(1) Chicago @ (5) Atlanta Game 3/4 Thread

[HMFFL]

It's time to take care of business.



Chicago's favored to win by 2.5 points.

[Afridi786]

^You could do better, Larry Drew calling a timeout, come on...

[Ruhiel]

"The Hawks featured a big lineup against Orlando, with Jason Collins at center, Al Horford at power forward, Josh Smith at small forward and Marvin Williams coming off the bench. The assumption is that, because the Bulls don’t have Dwight Howard, the Hawks will go with a front-court lineup of Horford, Smith and Williams

In Monday's Game 1, at least, that should be the case. But going with their usual small lineup means the Hawks will be weaker defensively and, more importantly, on the glass. In the three games between the Bulls and Hawks this season, the Bulls crushed Atlanta on the boards, 44.3-30.3. The Bulls outrebounded the Pacers in the first round, 46.4-38.4. So for the run of this series, Atlanta’s smallish frontcourt might not be the best option.

Drew was crafty against the Magic, and even if he starts this series with Horford at center, that could change. Very often, he would either start Collins against big teams or not play him at all—Collins appeared in 49 games, and 28 were starts.

Teague’s insertion as the point guard, then, is not the only aspect to watch with this Hawks lineup.

Dave Curtis contributed reporting from Chicago.

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2 ... z1LXYCIToy

[dwalton]

I think this is the most important game of the series, because if Chicago loses, then every game after this one will be a must win game for the Bulls

Chicago got lucky that Kirk got hurt, because their are defiantly some weaknesses on the Bulls in regards to defending the 3, and defending point guards. Great job by Teague so far. Teague is a young guy, so the support from the crowd could really boost his game, hopefully.

Like i have been saying, it all depends on Horford. If he could have done alittle more in game two, especially when the Hawks had the lead cut down to 5, the Hawks could have easily won that one. I know Horford has it in him, if he can just play up to par, the Hawks should be able to cruse in this one.

[Afridi786]

^Teague is better than Hinrich, I've watched Hinrich for years, he's declined every year. Your better off with Teague getting the majority of minutes, he has the quickness to keep up with Rose that Hinrich doesn't. Or it might be Rose's bum ankle...he's certainly taking more jump shots and attacking less than he has all year.

[dwalton]

^ Teague has been great. On defense, you couldn't ask for more from Teague, Kirk isn't as athletic as Tegaue but JT is still young and i think Kirk has more experience on defense and has a higher basketball IQ. so i think Kirk's defense would be better on Rose. Teague has Rose shooting a low percentage, i think Kirk could also get Rose to shoot a low percentage and i think Kirk could hinder Rose's passing so it would cut down on Rose's assist.

Teague has been able to score at ease on Rose, but i think Kirk's 3pt shooting would have been more beneficial to the Hawks, especially the post players. i think the key to the Hawks success in this series will be if they can hit more 3s and grab more rebounds than the Bulls, so that is why i think Kirk could have caused more miss match problems for the Bulls.

[Ruhiel]

hinrich has nothing to do with the mismatches we have on the rebounds. Hawks need to go back to Twin Towers

The Magic are actually a worse rebounding "team" than the Bulls. Bass does not create rebounds sort of like Smith can not move bodies.
Sad we only lost by a few points wheen we could have dominated with Pachulia-Collins over Williams/Smith.

[azuresou1]

The only thing we 'need' is for Josh Smith to stop playing like a little bitch and man up and get in the paint.

[jc23]

Chicago got lucky that Kirk got hurt, because their are defiantly some weaknesses on the Bulls in regards to defending the 3, and defending point guards. Great job by Teague so far. Teague is a young guy, so the support from the crowd could really boost his game, hopefully.

Its always nice to have all of you players healthy but I think the consensus on the Bulls board is that Atlanta got lucky when Kirk went down.

Teague is quicker than Hinrich and so far in 2 games has outplayed Hinrich in the Playoffs.

[dwalton]

The only thing we 'need' is for Josh Smith to stop playing like a little bitch and man up and get in the paint.

^yeah, exactly, same thing for both Josh and Horford to stop playing like little bitches and start playing playoff basketball.

[Skyhawk1]

So LD is not happy with J. Smith shot selection. when did that start? This guys has been taking jump shots all year or career long, and it doesn't matter how open he is, it's a bad shot, and the coach finally sees that this is killing the team??? You gotta love when Drew says that with J. Smith you have to live with the bad to get the good, what a joke. Sit his ass on the bench! Man up Drew, show your team who's in charge! Besided that Noah has destroyed him, well, you got one of the best rebounders in the NBA being guarded by one of the worst starting PFs in the league, that's what happens. Horford must step up for us to win tonight.

[Ruhiel]

The only thing we 'need' is for Josh Smith to stop playing like a little bitch and man up and get in the paint.

^yeah, exactly, same thing for both Josh and Horford to stop playing like little bitches and start playing playoff basketball.

really that's you're guys coaching strategy? Hawks are dead in the water lmao
They should have played this poor defensive lineup against Orlando that way the Hawks wouldn't have had to get another 2nd round disappointment.
#ChickenHawks
Small forwards
"The small forward", is typically somewhat shorter, quicker and leaner than power forwards and centers. Small forwards range from 6 feet 5 inches to 6 feet 11. The position is considered to be perhaps the most versatile of the five positions, due to the nature of its role, which is sometimes similar to that of a power forward, and other times resembles a shooting guard's role.
Small forwards have a variety of weapons, such as quickness and strength inside. One common thread between all kinds of small forwards is an ability to "get to the line"; that is, have opposing players be called for committing shooting fouls against them, as fouls are frequently called on the defense when offensive players "take the ball hard" to the basket, that is, to aggressively attempt post-up plays, lay-ups, or slam dunks. Therefore, accurate foul shooting is an imperative skill for small forwards, many of whom record a large portion of their points from the foul line. Small forwards should be able to do a little bit of everything on the court. "

Power forwards
Also known as the "4" position and abbreviated as "PF", the power forward plays a role similar to that of the center, down in the "post" or "low blocks". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. On offense, he can "post up", playing with his back to the basket, or set up for mid-range jump shots.
On defense, he plays under the basket in a zone defense or against the opposing power forward in man-to-man defense. Typical NBA power forwards are 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) to 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) tall, though some power forwards, like the 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) Charles Barkley, have compensated for a lack of height with exceptional bulk and strength.

[Geaux_Hawks]

hinrich has nothing to do with the mismatches we have on the rebounds. Hawks need to go back to Twin Towers

The Magic are actually a worse rebounding "team" than the Bulls. Bass does not create rebounds sort of like Smith can not move bodies.
Sad we only lost by a few points wheen we could have dominated with Pachulia-Collins over Williams/Smith.

This is getting annoying. The Bulls have dominated everybody in the league in rebounding all year. They were #1 in rebound differential. You can't keep them off the boards because thats what they do. D*** near +6 and only Orlando came close with +3.5. They don't give up rebounds either. Will you please realize this. They have had games were they dominated teams like the Wolves, the Lakers, the Grizzlies, the Jazz and those teams have loaded frontcourts for rebounding. Some games they may get outrebounded, but still manages about 45+.

Guys come off the bench rebounding like Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer, Asik, Thomas plus the starters. It's all about effort and technique, and not height and necessarily weight. You are assuming Jason Collins/Zaza will be able to box out Noah and Boozer all game and it won't happen. This series has to be won on the offensive end and making shots. The Bulls aren't going to put 100+ a night on you and barely will get 90+ if Rose isn't going.

[dwalton]

This would be a good time for Marvin to have a solid game. He doesn't play well with Joe, but hopefully he can contribute other ways without the ball and force himself to get some rebounds, offensive rebound, and hit a couple of 3s.

[Ruhiel]

hinrich has nothing to do with the mismatches we have on the rebounds. Hawks need to go back to Twin Towers

The Magic are actually a worse rebounding "team" than the Bulls. Bass does not create rebounds sort of like Smith can not move bodies.
Sad we only lost by a few points wheen we could have dominated with Pachulia-Collins over Williams/Smith.

This is getting annoying. The Bulls have dominated everybody in the league in rebounding all year. They were #1 in rebound differential. You can't keep them off the boards because thats what they do. D*** near +6 and only Orlando came close with +3.5. They don't give up rebounds either. Will you please realize this. They have had games were they dominated teams like the Wolves, the Lakers, the Grizzlies, the Jazz and those teams have loaded frontcourts for rebounding. Some games they may get outrebounded, but still manages about 45+.

Guys come off the bench rebounding like Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer, Asik, Thomas plus the starters. It's all about effort and technique, and not height and necessarily weight. You are assuming Jason Collins/Zaza will be able to box out Noah and Boozer all game and it won't happen. This series has to be won on the offensive end and making shots. The Bulls aren't going to put 100+ a night on you and barely will get 90+ if Rose isn't going.

Lakers- please I remember those games, Bynum never played. it was Noah vs Gasoft
Wolves are the standard for excellence? wtf is going on here.
Wolves have one rebounder in double digits per 36 minutes- Love.
Furthermore They take bad shots and have porous defense = get blown out. Still Noah did not score 19 and 14 rebounds, He had 10 and 9
The Utah Jazz really? They started Kirilenko he had 6 boards
and Jefferson had 18. real balance lol . Blown out by 18.

All u did was prove my point. Chris Paul is a better defensive rebounder
than Carl Landry (yes, check his stats)
but does that mean you want Chris Paul trying to out-technique Pau Gasol? no.

Facts are that Josh Smith is not going to outtechnique Joakim Noah, cuz you said it yourself thats what he does. Josh Smith is not a f***n center on defense.

And on offense there is no way he's scoring unless the Bulls choose to double team and leave him underneath. Even then unless they foul him and he makes the and1 we will be trading 2s for 3s.

Don't give me that's what they do crud. This is what we did to the Orlando Magic outside of Dwight they were weak rebounders. Now Chicago's doing it to us!

[Ruhiel]

This would be a good time for Marvin to have a solid game. He doesn't play well with Joe, but hopefully he can contribute other ways without the ball and force himself to get some rebounds, offensive rebound, and hit a couple of 3s.

he has shown he can do this off the bench.

[Geaux_Hawks]

hinrich has nothing to do with the mismatches we have on the rebounds. Hawks need to go back to Twin Towers

The Magic are actually a worse rebounding "team" than the Bulls. Bass does not create rebounds sort of like Smith can not move bodies.
Sad we only lost by a few points wheen we could have dominated with Pachulia-Collins over Williams/Smith.

This is getting annoying. The Bulls have dominated everybody in the league in rebounding all year. They were #1 in rebound differential. You can't keep them off the boards because thats what they do. D*** near +6 and only Orlando came close with +3.5. They don't give up rebounds either. Will you please realize this. They have had games were they dominated teams like the Wolves, the Lakers, the Grizzlies, the Jazz and those teams have loaded frontcourts for rebounding. Some games they may get outrebounded, but still manages about 45+.

Guys come off the bench rebounding like Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer, Asik, Thomas plus the starters. It's all about effort and technique, and not height and necessarily weight. You are assuming Jason Collins/Zaza will be able to box out Noah and Boozer all game and it won't happen. This series has to be won on the offensive end and making shots. The Bulls aren't going to put 100+ a night on you and barely will get 90+ if Rose isn't going.

Lakers- please I remember those games, Bynum never played. it was Noah vs Gasoft
Wolves are the standard for excellence? wtf is going on here.
Wolves have one rebounder in double digits per 36 minutes- Love.
Furthermore They take bad shots and have porous defense = get blown out. Still Noah did not score 19 and 14 rebounds, He had 10 and 9
The Utah Jazz really? They started Kirilenko he had 6 boards
and Jefferson had 18. real balance lol . Blown out by 18.

All u did was prove my point. Chris Paul is a better defensive rebounder
than Carl Landry (yes, check his stats)
but does that mean you want Chris Paul trying to out-technique Pau Gasol? no.

Facts are that Josh Smith is not going to outtechnique Joakim Noah, cuz you said it yourself thats what he does. Josh Smith is not a f***n center on defense.

And on offense there is no way he's scoring unless the Bulls choose to double team and leave him underneath. Even then unless they foul him and he makes the and1 we will be trading 2s for 3s.

Don't give me that's what they do crud. This is what we did to the Orlando Magic outside of Dwight they were weak rebounders. Now Chicago's doing it to us!

The only thing I referenced to those teams was rebounding. Nothing else. Since you want to point out how Gasol is so soft, I guess his 11 rebounds means nothing and the fact that LA won despite being outrebound 46-38. Only got outrebounded by 1 and lost by 4 in the 2nd game. Utah outrebounds Chicago 48-41 with rebound contributions from AK-47 (10), Milsaps(14), Jefferson(8) and lose by 5. Without Boozer the rebounding #'s was equal at 40-40 and Utah lost by 18. So once again, what does rebounding have to do with a team winning?!?! I guess the only argument you can make is the only time Chicago lost was when the other team broke about even in rebounds in the playoffs.

[Ruhiel]

I think we're mixing up games. I thought Chicago only played Utah and LA once and missed the other games. But yes the only time Chicago lost was when the other team broke about even in rebounds in the playoffs.
Same goes for our wins against Orlando. Same with our regular season wins against Orlando and Chicago. If we don't get the rebound we don't have the ball. If we don't have the ball we have no chance to win. Compound that with
* bad floor spacing, due to everyone trying to play off the dribble
* a lack of free throw attempts and/or post ups close to the buckets

and u see why we settle for bad shots. The Hawks are a totally different team when Pachulia-Collins play next to Horford.
Similar to Ibaka shooting and scoring and blocking more now than ever now that Krstic is gone.
We take a shooter off the floor and replace with a big body now everybody wants to post up, everybody knows when to crash the boards etc.
Holger Gerschwender once said basketball is like jazz and everybody has to know what their part is and when to play it. Hawks have too many jump shooters on the floor and not enough size to set screens or post up down low.

In this current lineup Hawks backcourt players have to draw doubles and make 3 point plays because our frontcourt is all but incapable of isolating and doing it by themselves.

[Geaux_Hawks]

But Chicago and Orlando are 2 different teams. Orlando has one dominant rebounder, with a bunch of weak rebounder surrounding him, while Chicago has a dominant rebounder and a plethora of strong rebounders that put a lot of effort into getting rebounds.

It's easier for Collinss/Zaza to bang against one guy(Dwight) and allow Josh and Al to dominate the weaker forwards, but Chicago has Boozer,Noah,Gibson,Deng, Brewer, Kurt Thomas, the option to go with Asik if they please and all of them are not going to make it easy like Brandon Bass,Turkoglu, Ryan Andersen and others did.

Will you agree that Chicago is a very dominate rebounding team and rarely breaks even or lose a rebounding battle? Then, agree that putting Collins/Zaza on the floor, limits our already limited offense? Because the only thing I can agree with you on is the need for more floor spacing and the lack of FTA's and post ups.

We really need to make a move for Andrea Bargnani. Floor spacing and has a good pump fake and drive move to draw fouls with. When he played with Bosh next to him, including career highs in rebounds(6.1), FG%(47%) & blocks(1.4). Atlanta can provide a lesser version of Bosh in Horford, plus a better help side defender in Smith and make him look like a quality Center.

[HMFFL]

^You could do better, Larry Drew calling a timeout, come on...

How about you create the damn game threads?

I just love to do them so much!