Battle of the Birds: Hawks vs Pelicans

[Jamaaliver]

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[Spud2nique]

We are on national TV today! We’ve only been on a couple of times I think. Hope to have a really good showing but wouldn’t mind dropping the game.

Also, let’s drop two more games.

3/13 vs Memphis

3/25 @ Pelicans

Can’t wait to see what kind of encore Trae & Collins have for us today!

Has there been a rookie to triple double back to back games? I’m guessing probably Magic, Kidd, Westbrook possibly. I still wouldn’t be surprised if Trae did it.

What about back to back 30/20 games? Wes Unseld if I had to guess..Moses...Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Hakeem and Shaq as well could have done this as well.

Our young 1/2 punch looks great.

Go Hawks!

[Spud2nique]

Hawks favored by 2. Over/under 238.

[lethalweapon3]

Just a note that if you're planning on heading to the Hawks-Pels game without reserved parking, you're probably better off taking MARTA.

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Or at least get there VERY early and chill around downtown for a bit with all the Five Stripes fans.


~lw3

[jayu70]

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[ducler]

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[jayu70]

DD might be back.

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[lethalweapon3]

Who are these guys showing up in New Orleans Pelicans outfits? And are their hosts, the Atlanta Hawks (6 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports New Orleans), granted one less hour of sleep last night, too weary to care?

The Pels – if these are, in fact, the Pels – spent last night tucked away in a nearby hotel while the Hawks and Brooklyn Nets engaged in a clankfest for the ages. 118 missed field goals, including 62 missed threes, and 27 missed free throws later, I’m not sure any of the guys masquerading as Pelicans – is Mardi Gras over, yet? – stayed up to catch the ending. They just flew in from New Orleans, but it’s not their arms that are tired.

How quickly did the Hawks players pivot to boning up on the gameplan for Frank Jackson, and Kenrich Williams? Are they thinking of ways to counter the Elfrid Payton-Cheick Diallo pick-and-roll combo? After enduring the wrath of Davis Bertans earlier this week, are they prepped for the NBA debut of his older brother, Dairis? Does anything I’m typing here this afternoon make sense in a language the Hawks can comprehend?

Anthony Davis (back spasms) may play, may not. If he does, AD probably won’t be around for the final quarter, but he might pop in to disrupt an inbound or two. Jrue Holiday’s a no-go (ab strain). Nikola Mirotic was shipped to Milwaukee. The resurgent Jahlil Okafor (ankle) is still questionable. No E’Twaun Moore (re-injured quad), no Trevon Bluiett (thumb surgery), no Tim Frazier (waived), if that matters to anyone.

Their will be at least ten healthy bodies available for beleaguered coach Alvin Gentry to choose from. Color me unconvinced that the Hawks will know more than five of them. Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton remain in The Big Queasy, and they’ll give Trae Young and John Collins, respectively, a harder time over the course of 48 (for all that is holy, please, just be 48) minutes today than the dynamic duo endured last night against Brooklyn.

Dewayne Dedmon will return in a limited capacity to relieve some of the pressure on Collins and Alex Len to limit opponent paint points. The challenge for Atlanta to come away victorious depends on how prepared the wing players (Kevin “Strawberry Shortcake” Huerter, Taurean Prince and Kent Bazemore) will be to defend players like Ian Clark, ex-Piston Stanley Johnson, Bertans (the other one), and Solomon Hill.

Dell Demps’ time pulling the Benson Family purse-strings was about past due. But for all the missteps and confusion created around the Unibrow saga, probably the least-wise decision was keeping an obvious successor around to supplant him. Consultant, schmonsultant. You can’t tell me Danny Ferry didn’t know what he was doing.

Assuming he’ll be tabbed to stick around for the long haul, Ferry will be inheriting Atlanta’s G-League outfit, the Erie Bayhawks, next season, as the Pelicans spend a couple seasons getting new minor league digs ready in Birmingham. In the meantime, Ferry’s smartest maneuver will be to wrest the Nopes’ basketball, conditioning and rehab operations away from the Aints’ Spygate and Bountygate brains lingering around the front office.

Playing on back-to-back evenings with Daylight Savings Time in the middle is a challenge for any NBA club. But the Hawks will do fine if they took time to figure out how to stop their newest sensation, Benny du Monde.

Okay, fine, I just made that last name up. I’m just testing them!


Go Legends! Go United! And, Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3

[Hazer]

I just hope TrATL and J-Bap show out again in front of a national audience (and in front of Anthony Davis) and we come away with another entertaining competi-tank L.

[HMFFL]

New Orleans is favored to win by 2 points.


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[hawkmanreturns]

I just hope TrATL and J-Bap show out again in front of a national audience (and in front of Anthony Davis) and we come away with another entertaining competi-tank L.

Agreed. Another showing like last night would be ideal. There's next to no value in winning this one.

[Nathan2331]

Here goes our Anthony Davis audition. KD + AD on the Hawks makes too much sense in my mind, we just need to give them the same vision.

[DirtybirdGA]

Another slow start for Young

[Hazer]

Putting The Huert on ‘em.

[Nathan2331]

Glad to see Huerter play with confidence this first half. I know Pierce isn't necessarily making anyone a fixture in the offense, but he needs to make sure Huerter is involved every game. Huerter is too passive, he's got all the talent be a nice SG, but too often he doesn't look to make an impact on the game.

[benhillboy]

I never worried about Kevin. He is smart enough to pick and choose when to be aggressive. I think he should move a little more off the ball to get those rhythm looks from Trae. Trae’s favorite reads are 1 feeding a Big, 2 hitting a cutter, or 3 taking the shot. If Kevin finds those open creases Trae will surpass those options.

I could understand Trae struggling versus Holiday but he ain’t playing. I expect him to get it going in the second half.

[benhillboy]

Damn I don’t know Vince was shooting .398 from three but yeah. He’s been awesome. Seems like Bembry should be much higher than .288. Had a huge drop off after a great start but I still like the threes he takes and the ones he doesn’t.

[DirtybirdGA]

Throw it down, John

[kg01]

Throw it down, John

Should've created in-game situations in the dunk contest. Would've win it, hands down.

[DirtybirdGA]

Write this down, John Collins with 4 blocks.