RealGM

I have always assumed it would be ATL but at this point, ATL and BRK are 2-2

Either way, we are resting and healing up while also gathering great game tape on the weaknesses of both team.

The ATL image have been broken. They can be beat.

ATL isn't scaring me. I actually think they can do really well against them having just warmed up on TOR.

BRK would be more against a more traditional big. They have Lopez down low. I'll have to watch the next ATL vs BRK game to get a better feel for BRK and where they are. DW had been playing like ass but looks like he had a break out game.

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400790924

But with BRK, that PP going against his old team.

I think we beat either team honestly.

Paul will have them lathered for war game one. Like a bullet shot out of a cannon. And if they win game 1 on the road, the same scenario that just played out will be in play again. They will be hell bent to win game 2 on the road as well.

Williams is playing with Tendonitis. No way he can keep up with Wall, and I don't think anyone can realistically bet on Jarrett Jack competing in a head to head against John. Joe Johnson would be the only player that would scare me on the nets, but honestly. I think Pierce can check him straight up and keep him out of the post if Porter doesn't have the strength to battle him. Hell, John could as well. It would really take thad young playing out of his mind to give BRK a chance. I have complete faith in our frontcourt handling Lopez if it came down to it.

Our offense depends on wall being able to get past his man
Lowry was too fat to stop wall. dude is on a see food diet
Williams is old as **** id much rather have him guard wall than Teague

I'd prefer the Nets

The Hawks do a great job in passing lanes and clogging the middle

Wall turned it over a TON vs the ATL Hawks this season.

Tough one.

The Hawks are small and kinda soft inside, so Wiz could outrebound them the whole series, but they have a very good coach and system. Also, if they get hot from 3 it's almost impossible to win. Millsap is a hard cover for any of our PF's, including Pierce.

OTOH, Lopez is too tall and good offensively. Gortat probably can't defend him (he had problems with Hibbert last year, and Hibbert is not even close to Lopez offensively). Young is also a bad matchup for our 4's, but he's less talented than Millsap. Their players, especially D-Will, will be pissed and motivated from Pierce's comments, but as we saw from Raps it may not be enough.

At the same time, i remember Wittman saying that before the Raptors series he sat down with Pierce and PP told him about Toronto's playing style, their tendencies, weaknesses, strenghts, etc. So, if we face the Nets i'm confident PP wil help Randy come with a good game plan for the series. And since i like Hollins as a coach and i'm not very fond of Randy i think PP helping game planning is a huge plus. So, i have to say i prefer to face the Nets.

Brooklyn. Absolutely. You much rather play the eight seed that won 38 games at home than the one seed that won 60 on the road. We'd beat Brooklyn in four or five.

If the Nets win, I might be able to fall backwards into a ticket, and I wouldn't have to travel.

That being said, I am a little worried about Gortat's ability to guard a super heavyweight like BroLo. And, a part of me wants the series to end more quickly so that the Wizards' rest doesn't turn into rust.

But yeah, I think we'd rather face the Nets. Pierce has already talked enough trash about Deron to set the storyline for that series. It would make for a fun atmosphere.

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fa ... /18/42/438

It doesn't look that bad tho

The Nets would likely lose to the Raps in a 7 game series so seeing them battle toe to toe against the Hawks makes me incredibly optimistic about our 2nd round matchup regardless of who wins.

Dat2U wrote:The Nets would likely lose to the Raps in a 7 game series so seeing them battle toe to toe against the Hawks makes me incredibly optimistic about our 2nd round matchup regardless of who wins.

This. No matter how good that Hawks were at one point this year, they are now 2-2 with a 38-win team. The Wizards and their fans can watch this series and not worry about who we want to play, but realize that we are capable of beating either team.

I think both teams are vulnerable. Atlanta is hurting for sure. And I think they miss having Sefolosha. Brooklyn has trouble focusing on the road but Brooklyn has a hot center in Lopez.

I would still much rather play Brooklyn and take the homecourt advantage.

dckingsfan wrote:I think both teams are vulnerable. Atlanta is hurting for sure. And I think they miss having Sefolosha. Brooklyn has trouble focusing on the road but Brooklyn has a hot center in Lopez.

I would still much rather play Brooklyn and take the homecourt advantage.

Home court advantage does sound like it would be appealing. Though its a rhythm we don't know yet. So there so appeal to me that they do what they know.

Either match up is going to be fun to watch.

Paul vs his old team. He would so troll D Will.

But the ATL series and taking down the #1 seed is a better rabbit to bag and its the style we warmed to last series.

As an aside. I watched that MIL game. I really like that young team. They should be around for a while.

fishercob wrote:

Dat2U wrote:The Nets would likely lose to the Raps in a 7 game series so seeing them battle toe to toe against the Hawks makes me incredibly optimistic about our 2nd round matchup regardless of who wins.

This. No matter how good that Hawks were at one point this year, they are now 2-2 with a 38-win team. The Wizards and their fans can watch this series and not worry about who we want to play, but realize that we are capable of beating either team.

THIS^2.

I just hope the team doesn't become overconfident by way of this line of thinking.
I assume The Oracle will make sure this doesn't happen.

The longer the series goes, the more vulnerabilities of either team could be revealed.
That said, I believe much of this is already known but given the speed with which games
(with different teams) go by, it's hard to implement adjustments until the postseason.

Pick your poison, Teague or Lopez? I guess I fear the ATL match-up more, but neither team is going to be a cakewalk like the Raps.


#FireErnie ~ Because he believed Stephen Curry couldn't help us and Jan Vesely could.

fishercob wrote:

Dat2U wrote:The Nets would likely lose to the Raps in a 7 game series so seeing them battle toe to toe against the Hawks makes me incredibly optimistic about our 2nd round matchup regardless of who wins.

This. No matter how good that Hawks were at one point this year, they are now 2-2 with a 38-win team. The Wizards and their fans can watch this series and not worry about who we want to play, but realize that we are capable of beating either team.

Until they remember how good they are and flip the switch back to "on." This Hawks team isn't last year's Pacers team, they don't have the locker room divisions undermining their season. And even that Pacers team remembered they were the one seed and put us away.

No, this isn't really a question. Of course we want the Nets if we get the choice.

But I agree that we shouldn't be afraid of the Hawks any more. We still have trouble defending the 3 point line and we'd turn it over in droves against their defense, but we can also pound them down low and we'd have the best player on the court.

It doesn't matter who we face. As the poet Moses Malone would say, fo fo fo fo.

I'd prefer the Nets obviously. Home court, and Williams doesn't stand prayer against Wall on his gimpy legs.

Ruzious wrote:It doesn't matter who we face. As the poet Moses Malone would say, fo fo fo fo.

And he came dang close to being dead on target. PHL lost one game that year in the postseason, to MIL.

Bobby Jones, still one of my all time favs.

dobrojim wrote:

Ruzious wrote:It doesn't matter who we face. As the poet Moses Malone would say, fo fo fo fo.

And he can dang close to being dead on target. PHL lost one game that year in the postseason, to MIL.

Bobby Jones, still one of my all time favs.

Yup, George McGinnis (sp?) probably put up better numbers, but I'd take Jones over him 7 days a week.

I would much, much rather get the Nets. Not only because of the talent disparity, but you gotta think, even with just one year with them Paul should have a good idea of their tendencies and gameplans to exploit weaknesses