Game Thread: Hawks @ Brooklyn

[Jamaaliver]

The Atlanta Hawks look to inch closer to a playoff berth Friday night when they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets. Atlanta leads New York by two games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with four left to play.

A visit to Barclays Center couldn't be coming at a worse time for coach Mike Budenholzer's team. Brooklyn has won 15 straight in Brooklyn and are 22-2 in their last 24 home contests. The Nets have taken both meetings between the two clubs this season winning 91-86 at Barclays and then 127-110 in London at the O2 Arena.

Former Hawks All-Star Joe Johnson is averaging 15.9 points on 46 percent shooting this season but has tormented his former club averaging 26 points in the two meetings while shooting 57 percent from the floor.

[DirtybirdGA]

Nets starters are supposedto get some rest.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQSD0DYLgj4[/youtube]

[PandaKidd]

Starters should be resting, would be nice to steal 1. If we win tonight, its virtually over for the Knicks

[Jamaaliver]

I keep hearing conflicting reports regarding starters:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/andy_vasquez/status/454628090917158912[/tweet]

Either way, they have the 5th seed locked up. I can't imagine they'd play their starters very long.

[Jamaaliver]

21 months later, how are we feeling about that Hawks-Nets trade?

Nets have to be hoping MIA gets the #1 seed and a potential 2nd round matchup of Nets v Heat! I'd love to see JJ and Deron be the first Eastern Conference Team to beat MIA in the playoffs since we did it 4 years ago...

[ATLHawksfan21]

It would be nice to win tonight, but I don't feel like it's a must win game. We have a pretty much guaranteed victory over Milw still ahead of us and I don't see the Knicks finishing 3-1 or 4-0 with that schedule.


I'm most interested in the Pacers/Heat matchup tonight. We really need the Pacers to win the 1 seed if we want to see a competitive first round for our guys. Wade will be out tonight but the Pacers have been straight average on the road all year. A Pacers win would put them 1 game above Miami but they would also hold the tiebreaker since they won 3 out of the 4 games this year. In short, a Pacers win tonight would almost guarantee them the 1 seed.


I was looking at the stats of Pero vs Hibbert today and was amazed at how badly Pero has dominated Hibbert in their two matchups.

Game 1

Pero 16 pts 4 rebs 6/10 FG 3/6 3pt =/- +20

Hibbert 2 pts 4 rebs 1/8 FG +/- -21


Game 2

Pero 18 pts 6 rebs. 7/8 FG 3/4 3pt =/- +10

Hibbert 0 pts 0 boards 0/5 FG. =/- -19 Hibbert only played 9 minutes. I'm sure the large score differential played a big part in Hibbert's lack of minutes but I also think that Pero making him completely useless played a part.

[PandaKidd]

I agree, im mainly interested in Pacers Heat

How do i feel about the Hawks/Nets trade? GREAT. I dont care how well JJ is playing now, hes still making 26 million or something crazy

[MaceCase]

21 months later, how are we feeling about that Hawks-Nets trade?

Nets have to be hoping MIA gets the #1 seed and a potential 2nd round matchup of Nets v Heat! I'd love to see JJ and Deron be the first Eastern Conference Team to beat MIA in the playoffs since we did it 4 years ago...

They have to get past Chicago first, the team that embarrassed them just last year and has proven once again to be a bad match-up for them this year.

[Jamaaliver]

ey have to get past Chicago first, the team that embarrassed them just last year and has proven once again to be a bad match-up for them this year.

Indeed. But both teams are drastically different this season also. No Luol, no Nate Robinson for CHI. Brooklyn, meanwhile has a new coach, new system, added KG and Pierce (and Livingston).

You're right that there are no guarantees for the Nets. But things are completely different for both sides.

[D21]

It's not CHI for sure.
If they finish with one more win than TOR, CHI will be 3rd and BKN will play TOR.

[ATLHawksfan21]

Why cant Teague play with this aggressiveness every game. Its so frustrating watching him take over a game when he wants and then just chill for most of the next game.