NBA Playoffs

[Bluedog]

JJ missed a wide open three with 2 seconds left that would have tied it... I was actually cheering for ATL since I think ORL is a tougher matchup for the Bulls, but not if it was due to Redick missing the shot to send it into OT. Sucks. I'm sure JJ is kicking himself, but sometimes the shot just doesn't fall.

[nmduke2001]

JJ missed a wide open three with 2 seconds left that would have tied it... I was actually cheering for ATL since I think ORL is a tougher matchup for the Bulls, but not if it was due to Redick missing the shot to send it into OT. Sucks. I'm sure JJ is kicking himself, but sometimes the shot just doesn't fall.

Although he did miss the shot, he did have a two handed dunk earlier in the game. That's right, JJ got a pass and took one step for the two handed dunk. Dominique Wilkens was the color commentator and he said something to the effect of "I didn't even know he could dunk." haha.

[darjum]

Atlanta fan gets to chime in, here. .

Congrats COYS! The Hawks earned this victory, great outcome for Atl. Hope Kirk H is fie though. Should be a great series with the Bulls, and who knows, maybe conference finals!

Oh JJ, that was as open as he could get...what a shame!

Lakers took care of business 2nite, the big boys played like men.

[COYS]

Yeah, the media has already given the Bulls a victory over the Hawks. I certainly do not expect the Hawks to win. However, they have a chance, that's for sure. We're better than an Indy team that gave the Bulls problems at times. If Boozer is a little banged up or continues to struggle (hope not!) or if Rose is hobbled at all, it opens the door just a bit more. I'm looking forward to a few Horford/Noah matchups, even though I don't think they'll be matched up most of the time. Crawford and Heinrich better be ready to play some serious defense on Rose, though. Also, the athletic advantage the Hawks enjoyed against everyone except for Howard in the Magic series will be all gone against the Bulls.

[darjum]

Yeah, the media has already given the Bulls a victory over the Hawks. I certainly do not expect the Hawks to win. However, they have a chance, that's for sure. We're better than an Indy team that gave the Bulls problems at times. If Boozer is a little banged up or continues to struggle (hope not!) or if Rose is hobbled at all, it opens the door just a bit more. I'm looking forward to a few Horford/Noah matchups, even though I don't think they'll be matched up most of the time. Crawford and Heinrich better be ready to play some serious defense on Rose, though. Also, the athletic advantage the Hawks enjoyed against everyone except for Howard in the Magic series will be all gone against the Bulls.

To touch on a couple of points:

• The media pretty much wrote off the Hawks before the Magic season...they also wrote of Memphis...and Dallas...you get what I mean!
• Boozer REALLY struggled against Indy and he's not going to find it any easier shooting over Horford and J.Smith. I like Boozer, but he struggles against long shot blockers.
• If anybody knows Rose it's Heinrich. I just hope he's healthy, if so, I think he can give Rose fits.

I feel that if the Hawks make it a grind defensively (they did an amazing job against Orlando) then they have a chance. I still feel the Bullls are an effective SG away from being a serious contender and as long as Marvin Williams semi matches Deng's production, Atl may take them out. The problem there is Williams is just so soft. For the number 2 pick in the draft he really has yet to take full advantage of his athletic gifts.

Either way, a great series and the other Eastern semi, well, it's on. Still think an OKC/LAL W-Final is almost inevitable; and what a match up that would be. Fun time.

[COYS]

To touch on a couple of points:

• The media pretty much wrote off the Hawks before the Magic season...they also wrote of Memphis...and Dallas...you get what I mean!
• Boozer REALLY struggled against Indy and he's not going to find it any easier shooting over Horford and J.Smith. I like Boozer, but he struggles against long shot blockers.
• If anybody knows Rose it's Heinrich. I just hope he's healthy, if so, I think he can give Rose fits.

I feel that if the Hawks make it a grind defensively (they did an amazing job against Orlando) then they have a chance. I still feel the Bullls are an effective SG away from being a serious contender and as long as Marvin Williams semi matches Deng's production, Atl may take them out. The problem there is Williams is just so soft. For the number 2 pick in the draft he really has yet to take full advantage of his athletic gifts.

Either way, a great series and the other Eastern semi, well, it's on. Still think an OKC/LAL W-Final is almost inevitable; and what a match up that would be. Fun time.

I am a Hawks fan for sure, but if there is one thing I HOPE doesn't happen, it's Marvin Williams outplaying Deng. I also think the chances of that happening are incredibly small. Williams may have a good game or two, but Deng will be much more consistent and a better defender overall. I think the things you pointed out are really good, though. Horford and Smith should give Boozer fits. We'll see some Smith at SF as well, so sometimes he'll go up against Deng when Collins and Horford are both in at the same time. My biggest question for the Hawks is when we go with our big time offensive unit (no real PG with Crawford and Joe Johnson in there at the same time) who's gonna guard Rose? Johnson's got a huge size advantage but a major quickness disadvantage. Crawford seems like the obvious choice, but defense and Jamaal Crawford have been strangers for a very long time now. We'll see.

[CDu]

I am a Hawks fan for sure, but if there is one thing I HOPE doesn't happen, it's Marvin Williams outplaying Deng. I also think the chances of that happening are incredibly small. Williams may have a good game or two, but Deng will be much more consistent and a better defender overall. I think the things you pointed out are really good, though. Horford and Smith should give Boozer fits. We'll see some Smith at SF as well, so sometimes he'll go up against Deng when Collins and Horford are both in at the same time. My biggest question for the Hawks is when we go with our big time offensive unit (no real PG with Crawford and Joe Johnson in there at the same time) who's gonna guard Rose? Johnson's got a huge size advantage but a major quickness disadvantage. Crawford seems like the obvious choice, but defense and Jamaal Crawford have been strangers for a very long time now. We'll see.

Has there been any update to the Hinrich injury? That's a big question, because I think Rose will torch either Crawford or Johnson.

I agree that Horford and Smith should give Boozer problems, but Noah should thrive against Collins/Pachulia/Powell. And I think he'd have the edge against Horford too.

And I think Deng will punish either Williams or Smith, who aren't terribly disciplined.

[Jeff Frosh]

I think the Hawks winning this series was mainly the result of the Magic just not being a very good team. The Bulls had the best record in an improved Eastern Conference (even with all of their injuries) for a reason. Now they have one playoff series under their belts and I believe that they will play better. I see the Bulls winning this series in 5 games.

[Starter]

Dwight went 27 and 15 with 2 blocks in this series. He even hit 68% of his free throws. And they lost.

The Magic are lousy, relative to what they should be. And Dwight can't get out of there fast enough.

...I'll give 'em Amar'e and Billups for Dwight. I'll even take back the husk of Gilbert Arenas.

I'd say Bulls in 6. The Hawks are your classic team that's very good... but just not great. That said, they have an athletic and versatile frontcourt, Joe's looking good after an underwhelming regular season, and Crawford's doing his thing right now. It's not like they have no shot. But they have zero answer for Rose. (Who does? But Atlanta even less than others)

[wilson]

Has there been any update to the Hinrich injury?

Not yet. The early word was that it was a hamstring injury of some sort, and an MRI was scheduled for sometime today (might actually be going on right now). John Hollinger at ESPN says there's no update, but that Hinrich is moving better today.
As another Atlantan, allow me to say that I think last night's game was the Hawks' biggest win in 15 or 20 years. I know this is the third straight year they've been to the second round, but the past couple of first-round series, at least according to seed, have been ones they were supposed to win. This is the first time they've jumped up and beaten one of the so-called "big boys." I also think the Hawks have a better chance against the Bulls than most think. Rose is of course a problem for just about any team, but the Hawks match up pretty well against Chicago's other scorers (and really, Rose doesn't much qualify as a #1 scorer anyway; his shooting percentage is mediocre). Horford can handle Boozer, and Josh Smith should be able to handle Deng (though it feels really weird to root against those two). I'm not saying I expect the Hawks to win the series (I don't); just that it wouldn't totally shock me if they did.
That said, I think this is pretty much the Hawks' ceiling as they are currently constituted. They've so handcuffed themselves with the Joe Johnson contract that I don't see them ever getting over the next hump with this group, and as he deteriorates in the last couple of years of the deal, I believe the Hawks will dip back down into the lottery.

[CDu]

Not yet. The early word was that it was a hamstring injury of some sort, and an MRI was scheduled for sometime today (might actually be going on right now). John Hollinger at ESPN says there's no update, but that Hinrich is moving better today.
As another Atlantan, allow me to say that I think last night's game was the Hawks' biggest win in 15 or 20 years. I know this is the third straight year they've been to the second round, but the past couple of first-round series, at least according to seed, have been ones they were supposed to win. This is the first time they've jumped up and beaten one of the so-called "big boys." I also think the Hawks have a better chance against the Bulls than most think. Rose is of course a problem for just about any team, but the Hawks match up pretty well against Chicago's other scorers (and really, Rose doesn't much qualify as a #1 scorer anyway; his shooting percentage is mediocre). Horford can handle Boozer, and Josh Smith should be able to handle Deng (though it feels really weird to root against those two). I'm not saying I expect the Hawks to win the series (I don't); just that it wouldn't totally shock me if they did.
That said, I think this is pretty much the Hawks' ceiling as they are currently constituted. They've so handcuffed themselves with the Joe Johnson contract that I don't see them ever getting over the next hump with this group, and as he deteriorates in the last couple of years of the deal, I believe the Hawks will dip back down into the lottery.

I'm hoping the bolded is facetiousness. Rose is averaging 1.3 points per shot attempt, which is pretty good. And that's in spite of shooting 37% so far in the playoffs. He's getting to the line a ridiculous amount. I think he's on the short list of best #1 scorers in the league. I think Rose is a big problem for the Hawks, especially if Hinrich is out.

I wasn't terribly impressed with the Hawks/Magic series. Neither team played great. The Magic couldn't shoot to save their lives AND were sloppy with the ball. The Hawks did just enough to beat a team playing pretty bad basketball.

That doesn't mean the Hawks can't give the Bulls trouble. They do present a bad matchup for Boozer. But I think the Bulls are better defensively and are more aggressive than the Magic, and they have a better creator in Rose. Plus, they work hard off the ball, and that's the sort of thing that gives guys like Smith (who can get lazy) trouble. I think Deng is going to have an edge on Smith (if the Hawks go big) or Williams (if they go smaller) rather than the other way around.

[wilson]

I'm hoping the bolded is facetiousness. Rose is averaging 1.3 points per shot attempt, which is pretty good. And that's in spite of shooting 37% so far in the playoffs. He's getting to the line a ridiculous amount. I think he's on the short list of best #1 scorers in the league.

Yeah, I overstated a bit, but for once, the Hawks have generally played terrific defense during these playoffs. If they can bottle up the other Bulls while letting Rose get his (similar to their approach vs. Dwight and the Magic), the Bulls could have their hands full (big stress on "could"). That's all I was getting at.

[CDu]

Yeah, I overstated a bit, but for once, the Hawks have generally played terrific defense during these playoffs. If they can bottle up the other Bulls while letting Rose get his (similar to their approach vs. Dwight and the Magic), the Bulls could have their hands full (big stress on "could"). That's all I was getting at.

I think that two big challenges for the Hawks will be scoring (the Bulls held them to 83, 81, and 76 points in the three meetings this season) and balancing paying enough attention to Rose while not losing track of guys like Noah, Gibson, and Deng (who are very opportunistic players off the ball). Rose presents a much different challenge than Howard, and if the Hawks get caught chasing Rose then Noah and Deng could have a good time sneaking in for second chance/dumpoff opportunities.

[darjum]

I am a Hawks fan for sure, but if there is one thing I HOPE doesn't happen, it's Marvin Williams outplaying Deng. I also think the chances of that happening are incredibly small. Williams may have a good game or two, but Deng will be much more consistent and a better defender overall. I think the things you pointed out are really good, though. Horford and Smith should give Boozer fits. We'll see some Smith at SF as well, so sometimes he'll go up against Deng when Collins and Horford are both in at the same time. My biggest question for the Hawks is when we go with our big time offensive unit (no real PG with Crawford and Joe Johnson in there at the same time) who's gonna guard Rose? Johnson's got a huge size advantage but a major quickness disadvantage. Crawford seems like the obvious choice, but defense and Jamaal Crawford have been strangers for a very long time now. We'll see.

Yes, Deng will dominate that match up, but ATl does need for Williams to be somewhat effective to stand any chance.

The defense of Rose has to be team, especially with Kirk's injury. The Hawks have to be physical any time he enters the lane. Unfortunately I'm not sure it's in their DNA to do that, say like the Celtics would.

I do feel Crawford may be effective offensively in this series though, but yes defensively he won't be making any mixtapes of his performance on Rose.

[darjum]

Dwight went 27 and 15 with 2 blocks in this series. He even hit 68% of his free throws. And they lost.

The Magic are lousy, relative to what they should be. And Dwight can't get out of there fast enough.

...I'll give 'em Amar'e and Billups for Dwight. I'll even take back the husk of Gilbert Arenas.

I'd say Bulls in 6. The Hawks are your classic team that's very good... but just not great. That said, they have an athletic and versatile frontcourt, Joe's looking good after an underwhelming regular season, and Crawford's doing his thing right now. It's not like they have no shot. But they have zero answer for Rose. (Who does? But Atlanta even less than others)

It could be Hakeem all over again...early career success (as Hakeem had in 86), a major lull in the middle (will happen for Howard if he stays), then success closer to the end of prime (for Howard once all the terrible contracts go away). Either way he should just take his talents to South Beach...maybe not

[Reilly]

interesting article featuring Tony from earlier this season:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...r-the/?print=1

[diveonthefloor]

Battier is nails.

Grizzlies wouldn't be denied in the GrindHouse.

[diveonthefloor]

[darjum]

I seem to remember when Dallas was ousted from the playoffs by Golden St as a #1 seed they copped so much flak for it. Will the same happen to the Spurs? It appears the same level of venom is not attributed to the Spurs? Maybe it's because Dirk was MVP, but still, Dallas really got smashed in the media.

I was hoping that the Spurs would get to play OKC in the 2nd round but they simply didn't deserve to. Congrats to Memphis and Battier was so great.

[theAlaskanBear]

I seem to remember when Dallas was ousted from the playoffs by Golden St as a #1 seed they copped so much flak for it. Will the same happen to the Spurs? It appears the same level of venom is not attributed to the Spurs? Maybe it's because Dirk was MVP, but still, Dallas really got smashed in the media.

I was hoping that the Spurs would get to play OKC in the 2nd round but they simply didn't deserve to. Congrats to Memphis and Battier was so great.

There is a double-standard, but it is deserved. The Mavs are still answering questions about winning the big one...while the Spurs have been the best program (other than the Lakers) the last 10 years. Since Duncan arrived they have the BEST winning % of all pro franchises at .699.

Also, what a great game last night. When the Spurs took their first lead late in the 4th, you could hear the nerves in the stadium and on the court. And Zack Randolph answered. I have rarely seen a PF so "on". He would throw up a shot anywhere from inside the 3pt arc and it would go in. He has such a soft touch and great hands for such a big, bulky dude. Some of those shots over McDyess were really well guarded -- I thought he would get stuffed a couple of times, instead he drained them.

Oh yeah, and Tony Allen = defense. He played out of his mind last night. Will be interesting to see the OKC-Memphis series, because while Memphis are bruisers down low, Ibaka and Perkins have great defensive reps. And Memphis can't match OKC guards but have two very good defenders in Tony Allen and Battier...can anyone stop Durant and Westbrook (well, Durant at least).

@Vasquez: came up really really big when Conley was in foul trouble the entire game. Also, it is reaaaallly annoying to hear "Vas-QWEZ" out of the announcer. Vas-KEZ.