RealGM

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090320

There's a trend at work here, and Murray has been a huge part of it. The Hawks have been absolutely killing opponents in second quarters, when Murray and Zaza Pachulia normally play nearly the entire frame, and it has been the main reason the Hawks won all seven games on their just-completed homestand.

It's an unusual arrangement because the Hawks are down to a seven-man rotation in Marvin Williams' absence -- Acie Law and Mario West see occasional cameos, but basically Pachulia soaks up all the backup frontcourt minutes, and Murray does the same on the perimeter.

He also calls out that Al and Zaza on the court together are too physical for other teams' 2nd units. Flip value is acknowledged by most everyone, but Zaza gets mixed reviews on this board. Perhaps he's more valuable than original thought if used at the right times?

The Hawks best quarter on the season is the 4th quarter by far. They actually lead the league in 4th quarter scoring differential which is a much bigger sample size than 7 games ....6 w/o our starting SF.

Hollinger is two faced.

Good stuff as usual from Hollinger. It's really incredible to see the huge effect Flip has had on this team. I never would have guessed that after seeing him over the rest of his career. He made himself some $$$ this year, that's for sure.

Retrovision wrote:Hollinger is two faced.

I wouldn't say that. He is just a numbers guy who goes where his numbers point him.

Before the season started his numbers said the Hawks would suck. After they started 6-0 he came out and said it was highly unlikely that their start was a fluke and that the Hawks could be a 50 win team.

the change in his outlook for the Hawks had nothing to do with his personal opinion and everything to do with statistics.

As far as the 2nd quarter goes it is all about Flip. He has exceeded my expectations this year by a mile.

Zaza Pachulia is a golden god.