pts!!! teague gotta go the eff off!!!
GILBERT RENFRO, JASON GARRETT to name a few, are some guys who star shined brightly, when called upon and they became legends.
this ish is all on teague. the bloggosphere already loves and supports teague. all he needs to do is have one of those games and become endeared in all our hearts.
Worldwide Clyde
May 1st, 2011
11:11 pm
RIP Bin Laden
Now lets get gas prices back down to $1.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2011
11:14 pm
“That’s why I think is the best lineup for Game 1: Teague, J.J., Smoove, Al and . . . Zaza!”
I like the idea of Zaza on Noah and Al on Boozer. I don’t like the idea of Smoove on Deng. It’s one thing for him to struggle defending on the perimeter against someone like Turkoglu who basically shot his team out of the series. It’s another thing entirely for him to struggle closing out on Deng, who has been efficient and solid all season. And the problem with Zaza starting at center is that as hard as he plays and as well as he crashes the boards, he provides little resistance at the rim in the form of help defense and shot blocking.
The Truth
May 1st, 2011
11:15 pm
“Hawks forward Josh Smith said he’s noticed one problem.
“Sometimes we may get into our offense kind of slow and, by the time we get to where we need to be at, it is six or seven seconds on the [shot] clock and now we are scrambling,” he said.”"
LOL, much can be read into this but one translation to Josh’s comment: JJ is pounding the ball way too long and by the time Josh receives the outlet pass, he has to rush a jump shot. Perhaps Josh is trying to rationalize his latest low FG% from the perimeter.
I hope during dress rehearsals they cleaned this up because in all likelihood, they will need near perfect executions to beat the Bulls to win the series. Since the Bulls will not beat themselves; the Hawks simply must play better to win.
Worldwide Clyde
May 1st, 2011
11:16 pm
I hope Jsmoove was watching Zach Randolph go to work earlier today. That is how he needs to play in order for the Hawks to win this series.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2011
11:22 pm
“Amazing how the perceptions are different, when you have a team that can actually live up to the defensive expectations of a coach, and execute his scheme.”
The Bulls have done nothing in the playoffs yet. Mike Brown preached the same thing to Cleveland, and they bought in in the regular season and LeBron was able to carry their I-don’t-give-a-sh-t offense to 66 wins, but in the playoffs defenses tighten up and key in on the opponent’s best player, which is why invariably it’s the teams that have actual offensive schemes that end up winning titles.
If you’re going to use the I-don’t-give-a-sh-t Woody offense with all the emphasis on defense, if your best player is LeBron, you can make it to the conference finals and lose. When your best player is Joe, you can get swept in the second round. If your best player is Rose? We’re about to find out.
Sleepy
May 1st, 2011
11:22 pm
Najeh neither does Marvin but I know for a fact that Zaza at least likes to play in the paint and that cant be said about Al or Smoove .
Rufus1
May 1st, 2011
11:23 pm
I want ZaZa and Teague because Zaza is about being physical and hustling, also Al would be able to guard Noah who isn’t an offensive threat.
I believe when Teague is on the floor we are a better rebounding team.
Rufus1
May 1st, 2011
11:26 pm
Najeh Davenpoop
May 1st, 2011
11:22 pm
Co-sign+++++
That is why we will win in 6 games . We have more ono-on-one shot makers
Ra'mon
May 1st, 2011
11:34 pm
Najeh, I say apply the same rule on Rose as you did on D12, like the Pistons did on MJ. Every time Rose come to the lane, knock him on the floor! He may survive game 1 or 2. But by game 3 that hardwood has a way of making your body react slower. So let Zaza, Collins, and Etan take turn fouling him when he gets to the lane.
Rev in Tampa
May 1st, 2011
11:43 pm
I’m feeling a whole lot better about this series with the Bulls. After reading eveyone’s comments I am beginning to see how we match up well with Chicago.
I cannot imagine any way Drew does not start Teague. I’m excited to see how he will do with the starters and a lead dog role. I expect him to step up and surprise us all.
Slimjr
May 1st, 2011
11:44 pm
Bench Josh…Start Collins and Teague…
Slimjr
May 1st, 2011
11:45 pm
Boozer and Rose are not a 100%…Good for us????
Slimjr
May 1st, 2011
11:45 pm
Hawks 5 or 6! Then on to South Beach!!!!
Slimjr
May 1st, 2011
11:48 pm
Zebo=Mercedes
Josh=GM
doc
May 1st, 2011
11:49 pm
win ugly, nice. been saying that since kirk arrived and before.
josh might have had a bit to do with turks bad performance. he was physical the whole series on him and wore turk out. that had been apparent early in their regular season match ups.
except for rose missing according to kirk we didnt know what to do with rose. the intrigue is there to see if any effective move can be made to deny rose the middle of the lane where he wants to go and created havoc to us once there this season. that will be the only way to beat them.
here is to the post season hawks whose identity is comfortable with winning ugly and not thinking fun basketball is running. it has to be about defense with some offense sprinkled in there.
Rev in Tampa
May 1st, 2011
11:49 pm
CENTCOM (Central Command) and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) are located in Tampa. I have some of those people in my church who disappear for months at a time but nobody knows where they have gone. I know they are celebrating tonight with the news of Ben Laden’s violent demise.
Slimjr
May 1st, 2011
11:50 pm
politics=Hollywood script… Yawn….
doc
May 1st, 2011
11:52 pm
the dev says:
I cannot imagine any way Drew does not start Teague. I’m excited to see how he will do with the starters and a lead dog role. I expect him to step up and surprise us all.
we are now doomed as ld is as unpredictable as to which josh will turn up.
why not pape sy ,,he has hight and speed
May 2nd, 2011
12:10 am
Enter your comments here
Worldwide Clyde
May 2nd, 2011
12:11 am
Hawks in 7
Hawks are the best team in Atlanta right now. Falcons are a tease and the Braves flat out suck.
luck
May 2nd, 2011
12:11 am
why not pape sy ,,he has hight and speed
tom
May 2nd, 2011
12:21 am
has a rookie head coach who won coach of the year gone on to lead their team to an NBA Finals Victory?
Basketball Jones
May 2nd, 2011
12:26 am
Roll with Teague, Headband Joe, Josh, Al and Twin. Give Joakim and Boozer the same beat down Dwight got.
Really Clyde
May 2nd, 2011
12:27 am
RIP Bin Laden? Really? I was kind of hoping Beezlebub had some more interesting and fitting way for OBL to spend eternity.
Grandad
May 2nd, 2011
12:37 am
Starting Line-up:
*Joe [1] – guards Chicago’s [2]
*Pape Sy [2] – guards Rose
*Josh [3] – guards Deng
*Al [4] – guards Noah
*Zaza [5] – guards Boozer
That oughta’ do it.
LD’s been itchin’ for a chance to show off his personal discovery.
The Real Mandingo
May 2nd, 2011
1:17 am
Trust me; I love the Hawks. With that being said, to me, a successful playoff run for the Hawks would be to lose to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals in six or seven games. Anything beyond that is like icing on the cake or extra gravy fo’ dat smothered chicken and mash potatoes.
My starting lineup against the Bulls is as follows: JT, JJ, Marvin, “Smoove,” and “Boss” Horford. I really want to start Jamal but you diehards ain’t tryin’ to hear me doe (though).
superiorblogman
May 2nd, 2011
1:39 am
I agree with your lineup MC.
You really watch the games. I think Zaza and Teague play good pick and roll with each other. I think Teague plays best when Zaza is on the floor offensively actually. I would not be surprised if he made Zaza look like a starting C on offense.
Finally, I can not celebrate someones death because I don’t know if Bin Laden really did that 911 stuff.
Hawks Fan In New Orleans
May 2nd, 2011
2:03 am
Zaza Al Smith JJ Teague – let’s make em bleed Zaza!!! Ugly wins due to scrappy defense all day baby!!!
Mac-Town #maconchevyrider
May 2nd, 2011
3:26 am
I cant wait for the tipoff, this is about to be very interesting. I hope LD gives Teague a chance. Playing some emotional and inspired ball in the playoffs, I believe he can be a big boost. I know some of yall have caught those ultra athletic Smoove/Lebron-ish run down blocks Teague has done a couple times.
He should at least be able to bother Rose a little.
Grandad
May 2nd, 2011
3:41 am
S-Blogman;
” I can not celebrate someones death ”
I agree, we’re the US of A, were better than that.
Death, to anyone, is somber.
It’s just wrong to cheer death, to anyone.
I’m glad this ugly chapter in American history can finally end.
I appreciate Our President’s words:
“Justice has been done”
simple…apropos.
My God is a God of mercy and love,
I shall pray for his soul.
Now let’s bring our boys home !
There is something we can cheer for;
the return of all U.S. service-men.
My prayers continue.
God bless America.
Slim
May 2nd, 2011
4:45 am
Thank God, thank Jesus, and thank all the saints for you, Michael Cunningham!
Our first game with the Triple Towers (Joe at SG, Marvin/Josh at SF, Al at PF) gives us rebounding. Did you know the that Dwight Howard grabs 21% of rebounds and Bass/Anderson grabs 10% or less. Boozer and Noah grabs 18% each. Bulls have better rebounding bigs than the Magic! Check out when we went small and never played Twin Towers. They get tip outs to Rose and Deng and we are scrambling into position.
Slim
May 2nd, 2011
5:11 am
also Michael, Deng guards Joe 2 well and give Marvin and Teague Hinrich’s minutes. Keep the Collins, Zaza rotation.
Rose: “With Perkins Gone, We Know We Can Beat Celtics”
“He was tough,” Rose said. “He was really tough to go around. They’re different.
“We know we can beat them,” Rose flatly said.
:::
Collins has to be our Perkins. Noah is almost just as good a rebounder/tipper outer as Howard except he can’t score those extra possessions go to Rose and Deng who slash on our guys out of position. Offensive Rebounds are key.
Good for Josh stepping up and saying defense wins championships!
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
5:47 am
I GOT JUST TWO WORDS!
“It really doesn’t matter about what’s going on at the offensive end,” Josh said. “I think we are doing so good defensively. Offense is going to come.”. – Josh –
_____________________
DE FENSE. I don’t give a rat’s tail about offense. That’s my third rant re: this. All the blah! Blah! Talk about this and that? Just stop it.
Rebound the damned ball and stop some body.
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
5:58 am
It is 5:58 AM.
FIRE LD
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
6:01 am
I guess it takes an Obama to kill an Osama?
terrell
May 2nd, 2011
6:21 am
LD is a dumba..!Not the time to be getting cute with your lineups. Insert Teauge where Kirk would be and move on.
Teague/Joe/Josh/Al/Collins.
Not to hard to figure out.
vava74
May 2nd, 2011
6:25 am
Clyde,
On the gas, you better sit and wait. Prices are high because it’s a good business and a worldwide cartel – including USA companies – controls the price.
Grandad,
Exactly, the death of someone cannot be the motive of joy. However, it is fair to feel a sense of deliverance. Bin Laden was a murderer.
However, the problem is also that Bin Laden, like many other terrorists and goons, was a byproduct of a flawed US foreign policy.
Incredible but true: Twitter and Facebook made/are making a better job at “freeing the world” than guns.
Plant the seeds of liberty, much better things will come.
War and violence is necessary in some cases but the military industry is a good business and good businesses lobby for more and more, even when it is not necessary nor adequate.
terrell
May 2nd, 2011
6:28 am
Starting Marvin or Jamal is a mistake. Bring em off the bench where they’re comfortable. With that said, he’ll probably start both of em.
The Real Mandingo
May 2nd, 2011
6:30 am
ant banks,
In response to your question concerning a player’s readiness/injury status from a previous blog, please refer to the following scale/list with one (1) being least ready/available to six (6) being most ready/available:
1. Out
2. Doubtful/Unlikely
3. Questionable/Possible
4. Probable
5. Likely
6. Available/Ready/Will start or play
The above list is unofficial as I used common sense and took the liberty of inserting extra grades/categories of player readiness. You can probably research how the NFL grades a football player’s injury status on the official NFL website (NFL.com). I suggested the official NFL website because NFL players, I would assume, incur injuries more often than NBA players.
terrell
May 2nd, 2011
6:43 am
Slimjr, Zbo used to be more of a headcase than Josh has ever thought about being. And now he’s a Benz ,and Josh is a chevy? Wow! Took Zack 10 years to get it together, and he played a year of college ball(for Izzo). Josh came str8 out of highschool and is just in his 7th year. Shouldnt he get 10 years of maturation like Zbo did? Just curious??
vava74
May 2nd, 2011
6:50 am
Teague:
“”I just need to play. Don’t try to think too much,” he said. “When you start thinking out there, that’s when things go wrong. I need to just go out there and play, play as hard as I can and do what I can to help the team.”
These are clearly the words of someone who simply never got enough minutes to settle his game.
It’s clear to me and it has been so since last year.
Teague has the “it” factor in him but his confidence has been shattered by Woody and LD made little to no effort to change that.
terrell
May 2nd, 2011
7:11 am
Great way to install confidence in your young pg LD. Clown! Dont know who’s startin yet my azz.
O'Brien
May 2nd, 2011
7:57 am
I think LD has already decided on a starting lineup, and is trying to keep Bulls off balance. And I think Teague is in his starting lineup.
If he starts Jamal, then who off the bench can he rely on for points? Marvin? Maybe, but he cannot create his own shot. Definitely not Teague, if he is playing with the second unit, and definitely not Damien.
Regardless of what LD is saying to the media, I hope he has already made it known to his players (especially Teague) what his role would be. One thing Teague has lacked is confidence (and Woody and LD probably made it worse). So it is important for LD to build him up going into the game, and to let him know to just go out and give effort…and not worry about messing up.
Mike is back
May 2nd, 2011
8:00 am
MC, in game six of the Orlando series…Marvin had that look of an assassin…did LD bottle some of that up…whatever it was…we could use some more…has LD gave any indication on whether he would increase Marvin touches…to keep him in a rhythm…he had a nice flow to his game…in game six.
They will be physical with JJ…no way they are going to let him…get off…someone else with step if JJ is double teamed…Marvin could be that guy…I just want to see…THE HAWKS CONTINUE TO FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As long as we do that…we got a chance.
GO HAWKS
O'Brien
May 2nd, 2011
8:05 am
And northcyde has suggested the Teague_ZaZa starting lineup for a while now. Al does not hang out in the post on offense (ZaZa will), and Jamal is not a PG. We don’t want Rose to get going early (we at least want to make him work).
Plus if LD starts Jamal and his shot is off, then what? If Jamal is trying to shoot his way out, and play PG, and defend Rose…that is a recipe for disaster (imo).
As for Boozer, I don’t think he is 100%, so that should make our job a little easier.
Get Real
May 2nd, 2011
8:05 am
The question isn’t whether or not Teague will start, it’s whether he will actually play starters minutes at any point in the series.
The whole Bin Laden thing is beyond silly and has been for nearly 10 years. First, they made you believe in his relevance and continued existence. Now that have you believing in his death. And none of you have any first hand knowlege to support your beliefs. The US government’s word seems to have attained the status as popular religious doctrines. This is how governments get out of control.
sam'l
May 2nd, 2011
8:06 am
Rotate Teague, Joe, Marvin, Wilkins, 2 on 1 zone, Teague, Joe, Marvin, Wilkens, etc, etc….til Rose wilts.
Always push Rose to one side for double teams……
Use large rotation and press at all points.
Go Hawks. NO ONE THINKS YOU CAN DO IT…EXCEPT US…..
forwardmo
May 2nd, 2011
8:49 am
article much more POSITIVE. hawks definately have a CHANCE. one game at a time. FOCUS IS KEY.
joe white
May 2nd, 2011
8:56 am
I like the big line up this seris take the advantage of our bigs and play d on rose,get the ball out of his hands and our bigs should kill. Deng on jj well jj is going to win that matchup, crawford is out ace in the hole and the reason we win this seris, we going to miss kirk but teague should do a good job just play slow and not to fast his game will come.Go Hawks
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
8:57 am
Pound for Pound!
“LOL, much can be read into this but one translation to Josh’s comment: JJ is pounding the ball way too long and by the time Josh receives the outlet pass, he has to rush a jump shot. Perhaps Josh is trying to rationalize his latest low FG% from the perimeter.
__________________
Or, maybe simply put, it is TRUE.
Why over think the obvious answer.
“
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
9:13 am
Kool Aid Taste like Water!
“Teague has the “it” factor in him but his confidence has been shattered by Woody and LD made little to no effort to change that.”
_____________________
When you try to stretch the Kool – Aid and add to much water? The flavor is diluted and weak.
First if all: IF you have IT? No one can take that away.
Stop with all the hand wringing and coddling of these millionaires.
No one promised Teague or any one else playing time.
The NBDL, College and Over Seas is where you go to develope your fundamental basketball skills, not the NBA.
All Teague can do since he was not drafted by The Clippers is watch, learn and wait his turn. Stay ready for the time his “nimber” is called.
Like Joe said, “No more excuses! It’s time to put up or shut the hell up.”
Stop with the pre-cursors and lame excuses about confidence.
You learn confidence in grade school.
AM
May 2nd, 2011
9:22 am
I like our chances with Teague. I think his defensive abilities are under rated and he will add some speed to the offense. Rose will get his, but he needs to work for it. Remember, the Bulls didn’t exactly blowout the Pacers and Rose was the sole reason they won each game.
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
9:29 am
* too much water
Geemack
May 2nd, 2011
9:34 am
Rose vs Teague advantage Bulls
JJ vs. Bogans advantage Hawks
Josh vs. Deng advantage Hawks
Horford vs. Boozer advantage Hawks
Zaza vs. Noah advantage Bulls
Bench Even
Coaching: advantage Bulls
Hawks in 6
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
10:14 am
Pick up Game!
As a fan, we can pick a lot of things:
We can pick our nose
We can pick our friends
We can pick our drawers (either from a clean pile or our arse)
We can pick our food
We can pick our arena seats
We can pick our teams (in the pros or on the play ground)
But, there is a limit to what we can pick!
__________________
We can NOT pick our line ups. (If so, Teague would start every game)
Sleepy
May 2nd, 2011
10:16 am
At the end of the day some of you haters are gonna have to realize that jamal is the only player we have that can offset Rose .
NO ONE ON OUR TEAM WILL STOP ROSE INDIVIDUALLY AND IT STUPID TO SUGGEST IT.
Whats a recipe for disaster is to allow ourselves to get behind against the best defensive team in the league and then think jamal is gonna come in and save us ?
Its far more important in this series for us to start well
I find the entire argument about whether Crawford should start to be stupid because hes has to play 30+ minutes a game anyway if we are gonna win . He is gonna have to face Rose especially at the end of the game and he is gonna have to deliver . This would be the case even with Kirk I dont know why some of you are in denial about this .
I would much rather have Teague get his feet wet against CJ Watson when his job wont solely be to play spot up shooter to JJ and AL .
Jamal has answered the bell for pretty much everything weve asked why everyone chooses to let him off the hook in this situation is beyond me .
We should be asking him as the veteran player to raise his level of play at both ends not trying to circumvent him .
I really think people have forgotten that weve been pretty successful the past two years against the Bulls. Whats changed is not that OMG Rose started scoring like crazy on us its that the play of josh and AL have been extremely inconsistent against the Bulls and Jamal this year was not nearly as aggressive .
In 09 our only loss against them was the OT game other than that EVEN WITH Bibby we would take them not only because Josh and AL gave them fits around the basket but jamal and JJ put a ton of pressure on Kirk and Rose.
Al and Josh this year for the most part have stayed perimeter and Jamal our last game with them took 4 shots .
Im not even going to get into that jamal has proven to be one of our most reliable players on the road .
Just like last series people are running from who we are when they need to be embracing it and riding it out
Sleepy
May 2nd, 2011
10:18 am
and drmaryb (*_-) your @ss is crazy …
The Kool-Aid taste like water …ROFLMAO
BirdDirty
May 2nd, 2011
10:21 am
Start Teague at PG. After that, let Joe play some point at times (2nd half/crunch-time). Use a big lineup of Joe, Jamal, Marvin/Damien, Josh and Al.
vava74
May 2nd, 2011
10:33 am
Sleepy,
09-10 games are worthless since there was no Thibs.
This year is what matters and what matters is that Jamal got burned to crisp trying (was he?) to defend Rose.
Jamal is a SG and there should be NO MINUTES at the PG unless if opposite to CJ Watson but with clear orders not to leave CJ operate freely since he can score fast too.
I would only “trust” Jamal to defend Bogans.
NagoyaHawk
May 2nd, 2011
10:38 am
Reality check. Check this out: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/news/story?page=5-on-5-110502-Hawks-Bulls
cp
May 2nd, 2011
10:38 am
MC I like your lineup. northcyde has been talking about using that lineup for a while now. I hope Teague plays well tonight.
Double Zero Eight
May 2nd, 2011
10:39 am
This is Teague’s chance to shine. His speed will
be needed against the Bulls.
Rusty
May 2nd, 2011
10:47 am
Does anyone expect dumb idiot to do the right thing? Even if Teague doesn’t score he will be the best defensive player against rose.
Sleepy
May 2nd, 2011
10:49 am
Vava again your wrong if we go away from Jamal we will be blown out .
Rose does what he does against everyone the only person on our squad that can offset that offensively is jamal .
We dont run offensive plays off the ball for jamal so basically what you are doing is turning him into Bibby a spotup three point shooter in the corner .
Its the same thing some of you wanted to do last series . Jamal should only play sg and go stand on the wings waiting on three point shots to be created for him it didnt work then and it wont work now.
Thibs is running Bostons defense strategy what did jamal do against the Celtics defense ?
I seem to recall against the Celtics that at a certain point we were switching like crazy so that Bibby and jamal wouldnt be matched up against Rondo and then Woody said screw it and stopped the switching and challenged jamal to stay with Rondo .
I say its nice that we are talking up Teague but behind the scenes I would be preparing for Jamal to give me a solid defensive effort against Rose .
If he wants that new paycheck here is where he can get it .
Eddie
May 2nd, 2011
10:52 am
Why isnt Damien Wilkens in on this discussion he is an excellent defender I think they should give him a shot
phil
May 2nd, 2011
10:56 am
Anyone who thinks we can beat the Bulls is snorting something. I didn’t think we would win a game against Orlando either, but I see a 4 game Bulls sweep. We have nothing for Rose and will just roll over and get killed this series because Smith, JJ, marvin and Crawford have no intention of playing much defense….just watch tonight when we lose by 20 plus….Rose will torch us….only hope is an injured Boozer….
Fire Larry Drew II
May 2nd, 2011
10:58 am
It’s sad how this idiot coach is handling Jeff Teague when teams like Memphis are allowing less talented players like Grevious Vasquez get minutes and grow..Drew speaks of Teague being inconsistent but what player on the hawks hasn’t..he us ruining a talented prospect with his poor inconsistent coaching…
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
10:59 am
Why am I the only person here asking Horford to step up? I keep referencing the article about how he loves playing Chicago, but then choked the next game vs. them. This whole series is on him
Sleepy
May 2nd, 2011
11:00 am
” Phil – I didn’t think we would win a game against Orlando either ”
explains and lot and reinforces the reasons why no one should pay attention to you
phil
May 2nd, 2011
11:01 am
Horford is the only hawk who stepped up all year….he ain’t the problem…
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
11:07 am
Trap Rose Trap Rose Trap Rose
Rebound the ball Rebound the ball Rebound the ball Rebound Rebound Rebound Rebound
He who controls the boards will win this series..Chicago destroyed the Hawks on the Boards………………..And dominated the series in the regular season….
phil
May 2nd, 2011
11:07 am
You’re right Sleep!! You’re obviously the only one that anyone should listen to since you have all the answers.
I didn’t realize Orlando was as BAD as it is. They couldn’t hit the side of a barn. That’s why we won. Not because we’re that good….get real. 3 of our wins were by the skin of our teeth and we tried to give those 3 away….
phil
May 2nd, 2011
11:08 am
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
11:07 am
Trap Rose Trap Rose Trap Rose
Rebound the ball Rebound the ball Rebound the ball Rebound Rebound Rebound Rebound
He who controls the boards will win this series..Chicago destroyed the Hawks on the Boards………………..And dominated the series in the regular season….
And there you have it…if we don’t rebound, they’ll kill us…so get ready to have our backsides handed to us because Marvin, Smith and JJ won’t be rebounding anything.
Ray
May 2nd, 2011
11:13 am
If the Hawks had a bold, innovative coach, like Don Nelson, they would go with this starting lineup:
JJ, Damien, Marv, Smoove and Al
JJ and Damien would take turns playing the point, on both offense and defense. That way, defensively, there is always a big guard on D-Rose, forcing him, hopefully, to stay outside more rather than penetrating.
Off the bench, bring in Teague to battle C.J. Watson, a much better matchup than Teague vs. Rose.
SteveW
May 2nd, 2011
11:17 am
I was a player as well as a coach. I’ve had a couple of coaches who tried to play the psychological mind games that LD seems to be using with Teague. Always stupid.
That aside, LD is starting his best possible lineup against Chicago:
Teague
JJ
Marvin
Josh
Al
That lineup gives us the best chance to win. Kudos to LD on that.
But I don’t trust his substitution patterns for a moment.
And all of this blather about Teague seizing his moment etc.
And Teague has seized about 5 moments during the season where it was his time etc., but with LD coaching, it was never going to be good enough.
If Teague survives and thrives in the NBA it will be because of players like JJ etc helping him out. Or it will be because he is traded to a team which will utilize him. It won’t be because of LD, unless LD changes an awful lot.
Booo!
May 2nd, 2011
11:21 am
Skip Bayless on ESPN First Take has us getting swept. If u have a twitter accout, feel free to bash him with a bunch of inflammatory remarks and tell him to get ready for the Teague Effect.
That is all.
Winston
May 2nd, 2011
11:22 am
Is there any way we could start Marvin in a Bulls jersey?
SteveW
May 2nd, 2011
11:23 am
I would hate to be in Teague’s shoes. If you play well, you help the idiot who has tried everything in their power to destroy you.
But if you don’t play well, you prove the idiot “right”.
I’d go out and play great, and trust people have enough sense to see that LD’s an incompetent coach.
The shame is this may be our year to get to the ECF and beyond, LD will get credit, but then it’s 6-8 seed next season because of his lack of Head Coaching ability.
The players in a sense are basically running this team now. LD wanted them to compete the last 6 games of the regular season, the players said “no way”, and took the last 6 games of the regular season off.
But we’ve been together long enough and have the chemistry to make it work.
And as a side note, we’ve got alot more playoff experience than most of these guys – Noah, Rose, Deng. I think that may help us.
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
11:24 am
In our 2 losses to Chicago this year, Horford had 14 & 3, and 6 & 7.
3 FREAKING REBOUNDS
Yeah, sure stepped up in those games.
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
11:27 am
NEED MARVIN TO SCORE SOME POINTS IN THIS SERIES
hawkville
May 2nd, 2011
11:30 am
Do not be afraid to pass to the open man.. Hawks should be fine.
Worldwide Clyde
May 2nd, 2011
11:31 am
SteveW I like your lineup minus one player. People have to realize that Marvin is a weak link. All he does is runs up the floor and stand by the 3 point line. Deng is just waiting on the opportunity for Marvin to guard him.
That’s why we need Jsmoove playing Deng and Collins at center. In my opinion the key to beating the Bulls is to control Deng. In the Magic series the key was containing Turkoglu and now its Deng. I think Jsmoove can handle the job but I don’t have faith in Marvin.
bldvl89
May 2nd, 2011
11:32 am
I think the Hawks have to keep the Bulls in the 80s to win. Bulls are much better at defending the perimeter than Orlando, and the Hawks output in the 3 games v. Chicago (all since March) were 85, 76 and 81 pts (in games that got progressively more lopsided – the Bulls were missing Boozer in that middle game too, a 94-76 win for them).
Bulls have some long arms on the perimeter (Deng, Rose, Brewer, Rasaul Butler) which makes them tough on jump shooting teams, and are physical and hard nosed inside (w/ Kurt Thomas and Taj Gibson backing up Noah and Boozer), and they bring one of the best 3 pt shooters in the NBA – Kyle Korver – off the bench.
Killer not to have Heinrich and JJ might have to guard Rose – although he’s not as quick as Rose, he’s the only guy who can physically wear him down. The one game Atlanta won, Rose couldn’t hit squat, the Hawks played lockdown D on the Bulls – held them to like 30 points in the 2nd half – after trailing by 17, and Horford went off (and Josh didn’t even play). Based on that one half, I think it’s apparent that the Hawks have to be more physical than the Bulls, drag them into a standstill, meatgrinder half-court game, and wear them out.
Fireld!
May 2nd, 2011
11:35 am
Fire Larry Drew II and SteveW,
I thought I was the only one who realized how stupid the handling of Teague has been. I don’t care what level of ball you are playing, if you know you are coming out for the slightest mistake it is darn near impossible to settle into the game. Vasquez from Memphis gets support from his coach, he shot an air ball in the Spurs series and did not even flinch but more importatly neither did Lionel Hollins. Teague’s inconsistency has nothing to do with him but that coach who allows everyone but him to make a mistake.
Worldwide Clyde
May 2nd, 2011
11:36 am
Them fools said the Hawks would get swept against the Magic and look what happened. They also said San Antonio would win but look what happened. These commentators may know a lot about the sport but on the floor you never know what’s going to happen.
Hawks in 7
ESPN needs to hire Worldwide Clyde
bigdave
May 2nd, 2011
11:36 am
Watson killed Jamal the last game in Atlanta.. remember the Chicago bench came in and did work. i can remember a reverse layup from Watson, Jamal shouldnt guard any of their pg’s b/c both are aggressive on the offensive end.
i think Teague will be successful.. Kirk was giving Rose too much breathing room, afraid of the blow by. Rose kindly obliged by making jumpers and having easy passing lanes to hit wings curling off screens. Jeff came in and pressured the ball instantly. when Rose tried to blow by Teague he ended up forcing a contested layup.. of course we didnt secure the defensive reb.
our bigs, hell our guards, cant be afraid to hammer Rose.. no uncontested points @ the rim people.
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
11:39 am
FIRE LD
HIRE CLYDE
Booo!
May 2nd, 2011
11:44 am
Marvin and Zaza for Rudy Gay
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
11:46 am
CAN LD PLEASE START ACTING MORE LIKE THIS:
http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/05/doc-rivers-thinks-miami-threw-cheap-shots-in-game-1/
Fireld!
May 2nd, 2011
11:48 am
Last time we played Bulls-
D. Rose 30pts 10ast 6 for 8 from three (28min)
K. Hinrich 0pts 5ast 0 for 3 fgs (27min)
J. Teague 20pts 2ast 4-4 from three 2blks 6 for 8 fgs(19min)
Now tell me again why JT is so awful. I know you might say that was garbage time, but whose fault was that? You got it, LD and by the way teague got a dnp the next game. Gret coaching genius.
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
11:52 am
Hunch – Punch!
SlimJr! What’s up baby?
My fellow bloggers have thrown so much junk and unnecessary ingredients into the punch bowl until all the “s h i a t”
is floating with over-beaten opinions and innuendos!
And I’m not talking just lemons and limes.
It looks more like the aftermath of a Tsunami: tree trunks with roots, branches, limbs, mattresses, furniture, over turned cars, live bodies, dead bodies and live pets.
_________________
Here’s my point: it’s just basketball people. Like Josh replied to Mike Bianch’s article over at The Orlando Sentinel, after game 5,
“How can you measure a man’s intelligence from a basketball game. It is uncalled for to call players Bird-Brains and idiots!” It’s just a basketball game.
The only necessary ingredients to a great bowl of Kool-Aide is sugar and water. In a play offs basketball series? All you need is:
Rebounds (Box-Out!)
Great Defense
Made FT’s
Limit Turnovers
Player movement
Ball Movement
Great Shot Selection
And, did I mention – DE FENSE?
________________
K.I.S.S.
Rod from College Park
May 2nd, 2011
11:54 am
JeJe,
You ain’t the only one. Horford is an All Star and needs to play like one. He was played woorse than anybody who played major minutes for us in the Orlando series. He needs to step up, and prove his value. Passing the ball to Josh behind the 3 point line, when you are the supposed best midrange shooter on the team, ain’t gone get it.
Anybody making a statement starting with ‘If Marvin”, should have their head examined. If we are depending on Marvin in this series, we don’t have a chance. Marvin plays well about once every 10 to 15 games.
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
11:56 am
Rod, I agree
I have 0 confidence in Marvin’s ability to dribble the basketball and finish. The only way he finishes around the hoop is on a fast break dunk (HIGHLY unlikely that will happen vs. Chicago). he is good for uncontested jumpshots [which he usually doesn't make]
PLAYING 4 ON 5 AGAIN. OR 4 ON 8
SMDH
vava74
May 2nd, 2011
11:57 am
drmaryb,
better loosen that tiger thong a bit and cut some slack on Teague.
when he came out of college is looked ready and primed during the pre-season.
I’m not saying that he came out in the same level of Rose by the Woody treatment made him look like a shell shock victim.
The “IT” factor is still there, as the few games in which he was given the opportunity to feel comfortable allowed him to show.
Those games were no fluke: @ Boston, vs Portland, vs Milwaukee (shot poorly but had a Rondoesque statline with rebounds and assists).
Every single time he got the opportunity to play more than token minutes he contributed.
His shot is not that bad, he finished the season at .435 from the field and .375 from 3 point land.
Also, HE GETS TO THE LINE. With Teague on the floor we get to the penalty earlier in the quarters.
He is one of the few – if not the only – that is an aggressive penetrator and he was FINALLY starting to get a modicum of respect from the refs who were starting to whistle when he gets hammered.
Also, his blocks from the PG slot are out of this world and every bit as momentum changing as Smoove’s.
Rod from College Park
May 2nd, 2011
12:00 pm
Lets also not forget the Kurt Thomas owns Al Horford also. Bigs that are real physical seem to give Al major problems.
Rod from College Park
May 2nd, 2011
12:01 pm
For this Bulls series, there is one thing that has to happen for us to be successful. Somebody in the paint, has to play the villian besides Zaza. Somebody in the paint, has too stop being soft and being a nice guy, and knock Rose on his butt everytime he tries to come in the paint. Bottom line. Hard fouls, nothing easy. Horford and Noah might be good friends, but Noah is a bordeline dirty player, and someone else on this team besides Zaza, because he does not play enough minutes, will have to send a message early in this series. I really think this series and the Orlando series are the exact same, except we dont have to focus on the center, we have to focus on the point guard. Keep Boozer and Deng from having big games, and make Rose score 30 to 40 every game to beat you.
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
12:02 pm
“You can NOT win without the ball!” -Barkley-
_________________
SlimJr and I – we concur.
bigdave
May 2nd, 2011
12:07 pm
“Somebody in the paint, has too stop being soft and being a nice guy, and knock Rose on his butt everytime he tries to come in the paint. Bottom line. Hard fouls, nothing easy.”
Preach.
Sleepy
May 2nd, 2011
12:11 pm
Too many “Ifs” plus going back to the lackadaisical frontline means we are gonna get swept
forwardmo
May 2nd, 2011
12:12 pm
this is teague’s moment. we’ll see. sounds like rose is a little slow due to injury.
Ask D Howard if a monster game (40 pts, 15 rebs) = victory.
if atlanta can take one of two in Chicago “GAME ON”.
RalphWatson
May 2nd, 2011
12:21 pm
I agree with some of the bloggers. We are catching Chicago at the perfect time. The Bulls are beat up from the Indiana series and we should be able to steal at least one game in Chicago, which will give us the home court advantage. MARVIN WILLIAMS REALLY ANSWERED THE BELL IN OUR CLOSE OUT GAME AGAINST ORLANDO! For the only one night in his illustrious career, THE GREAT MARVIN WILLIAMS LOOKED LIKE PISTOL PETE MARAVICH out there raining 3s, draining jumpers and playing steller defense LIKE THE HALL-OF-FAME CALIBRE potential player that he is. MARVIN WILLIAMS LAST NIGHT SIMPLY PLAYED OUT OF HIS MIND, AND PLAYED SIMPLY UP TO HIS ENORMOUS, MAMMOTH POTENTIAL. MARVIN CAN POTENTIALLY PLAY LIKE THIS EVERY NIGHT BECAUSE HE WAS DRAFTED SECOND IN THE ENTIRE DRAFT. MARVIN has allways played as if he were the last player picked in the draft and Marvin is capable of so much more. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ORLANDO, AND FOR THE ONLY TIME IN HIS ENTIRE CAREER, MARVIN PLAYED UP TO HIS INCREDIBLE, UNLIMITED POTENTIAL AND IT WAS EXTREMELY EXCITING TO SEE, INDEED. YES, THE PISTOL WAS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS AND HE WAS DISGUISED AS MARVIN WILLIAMS.
lewis
May 2nd, 2011
12:23 pm
Skip Bayless on ESPN First Take has us getting swept. If u have a twitter accout, feel free to bash him with a bunch of inflammatory remarks and tell him to get ready for the Teague Effect.
That is all.
He said Magic would sweep us too. I like him, but i don’t know about that.
drmaryb (*_-)
May 2nd, 2011
12:24 pm
Razor Sharp Cheetah Thong!
Ok Vava74, for you? I will loosen that thong. Besides, it gives me considerable relief when I do. LOL!
About Teague, you make phenomenal and great points about his
“IT” factor. That he does have and I still maintain – No One can take that away from him. He has “IT”, IT is a gift from God and is unstoppable by mere humans. So, if you believe yopur argument, and I do as well:
Teague will be just fine. His job has been to practice hard, not sulk and stay ready. He has done two of those things, so now HE has to be ready!
No excuses! He doesn’t have to play perfect … Just hard and smart.
And, not put his head down. Kirk’s injury may be a blessing in disguise to all of us and the team. Do we want Kirk injured? Of course not, but, unfortunately – IT is part of the game.
Don’t forget, Rose sprained his ankle last series and will be running on pain and cortisone injections, (a numb joint that he can not feel), not only may this cause further irreversible danger), but also, Boozer is hurt badly as well. I have never had a Turf-Toe, but Matt Ryan did and he sat 5 games two seasons ago, when the Falcons finished 9 – 7, with no play offs. Yes, Turf-Toe IS a huge problem for Chicago. This should even things up a little and hopefully, Teague’s play will put us over the top in games 1 and 3. The pivotal and statistical games we MUST win to be a contender.
Great points in your comments, VaVa74 – I am encouraged by that.
QuiksdrawMcGraw
May 2nd, 2011
12:33 pm
I’m expecting a HAWKS BROOM EXHIBITION! PRIOR TO THE START OF THE SERIES, THE HAWKS WILL GO INTO THE CLOSETS, AND PULL OUT THE BROOMS. THEN IN THE ENSUING GAMES, THE BROOMS WILL BE ON DISPLAY AS THE HAWKS SWEEP WILL BE COMPLETED OVER THE NEXT FOUR GAMES. I GUARANTEE A HAWKS SWEEP OVER THE BULLS OR MY NAME ISNT QUICKSDRAW MCGRAW.
Jack P
May 2nd, 2011
12:40 pm
The Bulls in 4 as the Hawks unravel.
hawksfancents95
May 2nd, 2011
12:50 pm
0 2 24 5 15
with our reg season lineup we can spread the floor and hopefully wear booz and noah out, teague has to start and i think we give marv this chance and see what his fate with the hawks will be, we need jam and zaz off the bench, damien should get some pt and joshp too, if we spread the bulls out their d has to cover more ground and thats good for us with our athleticism, im gona go bold and say hawks in 6 again, mayb kirk can come back for our next series vs mia, ld=htc quietly brilliant
KevinM
May 2nd, 2011
1:09 pm
Jamal should only be assigned to guard Korver….he can’t help otherwise. The key to the Bulls is their backcourt, just like us.
We will see plenty of Kurt Thomas.and officially the Kiss of death…all of us thinking Teague will get a DP instead of DNP…….LD is telling himself he can’t risk it. Reminds me of Woody’s logic.
Marvin…he has had his 1 good game this month…..don’t expect much and you won’t be disappointed.
O'Brien
May 2nd, 2011
1:10 pm
Sleepy,
Check the numbers from this season to see what Jamal did when Rose was on the court, and then see what Rose did when Jamal was on the court. How about that game in Chicago when Hinrich was in foul trouble, and LD put Jamal on him. Rose went off on Jamal, and Jamal did not hold his own offensively.
And the reason fot not playing Teague with the bench is because he is a liability on offense. So with JJ, Al, Josh and Marvin on the court, they can make up for his shortcomings on offense.
Daniel
May 2nd, 2011
1:12 pm
I agree with your line-up take MC, in fact I was suggesting the same, but with Twin instead of Za to start. I think Collins has earned some “respect” from the refs with the last series and as a starter. This will allow him to be more physical guarding BOOZER on the defensive end. Let Al work with Noah. Boozer will get into early foul trouble in that scenario.
I also would like to keep Jamaal, Za, and Marvin on the bench to provide a second/third quarter advantage. I would run Damien at Dereck for spells of the game to give Rose a more physical prescence, keep Joe fresh for the fourth quarter. Teague should start, but we can’t count on him guarding Rose for more than 20minutes or so a game.
I do love the fact that the team is publicly acknowledging that we have been embarrassed the last two seasons in this round. They should have been talking like this since last summer.
CrumbSnatcher
May 2nd, 2011
1:14 pm
I know a lot of fans are worry about whether the Hawks can beat Chicago without Kirk Hinrich. I think Teague will play well and this will be Teagues chance to grab the spotlight and perform on the big stage. Lets not forget, earlier in the year, Jeff played a steller, lights out game against the Portland Trailblazers (this was Jeff Teagues career highest scoring contest) where Teague LED THE HAWKS IN SCORING THAT NIGHT WITH 24 POINTS on an incredible shooting night. Teague hit almost every shot that night, he had a bunch of assists, steals and he filled up the box score. In fact, Teague was the difference-maker that night. If Teague plays like that for the entire series against the Bulls, THE HAWKS WILL WIN THE SERIES IN AN ABSOLUTE CAKE WALK.
O'Brien
May 2nd, 2011
1:16 pm
I like LD’s starting lineup.
However, the Bulls are a good rebounding team, so both Josh and Al will have to step up. And Al needs to play better. And if Kurt Thomas comes in, Al needs to respond better than he did in last year’s playoffs.
And Teague needs to pick Rose up full court, and give it all he has on defense. I would like to see JJ and Jamal combine for their 45 pts, but I think it will be difficult.
phil
May 2nd, 2011
1:20 pm
Ralphwatson – Did you take your prescription this morning? Marvin scored 10 in that last game….he did nothing to help us other than manage a few baskets….wow.
phil
May 2nd, 2011
1:23 pm
Teague isn’t going to stop Rose any more than I’m going to stop Rose. Honestly people….are you this delusional?
northcyde
May 2nd, 2011
1:29 pm
Scoop Jackson picked us to win Game 1. He also states that the Bulls can’t play 4 on 5, like they did vs Indiana. He was referring to the ineffectiveness of Carlos Boozer. If Boozer still plays poorly, Scoop says that we can even win the series. But he stayed on the “safe side”, and predicted that the Hawks will lose in 5 or 6 games.
I’ll say this. If we win tonight, the Bulls are in DEEP TROUBLE. You don’t want to give the Hawks extreme confidence right off the bat by giving them home court advantage. For the most part, that is still a young Bulls team that has accomplished NOTHING as a group So who knows how they’ll react by losing Game 1. If the Hawks can immediately expose that team in some way, and take advantage of that, the Bulls may just get rattled.
The experienced playoff teams like the Lakers, Celtics, and maybe even the Mavs and Heat may be able to overcome a Game 1 loss and win a series. I don’t think the Bulls can. And honestly, the same thing goes for the Thunder. That’s why they’re in deep trouble now too. The only thing the Thunder have in their favor, is that they’re playing a relatively inexperienced playoff team as well. The Hawks, while not being able to crack the 2nd round, have been in the playoffs for 4 consecutive years. We know what to expect, even if we haven’t been able to get it done.
The Bulls better crush all of our hopes tonight. If not, expect the Hawks to play inspired basketball for most of the series. Although they may have one WTF type game, simply because that’s who we are.
northcyde
May 2nd, 2011
1:43 pm
O’Brien . . in this series . . the number you may want to look at is 21
We need 21 combined rebounds between Horford and Josh Smith in order to win these games. It’ll be nice if JJ and Jamal can reach that 45 point mark, but rebounding the basketball will be paramount in this series. We either need to limit the Bulls 2nd chances, or create numerous 2nd chances of our own.
If Horford and Smith are getting 20+ rebounds, it’s an indication that we’re playing good defensively. So if Horford and Smith can clean up the defensive boards, then work on the other in on the offensive boards, we’ll be in every game.
I’m tempted to throw Zaza into the mix, and say that we need 25+ rebounds between Horford, Smith, and Zaza . . but our starters on the frontline are the ones who need to be in complete control of the paint. I would love it if both Horford and Smith could average a double-double in this series.
Sleepy
May 2nd, 2011
1:48 pm
O’Brien – last time we played the Bulls jamal took 4 shots .
the fact of the matter is the Bulls have been aggressors this year but since jamal has been with the hawks when hes been the aggressor weve won regardless of what Rose does but suddenly everyone is so consumed by what Rose does .
In the game we won this year it was Jamal with the ball in his hands against Rose and he penetrates and finds Marvin for the three and Al for the monster dunk on the pick and roll.
With the way jamals played so far in the playoffs he is our best weapon against Rose because he allows us to take away the Bulls ability to hide Rose at times . We can run him off screens ,picks and have someone who can and will score on him. Over 7 games that can and will wear him down
Rose is a great guard and he deserves the league MVP but hes no GP and JJ and jamal are no Collinson and George and I for one dont feel they should be backing down from anyone in the league.
kgbsfinst
May 2nd, 2011
1:48 pm
TEAGUE
JJ
MARVIN
JOSH
AL
Marvin is a pretty good man on man defender, he is our best match-up against Deng. Marvin struggles with the help defense, he seems to be about a second too slow recognizing when to double team.
I also think Josh against Boozer is to our advantage, especially if Booze isnt 100%.
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
1:51 pm
Hey drmaryb! Thank God for a beautiful day….
Game 1 is a must win!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL-STAR AL, IT IS ABOUT TIME TO PLAY LIKE AN ALL-STAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NO MORE EXCUSES FROM YOU,YOUR GUARDS ARE GOING TO HAVE A TOUGH TIME ON THE PERIMETER AS ANOTHER BLOGGER STATED CHICAGO HAS VERY LONG PERIMETER GUYS WHO WILL BE HARASSING OUT THERE…YOUR JOB IS TO ATTACK THE SOFT MIDDLE AND TAKE THE POUNDING THATS COMING..TIME TO MAN UP,YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE A BEATING. DON’T COMPLAIN BECAUSE YOUR MAKING MILLIONS OF STACKS!!!!!!!! WE NEED AT LEAST 15-20 REBOUNDS AND 20 TO 25 PTS!!! EVERY NIGHT….
YOUR SUPPOSEDLY AN ALL-STAR AL??????????????? NO MORE MISTER SOFTIE!!!!!!!!!!!! PUT THE FREAKING CAPE ON AND START PLAYING LIKE HIM………………………..HUGH????????????????
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR MISSION SIR……………….
nique
May 2nd, 2011
1:54 pm
MC – I like your lineup!
tremaine
May 2nd, 2011
1:54 pm
Why do I have a sick feeling that LD is going to start Jamal?
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
1:57 pm
ALLSTAR AL SEE HOW AMARE PLAYS, ALWAYS IN ATTACK MODE. HECK HE WEAR GOGGLES TO PROTECT HIS EYES FROM THOSE BIG STIFFS WHO ARE WHACKING HIM AS HE ATTACKS THE RIM….
NOW ITS YOUR TURN ON TNT BRO………………..TONIGHT…..UNDER THE.STAGE LIGHTS
TIME TO FIGHT MAN!!!! MAN THE F—K UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tremaine
May 2nd, 2011
2:01 pm
“GIVE TEAGUE A CHANCE!”
tremaine
May 2nd, 2011
2:02 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmfFjIZ4Gmo
superiorblogman
May 2nd, 2011
2:02 pm
I am hearing that its confirmed the lineup will be.
PG Teague
SG Joe
SF Marvin
PF Josh
C Al
That is a horrible starting lineup. Meaning you want that lineup to get you off to a good start. That’s just stupid, Teague is a big IF even though we wish him the best and he has done nothing to say he can’t do the job, Marvin is a big IF and he has proven time and time again that he can’t do the job, Josh is a big IF and he is on the verge of proven that he can not do it also. Too many IF’s this is the worse lineup in my IMO.
tremaine
May 2nd, 2011
2:13 pm
superiorblogman
May 2nd, 2011
2:02 pm
I am hearing that its confirmed the lineup will be.
PG Teague
SG Joe
SF Marvin
PF Josh
C Al
The only thing I don’t like about this lineup is Marvin.
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
2:20 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
LD you are asking for a 10pt deficit in the 1st 7 mins!!Marvin should never start against Deng!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deng will destroy him dude????????????????????? Are you kidding me?????????
Larry Larry what are you thing dude?????????????? or not????????….
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
2:21 pm
Marvin is too soft to hang with DENG LARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
2:22 pm
thinking dude^^^^^^^^^^^^
JeJe
May 2nd, 2011
2:24 pm
I watched the (c)Heat/Celtics game yesterday and it looked impossible for players to get a good shot off.
Chicago is BETTER DEFENSIVELY THAN BOTH THOSE TEAMS. I hope we can execute LD’s “offense.” He says it is supposed to be unpredictable. LOL we’ll see
I still don’t get why people don’t call out LD more for this BS offense – how he said it’d excel in the playoffs because it’s unpredictable.
We won vs. Orlando solely on jumpshots and wild 3s. Won’t work vs. real teams
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
2:25 pm
Bench Marvin and pull Josh at the first sign hes not here…..The first 3 mins is critical!!! Larry you cant afford to fall behind…They will blow your azz off the court………………..
bigdave
May 2nd, 2011
2:25 pm
Joe.. and Josh have been vocal supporters of Jeff.. hopefully the other 4 starters come out and take their respective games to the next level allowing Jeff to play w/ confidence..
SteveW
May 2nd, 2011
2:31 pm
Chicago Tribune, May 2nd
““Right now, we’re looking at Jeff,” said Hawks coach Larry Drew prior to Monday morning’s shoot-around at the United Center. “You know, before we got Kirk in the trade right after the All-Star Break, we started Jeff four games and he did a magnificent job.
“These are just situations that do come up. And I have always had faith in this kid and I am not going to change now with us being in the playoffs. He brings a unique package to the table for us. And certainly he is in a position where he has to step in and play a lot of minutes. And I have all the faith in the world in him.”
“Drew said Teague, 6-2, 180 out of Wake Forest, also will start out against Rose defensively. Drew had seven starts during the season and averaged 5.2 points in 70 games.
“He has guarded (Rose) before, this isn’t anything out of the ordinary,” Drew said. “Jeff has guarded some tough guys. This is just the situation being in the playoffs. ”
Somebody call the police quick!! Larry Drew has been kidnapped and some imposter is now talking to the press as Larry Drew.
I do hope they find Larry, but I kinda like this new guy.
SteveW
May 2nd, 2011
2:34 pm
At the same time, this was usually Larry’s way during the season of saying that Jeff was going to be on the bench for a long time.
Larry has a weird way of expressing himself.
SteveW
May 2nd, 2011
2:37 pm
Northcyde – I do agree if the Hawks can win early, we got a much better shot at winning the series. The Bulls are one of the elite teams that we actually have more playoff experience with most of our core guys than they do with their core guys.
And if you’ll read my posts from last summer, I’ve been saying that if the Griz keep ZBo and Gasol, it’s gonna be them and OKC for a long time in the West. I still think the Lakers win this season and probably next, but then they’re done.
And if Shaq doesn’t play for the Celts, they may be done right now.
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
2:40 pm
Hawks and Miami in the EC Finals this year???I have to pinch myself for typing this…He He
JoJo the Godfather
May 2nd, 2011
2:54 pm
I’m not worried about Marvin guarding Deng, or anyone guarding Deng for that matter. I’m worried about Deng getting to guard Joe Johnson, because we all know Bogans will have no problem guarding the 6′9″ SF/PF that is Marvin Williams.
Freshfromatl
May 2nd, 2011
2:56 pm
I would rather have Marvin come off the bench but starting Zaza may just be too risky. This series, I only expect the Hawks to rotate three “bigs” (Al, Josh, ans Zaza), Sorta how we rotated only three guards against Orlando. All the other “bigs” won’t see any time unless someone gets hurt or is in foul trouble. Collins is useless in this series imo because the Bull don’t really have a scoring big that works in the post.
I expect to see more guards employed in this series with Damien and Teague playing much bigger roles.
Hawks in 6.
Freshfromatl
May 2nd, 2011
2:58 pm
Also, Boozer trying to play with that turf-toe injury may do more bad than good for Chicago.
Slimjr
May 2nd, 2011
3:27 pm
turf toes are very painful injury, and it is so easy to aggravate it!
Barry
May 2nd, 2011
3:53 pm
Hey Y’all:
I just come to realize that the opponent to all this basketball is the NBA trophy. We have to win all 3 ROUNDS to get to that NBA trophy. In ROUND 1: Our Hawks threw a lot of punches and knocked the Orlando Magic out cold. Now, it ROUND 2. Our Hawks are primed for this fight. With this opponent, the Bulls, the Hawks have to play defense and offense at a high level. With the barrage of shots they will pound on the Buuls, the bulls will ot be able to come back. Like Orlando, these Bulls are going to be confused because they do not know who to key on on the offense side of the ball for the HAWKS due to everybody on the HAWKS can SHOOT. DEFENSE is a natural for our HAWKS. We haave the “ATHLETES” to play it. In ROUND 1 , OUR HAWKS played “CENTER BY COMMITTEE” defense against Dwight Howard. It worked. In Round 2, against these Bulls, we should play “GUARD BY COMMITTEE” against Derek Rose. We must and will wear him DOWN throughout this series.
THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN. OUR HAWKS SWINGING WITH THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT. THE BULLS, WITH THE RING IN THEIR NOSE, CRYING OUT OF FRIGHT. OUR HAWKS STANING ON THEIR TOES BOBBING AND WEAVING TAPPING JABSS ON TH BULLS FACE, OH THOSE BULLS ARE TEATHING. THE REFEREE BRAEKS IT UP FO A MINUTE OR TWO. BUT OUR HAWKS ARE ANGRY AFTER THIS ROUND BULL YOU’RE THRU!!!!!!!!!!!
NOW, ARE YOU READY TO RUUUUUMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBLEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
LET’S GO HAWKS!! LET’s “SHOCK THE WORLD” TO AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!! AND WE HAVEN”T EVEN DONE “THE SHUFFLE” YET!!!!!!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…………………..”SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!!”…………….
Slim
May 2nd, 2011
4:26 pm
really Larry Drew, really. No rebounds needed. funnel everything to the 6′8 Smith. He will block everything, he jumps really really high.
Give me a break. Marvin and his 4 shots a game could be used on the bench. Josh at 3, Joe at 2, Horford at 4 are 3 post up threats to get fouled.
U know who else has 3 threats to get fouled in the post? the LA Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
Now instead of a bunch of mid-post and low post options we’ll have every1 standing around waiting for someone to drive and kick.
Not to mention stats show Bulls are even better offensive rebounders than Dwight Howard and 6′7 Brandon Bass. Bulls make their living off of rebounds and Rose tries to dunk on 6′8 power forwards (Smith in early foul trouble).
We bring in Marvin for shooting but before you can shoot common sense says u HAVE TO GET THE BALL. We have no rebounding and teams always blow us out on tip-ins deflections etc.
Bring in a center or suffer the repurcussions of not getting the rebound. It is not fair or realistic to rely on Josh Smith to do as much as a center on defense and then give him no size advantage on offense.
RalphWatson
May 2nd, 2011
5:16 pm
I tell you what, if Marvin Williams plays anything like he did in the Hawks close-out game again Orlando, the Hawks will SWEEP the Chicago Bulls. Marvin played that game as if he were the #2 player picked in the entire draft. Marvin was sensational and shot almost 100% as he made important bucket after important bucket. Although he only scored 10 points, they were crucial points that we had to have and wouldnt have won the series against Orlando without those points. MARVIN IS A TRUE AMERICAN HERO and one of the most clutch performers in NBA History. All Hail to Marvin Williams, the King.
CameronFischer
May 2nd, 2011
5:25 pm
Derrick Rose has been playing wreckless and erratic like the MECHANICAL BULL that he is and although he is the odds on favorite to win the MVP award this year, with a sprained ankle I’m not expecting much out of rose. In fact, Marvin and our enforcer Zsa Zsa Pachullia should try and purposely STEP ON ROSES ANKLE just to make it worse and render him helpless as we advance past the Bulls and into the Eastern Conference Finals. Go Hawks, win series with Bulls in 6.
Slim
May 3rd, 2011
12:27 am
Crow I eat it Larry Drew. Hawks have put the onus on the front office to improve the team #goHawks! lol
Slim
May 3rd, 2011
12:32 am
dont wish injury on players @CameronFischer
i’d like 2 believe can win the series without incurring harm to another human being :S
datdangdude
May 3rd, 2011
11:51 am
I need to know if anyone else has seen (or felt) that Josh Smith is either hurt, or crazy. Where is the high-flying athletism we have seen in years gone by. Is he trying to refine his game, because NOW is not the time(do that in the off-season at the RNS) ? Anyway, the MAIN point I am trying to make is his is jacking some HORRIBLE shots, and in several instances in last night’s game, he had an open lane to the basket – one that he could use and jump over the defender for a SC highlight. His jumper is not good-it might not even be average.
It looks like his knows that his days in ATL are over-I would not be at all surprised if he doesn’t get traded at the season’s end.
I think someone should open up a point-shaving inquiry to Mr. Jackson