Without Kirk Hinrich, the Hawks’ Round 2 chances take a hit
To the Hawks' chagrin, we might not see this matchup. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
UPDATED TO REFLECT KIRK HINRICH’S STATUS
Here’s where cold reality tends to descend. Two years running, the Hawks fought through Round 1, pronounced themselves full of confidence and vowed to make an even bigger statement in Round 2. Then they got swept.
Now they’re here again, and an even bigger chill has fallen: Kirk Hinrich, the man designated to defuse Chicago’s Derrick Rose, is listed as “doubtful” for the series with a bad hamstring. The only way for the Hawks ever to reach the Eastern Conference finals, a place they’ve never been, might be if the league grants them a bye.
Last spring the Hawks were swept so egregiously from Round 2 they fired Mike Woodson and promoted his assistant. That bit of personnel shuffling paid no dividends during a regular season that saw them slide from 53 victories to 44, but in Round 1 of these playoffs the new head coach found a way to do what his predecessor could not. Larry Drew beat Orlando, which had beaten the Hawks by an aggregate 101 points last spring.
The Hawks beat Orlando because they had better players — take away Dwight Howard, and the Magic would be the post-LeBron Cavaliers — and a sound defensive scheme. The Bulls don’t have one massive center, but they have Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer down low. Jason Collins will hold lesser value in Round 2.
Neither will the Hawks find the wing mismatches they exploited in Round 1. The Bulls’ shooting guard is Keith Bogans, who does more defending than shooting. He’ll make it harder on Joe Johnson and perhaps Jamal Crawford than the Magic did. Luol Deng is the small forward, and he’s the Bulls’ second-best player.
And then there’s Rose, the presumptive NBA most valuable player. The thought of him working against Jeff Teague, who didn’t log 10 minutes in the six games against Orlando, is terrifying.
At full strength, the Hawks are a fair match for the Bulls in size and skill. In terms of cohesion, the Hawks aren’t close. The Bulls went from 41-41 last season to 62-20 by committing themselves to new coach Tom Thibodeau’s vision. (Thibodeau made his reputation as Doc Rivers’ defensive coordinator in Boston.) Chicago ranked second among NBA teams in points yielded, first in defensive efficiency.
Loading ...Some might see the ouster of their nemesis as reason to call this Hawks’ season a success. Such a pronouncement would be premature. As nice as beating the Magic was, the Hawks had already proved they’re good enough to play beyond Round 1. The bigger issue — the reason Woodson was fired and Hinrich imported at great cost — has become Round 2. But now Round 2 seems, once again, a bridge too far.
The Hawks were counting on Hinrich to be their playoff stopper, and he fared well enough against Jameer Nelson. Without him, any expression of optimism is a flight of fancy. And that’s too bad. The Hawks were the No. 4 seed in 2009 and were swept by the 66-win Cavaliers, but three-fifths of the starting lineup was hurting. They were the No. 3 seed last year and were swept by the 59-win Magic. Now they’re in against the team with the NBA’s best record.
If there’s any sliver of hope, it’s that the Bulls are new to this. Chicago hasn’t been past Round 1 since 2007 and hasn’t won Round 2 since Michael Jordan took his sixth title, and these Bulls didn’t exactly overwhelm the sub-.500 Pacers to get here. But if there was one player the Hawks couldn’t afford to lose for this series, it’s the one they’ve lost.
I really liked the Hawks’ chances against Orlando because every matchup save one favored them. There were times in the Magic series when they functioned at a high level, but the Bulls have done that all season. The Bulls have achieved the mesh that has so far eluded the Hawks. But matchups and mesh won’t matter nearly as much as the results of two MRIs: The one done on Rose’s sprained ankle Monday turned out OK; the one performed Friday on Hinrich’s hamstring did not.
With Hinrich, the guess was that the Hawks would make a bit of noise before losing in six. Without him, they’ll do well to win once.
By Mark Bradley
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143 comments Add your comment
Eric
April 30th, 2011
11:31 am
No one is going to stop Rose anyway so losing Hinrich won’t make much of a difference. Crawford will get more time at the point, which means more scoring for the Hawks. I’m probably the only true fan in Atlanta anyways, Hawks in 6. The Bulls looked awful against a Pacers team that hadn’t been in the playoffs in like 10 years.
NagoyaHawks
April 30th, 2011
11:36 am
It’s good the Hawks are flying under the radar. Hinrich is great but let’s face it, he got burned by Rose. There’s only one guy that can keep up and that’s Teague. The true grit coaching question for LD is if he will start him. If he does, this series will depend on if Teague will step up his game. I really like the idea of just giving Rose his shots, playing Teague on him, much like Collins on Dwight. It gives us a shot. No way you can play Jamal on Rose. If the Hawks hustle, make shots, pass the ball, they will win in five. If they do two of these things each time it will go to 7 games. Of course if the Hawks show up as usual it will be a Bulls sweep in four. There is an X-factor though. One is experience. This is the 3rd Hawks dance in the 2nd round in three years. The other is confidence. The Hawks killed their nemesis in 6 games. The Bulls, they are prepping for the Hawks. I am looking closely for a let down by the Bulls. Anybody else?
Harpie
April 30th, 2011
12:11 pm
You people who act like we would have won with Hinrich, but will now lose if we don’t have him are HILARIOUS! The Hawks will lose no matter who plays, mainly because they have an idiot for a coach. I’d love to see Teague play awesomely, and then tell Larry Drew to kiss his butt.
john
April 30th, 2011
12:16 pm
If you’ve watched the Hawks for more than 10 minutes, you know the problems for the Hawks extend WAY beyond Larry Drew!!
Dan
April 30th, 2011
12:18 pm
The Hawks are now among the final 8 teams left standing in the playoffs and these so called fans are trashing them. Only in Atlanta!!!
Eric
April 30th, 2011
12:23 pm
Deja vu, these are the same comments that were made before the Hawks vs Magic series. Drew can’t coach, Joe’s not a star, get rid of everybody on the team, sell the team. Then maybe they should sell the team to a city who can respect a pretty good product.
john
April 30th, 2011
12:24 pm
Dan…the majority of us love the hawks are in the 2nd round. However, we’re also realistic. This is the round they have to get through…hell, at least win a game in the 2nd round. Until the do that, nothing is going to change. And it would be different if they gave everything they had, every game. We all know that doesn’t happen.
Harpie
April 30th, 2011
12:26 pm
john – the problems extend way beyond Larry Drew BECAUSE of Larry Drew. He’s the coach, the one who is supposed to make an intelligent game plan, guide the players, correct their mistakes, have the players prepared to play ( yeah, he’s done a great job of preparing Teague, huh? He’s let himmostly rot on the bench ). Drew has taken a team full of talent and sent them backwards. He should be coaching recreation ball, nothing higher…
Eric
April 30th, 2011
12:49 pm
I guess Larry Drew had no game plan for Orlando and Dwight Howard, he was totally clueless. Then after game 5 when the Hawks got blown-out he made no adjustments for game 6, what a bad coach. Playing Dwight Howard straight up was a horrible move by Drew, it only advanced them to the next round in 6 games, right Harpie??? Welcome to the home of the worst fans in America “Atlanta”.
BYRDDAWG
April 30th, 2011
12:50 pm
Without him they will sweep us!!!
Eric
April 30th, 2011
12:56 pm
When the Hawks made the trade to get Hinrich Atlanta fans said it was a bad move, now we can’t win without him. The Sports IQ in this town is embarrassing.
john
April 30th, 2011
1:01 pm
Harpie….how long have you been a Hawks fan? Not long if you really believe that. I thought Drew did a heck of a job planning against Orlando. Say what you want, but you have to give the man credit. I even praised JJ for coming up big in game 6…and trust me, it is NOT often I give JJ praise!
john
April 30th, 2011
1:05 pm
And I get tired of hearing people say JJ would play better or Josh would play better with an established coach hell bent on discipline…WHATEVER. Josh Smith, who I am a big fan of, will ALWAYS take those ill-advised shots, cry to the refs, give up on defense, and get T’s when things don’t go his way. Noone can stop that. Noone can stop JJ from always wanting to go iso from 40 feet. Now, in saying that, I don’t COMPLETELY blame JJ…he came to an Atlanta team with 13 wins and practically had to do everything on his own. Kinda hard to get away from that after so long. But I love these Hawks, like all my Atlanta teams…it’s ok to talk with passion, negative and/or positive, as long as you stick with them. But speak with intelligence and passion, not ignorance.
Harpie
April 30th, 2011
1:32 pm
They wouldn’t keep doing that dumb stuff if the coach didn’t let them get away with it; he’s the one who is in control of whether they stay in the game or not. A smart coach teaches them that if they don’t try to follow the game plan, they come out of the game. The coach is the one who puts a stop to the nonsense – don’t you get it?
Eric
April 30th, 2011
1:47 pm
It’s not your fault Harpie your just the typical Atlanta fan (clueless).
Harpie
April 30th, 2011
1:52 pm
Clueless about what, Eric?
Harpie
April 30th, 2011
1:55 pm
Eric, you think someone is clueless for thinking that the coach should prepare, and be in control of, his team?
Eric
April 30th, 2011
2:00 pm
Well Harpie the Hawks must be mighty good, because that unprepared out of control team just advanced to the semi-finals in 6.
Eric
April 30th, 2011
2:02 pm
I think your making my case for me Harpie, clueless!!!
Harpie
April 30th, 2011
2:09 pm
Yes, and they advanced in spite of having a crappy coach. I didn’t say they are talentless – but, they would be do much better if they had a coach who knows what he’s doing.
Eric
April 30th, 2011
2:16 pm
Drew’s in his first year as head coach, and I believe there is only one other first year coache still remaining in this years playoffs. Harpie, you gotta give the man more than a 1 year curve. For goodness sakes the season is still not over for the Hawks.
john
April 30th, 2011
2:16 pm
Harpie…you really believe it’s all the coach when things don’t go well for the team? You know, no matter how well or how bad you gameplan, in the end, the players have to execute it. But think about this…Drew did something VERY bold…he didn’t double team Howard, easily the most dominant center in the league. NO OTHER COACH would have been brass enough to try that. Plus it’s his first year as coach. Then again, not like you could do any better from your couch, with your cheap light beer, cheap cigarette, wishing life was better.
There is two ways to look at it
April 30th, 2011
2:17 pm
Enter your comments here
Double Zero Eight
April 30th, 2011
2:19 pm
i posted during the regualr season that LD would be
forced to play Teague during the playoffs. Looks like
I was right.
john
April 30th, 2011
2:20 pm
Harpie…I bet you think Josh Smith is a very good defensive player too, don’t you?
Mutumbo
April 30th, 2011
2:29 pm
`
……… Go Hawks ………..
JeJe
April 30th, 2011
2:55 pm
All we hear about is how much Horford loves playing Chicago. He and Joe really need to be on their games in this series. I want Joe relentlessly attacking whoever is guarding him.
Horford needs to not back down from their frontline. I will never forget that article about how much he loves playing CHI and then he choked miserably.
The only thing that impresses me about Chicago is Derrick Rose and their head coach. We have a better more athletic frontline, a far better shooting guard, and Jamal + ZaZa are better than their best bench players.
LD better have a good gameplan.
ag
April 30th, 2011
4:13 pm
The Hawks will win in 6 if JT averages 30 minutes per game
eastern_conf_finals
April 30th, 2011
4:45 pm
I called for the Hawks to win in 6 against Orlando. This one is no different Hawks in 6.
Facts are Facts
April 30th, 2011
4:59 pm
Well its time to find out if the hawks are any better with all the bone head moves (and no moves). Outside of JJ, Jamal and Josh, (Jx3) the Hawks wont do very much. Horford has become dead weight since he force josh out to the perimeter. I watch countless players run past him in the post on their way to easy baskets with no attempt at defense from Al.
Chicago in 5. The hawks are worse this year that before. Instead of the continued growth led by Mike Woodson,(schultz’s favorite coach LOL) the hawks have regressed tremendously. I hope the hawks make the necessary changes in the offseason. Like getting a legitimate starting center. Moving Josh back to the 4 where he belongs,(why would you want him on the perimeter @ the 3 any way?) Get a point guard who can break down defense. Then the Hawks can compete.
Time for a change.
mike
April 30th, 2011
5:01 pm
conspiracy theories. league would like to big market team with mvp player on the roster to move on against i do not why everybody hated Atlanta team. league liked magic to fail because commish been very upset with Stan famous dictatorship tirade. so on series with Orlando refereeing been relatively fair. expect a lot of bad calls against Atlanta with Chicago that means bulls in 5.
Ted
April 30th, 2011
5:34 pm
The Hawks didn’t have a ghost of a chance vs. the Bulls to begin with.
Ace
April 30th, 2011
5:48 pm
According to Atlanta fans, Hawks don’t have a chance against anybody.
Get a Life
April 30th, 2011
6:26 pm
Anyone that post “First” is Lame!
yodaddy
April 30th, 2011
7:15 pm
We will surprise a lot of people….just watch.
Don’t be surprised if the Hawks take Game 1 in Chicago.
We really don’t have anyone to be exclusive on Derrick Rose but that’s why this is a team game. Jeff Teague, Damien Wilkins (yall forgot about him huh???), Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson will give Derrick Rose all he wants on defense. With Horford and Josh there to block and alter shots and Collins to take charges or make him pull up.
We saw how the likes of Darren Collison and AJ Price were steady carving up the Bulls defense and Danny Granger averaged 22 ppg. The Pacers (who the Hawks dominated) were ahead in the 4th quarter of every game against the Bulls. Say what you want about the Hawks but they are just a better team then the Pacers.
Good thing for the Hawks….Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford are better players and scorers.
Carlos Boozer has turf toe (which is a horrible injury for a basketball player because of the amount of starting and stopping, jumping, running etc. not to mention Turf Toe hurts). If you think Kurt Thomas can keep up with Al or Josh you can forget it.
This is the playoffs and you need talent. Kyle Korver, CJ Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans??? Man please….Marvin, Zaza, Wilkins and JC1 are better than those guys
chi-town
April 30th, 2011
9:13 pm
joe johnson man please only place hes take n hawks is to the bank
Jeewash7
April 30th, 2011
11:36 pm
Hey ATL. Wait until 40% of your arena has Bulls fans in it for games 3 & 4. Chanting MVP! Your blind faith is funny. Hawks in 5. Hawks in 6. Bulls in 3. Atlanta forfeits 4th game.
Reggie
May 1st, 2011
5:12 am
Hey Jeewash7..maybe you should worry about what your fans in your own arena are chanting…like in your first 2 home games vs the number 8 seed when everyone was chanting “THIS CANT BE HAPPENING”…a couple of nice bail out calls by the refs by the way.
Bulls Fan
May 1st, 2011
12:10 pm
Hewitt Fan,
Did you really say that Deng can’t defend? He’s the best defender on the best defensive team in the league! He routinely gets assigned the other team’s best perimeter scorer. He’s probably going to make the All Defensive Team. Oh and btw this year he averaged 18.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He’s a terrific all around player.
Bulls Fan
May 1st, 2011
12:34 pm
And for all the people doing matchups here…it’s a team game. With the exception of one half where the Bulls were lolly-gagging, they have dominated the Hawks this year. The Hawks don’t have the size to throw at Rose the way the Pacers did. The last the two teams played each other the Bulls blew your team out.
John Blitzer
May 1st, 2011
10:52 pm
Solid info! I wonder if this’ll show up on CoachWatcher. CW is the place to go for all the coaching info, news, and rumors. http://www.CoachWatcher.com
Live from Game 1: Is Round 2 winna-Bull for the hurtin' Hawks? | Mark Bradley
May 2nd, 2011
6:17 pm
[...] Chicago – Not many folks gave the Hawks a chance against Orlando. I was among the minority. Even fewer observers are giving them a prayer against the Bulls, and I admit I’ve joined them. I was prepared to pick Chicago in six, but without Kirk Hinrich I’m not sure the Hawks take a game. [...]
moby dick
May 2nd, 2011
10:10 pm
Im from nc and I usually root agaisnt atl teams but I have always liked the hawks alittle bit but when they got kirk hinrich they became one of my fav teams there starting 5 and 6th man are great. Hinrich is so much better then bibby I hope the hawks beat the bulls there gonna have to play with alot of heart and I hope teague steps up and your right there isnt middle ground with him. I hope they can just slow drose down some how.