Pre-Game Hawks - Take 2

Lots' has been written.  Looks like Danny is going to go down with the sinking Brad Steven's ship.  It's all on the players.

So, let's cut Danny a break before he might be cut.  Let's turn this on the players and see how they respond.  After all, in the end, they are the ones out of the court and are being paid FAR more than Brad and Danny combined and squared.  The players have nothing to lose and everything to lose.  They need to figure it out. Danny's right.  

If we're still having this conversation, say, 10-15 games from now and we haven't found our way out of this mess top to bottom, we'll call it a season, conclude that everyone is at fault and agree to a 1st round bow out if we even make it to the playoffs.  That way we can enjoy the rest of the games and the season for what they are...entertainment.  Sound reasonable?

I would imagine the odds makers are beginning to get a little more hesitant with BOS.  I would guess we are still favored tonight, but they may have shaved a 1/2 point off or a full point.  Let's see...yep.  BOS -2.  That's virtually a tie.  -5 is a blow out.  -7 is a good old fashioned ass whippin'.  Basically you see this when the Lakers play Detroit or any other bottom feeder.  Anything more than -7 the odds makers are shooting themselves in the foot.

When does Marcus come back?!  Anyone?  For now, he's our only hope!

db

One of the things I will be looking at/for is their energy level.  I want/need to see some Pride.  I realize Trae Young does that to a lot of teams but we're not a lot of teams.  You can change coverage (which would be Brad) but all that means nothing without out having the Pride necessary to hate losing twice in a row, especially to the same team.  Brad cannot give the players pride, nor should he.  Any player that isn't enough of a competitor that he's going to go out there and give 100% every second shouldn't be on this team.  That doesn't mean hitting every shot, it means not getting outworked.  Ever.  I know Vince Lombardi said that "fatigue makes cowards of us all", so making sure our guys aren't tired is Brad's job even though it upsets some of us that he's sitting this player or that too long, but if you're not tired you should never be outworked. Outplayed? Maybe, depending upon your defensive assignment etc, but outworked? Never.

Jaylen's playing hard out there every night, despite having tendonitis.  He hasn't tuned out anybody.  Kemba's playing hard out there too.  Once again, not hitting every shot but he's working as best as he can.  He hasn't tuned out anybody.  I'm willing to give Tatum some slack because of his post-COVID complications.  PP and AN are working their rookie asses off (I'm particularly impressed with Nesmith's efforts, results notwithstanding). Thompson is up-and-down. He says the right things, I need to see it every night.

They need their heads in the game, whether they are on the floor playing or on the bench watching.  I'm going to be watching bench reactions tonight.  I want to see energy exploding out of them.

I said after the last game I don't know wtf to think about this team, and I don't, but I do know wtf to think about a winning, championship mentality and it's never too soon nor too late to have it.  It begins tonight.  This is kill or be killed.  I want to see an absolute feral mentality coming from the Green (or black or whatever color they wear tonight.  They don't seem to like to wear white and green anymore.  I'm old school and think teams should wear their whites at home and colors on the road but really I'm just happy they've thrown away those gray pajamas.  They depressed the shit outta me).

Jaylen is "questionable" for tonight's game due to "left knee soreness", aka tendonitis. Theis is back. That should help against their front court.

Just a crazy idea, but maybe Brad should play Tremont against Trae? He might be the only player we have that has the speed to stay in front of Young. PP has grit but Young sells fouls very well. Kemba can't. JeT is useless. Most Young's points in the last game were 2s. That's because they set good picks, we played lousy pnr defense and we had nobody fast enough to beat Young to the screen. That could be Tremont. I think he's worth a 2-4 minute experiment.


Bob


.

dbrown4 wrote:Lots' has been written.  Looks like Danny is going to go down with the sinking Brad Steven's ship.  It's all on the players.

So, let's cut Danny a break before he might be cut.  Let's turn this on the players and see how they respond.  After all, in the end, they are the ones out of the court and are being paid FAR more than Brad and Danny combined and squared.  The players have nothing to lose and everything to lose.  They need to figure it out.  Danny's right.    

If we're still having this conversation, say, 10-15 games from now and we haven't found our way out of this mess top to bottom, we'll call it a season, conclude that everyone is at fault and agree to a 1st round bow out if we even make it to the playoffs.  That way we can enjoy the rest of the games and the season for what they are...entertainment.  Sound reasonable?

I would imagine the odds makers are beginning to get a little more hesitant with BOS.  I would guess we are still favored tonight, but they may have shaved a 1/2 point off or a full point.  Let's see...yep.  BOS -2.  That's virtually a tie.  -5 is a blow out.  -7 is a good old fashioned ass whippin'.  Basically you see this when the Lakers play Detroit or any other bottom feeder.  Anything more than -7 the odds makers are shooting themselves in the foot.

When does Marcus come back?!  Anyone?  For now, he's our only hope!

db

The calf is the latest big thing injury wise in the L, AD is gonna be out at least a month and we know what happened with Durant’s historic calf strain. Bad calf can lead to the worse injury for any athlete the dreaded Achilles. Hope Marcus can come back whenever he is ready....I’m focusing on further development of 2 J’s, would like to see the 2 rooks get in rotation and ofcourse hope Brad can free RWill. Maybe we can jell by playoffs and surprise some of the top seeds.

Bob good call on Tremont, worth a shot, also let’s see if Stevens can come up with anything different in defending Young. Nets are so cautious with Durant and Kyrie, if either has even a twinge on their pinkie they will be given the night off. I have no problem resting Jaylen, he is the franchise, we need him healthy.

I almost forgot about Theis being injured. That will be good. Usually, with great accuracy, we lose the FIGABABA and then win the SEGABABA. Let's hope that will continue tonight!

db

dbrown4 wrote:Lots' has been written.  Looks like Danny is going to go down with the sinking Brad Steven's ship.  It's all on the players.

So, let's cut Danny a break before he might be cut.  Let's turn this on the players and see how they respond.  After all, in the end, they are the ones out of the court and are being paid FAR more than Brad and Danny combined and squared.  The players have nothing to lose and everything to lose.  They need to figure it out.  Danny's right.    

If we're still having this conversation, say, 10-15 games from now and we haven't found our way out of this mess top to bottom, we'll call it a season, conclude that everyone is at fault and agree to a 1st round bow out if we even make it to the playoffs.  That way we can enjoy the rest of the games and the season for what they are...entertainment.  Sound reasonable?

I would imagine the odds makers are beginning to get a little more hesitant with BOS.  I would guess we are still favored tonight, but they may have shaved a 1/2 point off or a full point.  Let's see...yep.  BOS -2.  That's virtually a tie.  -5 is a blow out.  -7 is a good old fashioned ass whippin'.  Basically you see this when the Lakers play Detroit or any other bottom feeder.  Anything more than -7 the odds makers are shooting themselves in the foot.

When does Marcus come back?!  Anyone?  For now, he's our only hope!

db

Baring a favorable trade that utilizes much of the exception, you most likely will be having this conversation in 10-15 games. Gordon Hayward. Hornets record close to .500 this year up from .354 last year. Best all around basketball player on last year’s team - shot, handle, rebounding, court awareness. His absence has accelerated Jaylen’s growth as a player but to the detriment of the all around team on the court this year. It’s looking like a potential development year for good reason.

dbrown,

+1 for FIGABABA.

Young leads Atlanta against Boston after 40-point performance

https://www.espn.com/nba/preview?gameId=401267611

Atlanta Hawks (12-16, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (14-14, fifth in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta plays the Boston Celtics after Trae Young scored 40 points in the Hawks' 122-114 victory over the Celtics.

The Celtics are 10-9 in conference play. Boston is sixth in the NBA with 11 offensive rebounds per game led by Tristan Thompson averaging 2.9 offensive boards.

The Hawks are 8-9 against conference opponents. Atlanta has a 0-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

The teams meet for the second straight game.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 25.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum is averaging 24.6 points and seven rebounds while shooting 39.2% over the last 10 games for Boston.

Young leads the Hawks averaging 26.5 points and is adding 3.8 rebounds. Clint Capela is averaging 13.2 rebounds and 15.1 points per game over the last 10 games for Atlanta.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 4-6, averaging 107.9 points, 42.9 rebounds, 20.9 assists, 6.6 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 43.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.9 points on 47.4% shooting.

Hawks: 3-7, averaging 113.2 points, 42.1 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points on 47.7% shooting.

INJURIES: Celtics: Romeo Langford: out (right wrist), Marcus Smart: out (calf), Daniel Theis: out (finger), Kemba Walker: out (rest).

Hawks: De'Andre Hunter: out (right knee), Kris Dunn: out (right ankle), Bogdan Bogdanovic: out (knee), Rajon Rondo: out (back).

Trae Young, Hawks cap two-game series at Celtics

https://sports.yahoo.com/trae-young-hawks-cap-two-191437050.html

Thu, February 18, 2021, 2:14 PM

The visiting Atlanta Hawks will get a chance to test their newfound fourth-quarter resolve on Friday when they play their second straight game against the Boston Celtics.

The Hawks ended their four-game losing streak by beating the Celtics 122-114 on Wednesday night. The victory also snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Celtics and was the first Atlanta win in Boston since April 8, 2018.

The Hawks again will have assistant coach Nate McMillan running the team on Friday. He is filling in for head coach Lloyd Pierce, who returned to Atlanta for the birth of his second child.

The victory reversed a trend of fourth-quarter struggles for the Hawks. It was the 17th time they had taken a lead into the fourth quarter, but only the 10th time they've managed to close it for a victory.

"It was something we were all echoing in the huddle late in the game," Trae Young said. "We wanted to get stops and then also close out the game. We've been in a couple games recently where we've had leads and given it up late in the game."

Much of Atlanta's fourth-quarter success on Wednesday can be attributed to Young. He scored 16 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and helped rebuff Boston's comeback hopes with a key basket or assist. He scored eight points after the Celtics cut the lead to six with 2:38 remaining.

It was the third time in his career that Young has scored 40-plus points with 20 or fewer field-goal attempts; he was 14 of 20 shooting. The only other players in franchise history to accomplish the feat were John Drew, Zelmo Beaty, Richie Guerin and Bob Pettit, all before the 3-point shot became part of the game.

"We want to establish tempo, and it really starts with Trae and with our defense, getting stops and rebounding the ball," McMillan said. "We want Trae to keep pressure on that defense, pushing the ball, looking to attack. If he doesn't have anything, get us organized and get us into a set."

The past few weeks have not been easy for the Celtics, either. Boston has lost five of its last seven games and seen its record slip to .500. Jayson Tatum, who scored 35 points against the Hawks, acknowledged the struggles but isn't ready to quit.

"It hasn't been easy," Tatum said. "But we believe. We believe in each other. We believe in ourselves. We're going to figure it out."

Boston has been particularly vulnerable in transition defense, although the Celtics allowed only 10 fast-break points against the Hawks.

"I think it's an area that has to improve if you're going to have any chance of being a good team," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "Those baskets kill you, so we have to do a better job of that."

The Celtics should get Kemba Walker back for the rematch. The veteran was withheld for load management on Wednesday. He has averaged 17.8 points and six assists in 32 career games against Atlanta. Walker missed two games against Atlanta last season. Daniel Theis missed his second game with a sprained right index finger, suffered Sunday against Washington, and remains uncertain.

--Field Level Media

Jay King @ByJayKing
about 6 minutes ago
Jaylen Brown has been upgraded to available for tonight’s game, per the Celtics.