What do we prefer: 3rd or 4th seed?

[ATL DirtyBird]

I created this ignoring the first round assuming that we win. 3rd seed will have us most likely playing the Magic in the 2nd round and the 4th will have us playing the Cavs in the 2nd. What do we prefer?

[HoopsGuru25]

I've said this before...I have absolutely no preference when it comes to facing Orlando or Orlando. Both are extremely tough matchups.

I would like to avoid playing Milwaukee in the 1st round though.

[ATL DirtyBird]

I've said this before...I have absolutely no preference when it comes to facing Orlando or Orlando. Both are extremely tough matchups.

I would like to avoid playing Milwaukee in the 1st round though.

Orlando or Orlando? NIce. I know u meant Cleveland.
WIll Shaq be ready for the playoffs? I wouldnt mind any team outside of Milwaukee and Miami(even though we should slaughter them).

[HoopsGuru25]

Ha...I just got done watching the Orlando and LA game(which was a great game btw) when I wrote that.

[ATL DirtyBird]

Orlando almost chocked that game away. Its pretty evident that they will get the 2nd seed. Hopefully they lose first round, which is a real possibility.

[HoopsGuru25]

Orlando almost chocked that game away. Its pretty evident that they will get the 2nd seed. Hopefully they lose first round, which is a real possibility.

That's true. The thing with Cleveland is that we usually keep it close and then lose it in the 4th thanks to Lebron. The Hawks aren't even remotely competitive in the majority of their games with Orlando.

[HoopsGuru25]

This was a pretty bad weekend for the Hawks. They have no shot at the 2nd seed after Orlando beat LA while the Hawks blew a 12 point 3rd quarter lead to Miami and Boston just avoided a terrible loss.

[ATL DirtyBird]

Orlando has the 2 seed sealed. Boston shouldnt of won that game, but they did.
Our schedule favors us. I expect the 3rd seed. I think id rather see the Orlando than Celveland just bc of the refs on the kings side.

[D21]

If BOS is 2nd, it's clearly the 3rd seed, if ORL is 2nd, the 4th is maybe the best, and like I said in the other thread, Woody wanting the 4th seed is the only possibility I would accept for loosing nearly every game to take better record than BOS or ORL. Each time ATL need to win, they loose. With at least half of these games won, ATL should be 2nd at this moment.

[Harry10]

i don't really care. i just want the Heat and Raptors to make the 7th and 8th seed, because i think those two teams have a shot at a first round upset.

[dpaulh]

I prefer to win ball games and let the rest figure itself out. You don't win championships by trying to dance around 2nd opponents. We are trying to win championships right?

[D21]

We are trying to win championships right?

Then ATL would be the first team, with enough space under the tax to use all or big part of his MLE, but that did not use it at all, while trying to win a championship... I let you guess if this team is really wanting to win a title at this moment.

On the other side, I can understand why owner or GM don't want to add salaries if they know that Woody will still continue to use only 6 players.

[dpaulh]

Then ATL would be the first team, with enough space under the tax to use all or big part of his MLE, but that did not use it at all, while trying to win a championship... I let you guess if this team is really wanting to win a title at this moment.

On the other side, I can understand why owner or GM don't want to add salaries if they know that Woody will still continue to use only 6 players.

I don't get where the negativity is coming from. We "desperately" tried to get Ilgauskas and he chose Cleveland instead. Give me one name available out there that would improve our team.

I know you are about to throw a 4 or 5 name out and I guarantee you that he will be worse than Zaza and Joe Smith.

I don't understand why there is still hate for Woody. He has coached very well this year and I think he is the key to whether or not Joe returns.

[HoopsGuru25]

I'm as down on the Hawks as I have been in quite some time. They just haven't been the same since that Cleveland game where they were up 16 late in the 3rd quarter and blew it.

[dpaulh]

This is why stars don't want to come to Atlanta. We are horrible fans. Come on people we are in a playoff race, get excited! Most fans around the league drool when they see in person the talent that we have. We have a very exciting team yet no one even shows up to the games. I have been to plenty of games this year where you could almost count the number of people in the upper deck. No one wants to play in front of crickets. We aren't even smart enough to notice how special Josh Smith and Al Horford are. All we think about is which one should we trade to get a bigger body in there.

Half of the people that post on this site don't even know how to spell. Our color commentator (Nique) doesn't know how to put together a sentence and our newspaper has typos in almost every article. The title of this topic alone screams ignorance. Good teams and good fans don't care about who they play. Come on people get with it and get excited about the young guys we get to watch every other night.

This is ridiculous and this is why I hardly ever post on this site. Yeah, I know I am going to get ripped, but honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. Please at least try and use proper grammar when ripping me though.

Yes, I know that last comment just left me open for a "Nah ah ur stoopid" type of post. Again, it wouldn't surprise me.

[D21]

Then ATL would be the first team, with enough space under the tax to use all or big part of his MLE, but that did not use it at all, while trying to win a championship... I let you guess if this team is really wanting to win a title at this moment.

On the other side, I can understand why owner or GM don't want to add salaries if they know that Woody will still continue to use only 6 players.

I don't get where the negativity is coming from. We "desperately" tried to get Ilgauskas and he chose Cleveland instead. Give me one name available out there that would improve our team.

I know you are about to throw a 4 or 5 name out and I guarantee you that he will be worse than Zaza and Joe Smith.

I don't understand why there is still hate for Woody. He has coached very well this year and I think he is the key to whether or not Joe returns.

I am sorry, but I am not talking about negativity for the pleasure of doing it.
Yes I am happy with the fact that ATL is still in the race for home court advantage, and even a 2nd seed. It's only that sometimes, like in this moment, I feel the reality, and not negativity by itself. And IMO, the reality is that this team, this season, is not build for a championship.

You thought I would give you some names, but actually, I was not talking about players available now, but more about the summer market, and if I said that, it was because I think that a team building for a championship spend at least all the the money available under the tax, or almost that.

Regarding Ilgauskas, that's a good thing we show that kind of reaction, but what can prove they "desperately" tried to get Ilgauskas ?
They "desperately" call him, included some players, but did he get a better offer than other team ?
Did ATL offer him a two-years contract ? Did ATL offer him a contract for more than the minimum ?
We don't know.
If at least it was official that ATL offered more than CLE or other teams, it would prove they "desperately" tried, but other than that, that's not something you can use as valid argument.
And all of that while we know there was 99% of chances he should come back to CLE.

I had no problem with Woody at the beginning, but more and more, I see him playing a 6 players rotation, which appears to not be the best for a "championship team".

I just think that the goal is too do better than last year, with better resistance in second round, and if possible Conference Final. But don't get me wrong, I will be happy with that, even if I realized this last days that the same team than last year, would certainly have at this moment nearly the same record than this team, and I think it's what made me more pessimist.
We were all happy at the beginning of the season, with some doubts on the impact of Crawford,... and it first looked like Crawford was exactly what the team needed, but actually, that's wrong. Yes there a better potential, but the teams doesn't reach it, and continue to loose the games needed to be ahead of ORL or BOS, and still the same problem with ORL.
On the positive sides, ATL seems, with Crawford, to match up better against CLE, because they can't just guard Joe anymore.
That is why I am starting to think that Woody prefers CLE, and wants the 4th seed. It's all benefit for the team and him, because even if they loose in second round, but against CLE, just avoiding a sweep will look like an improvement, which is not right, because last year, there were 3 injured players, so even the same roster would have do better this year.
I have to admit that now, we have Crawford who helps against team like CLE, so the team is actually better than last year in any game with CLE.

Last point on Woody, he seems to coach better, but why did he say that he will use a bigger rotation, and ends with a 6 players rotation, while he was working with 8 players last year ?
If there is no injury, which I hope, it will be a better post-season than last year, that's sure, but if there is one core player out, it's a different thing, and you can put him on Woody for bad managing of the roster.

[HoopsGuru25]

Boston looks like crap. The Hawks may get the 3rd seed by default.

[Hilltop]

As a Magic fan, I do hope you get 3rd place (because I'd rather the Magic face Atlanta than Boston) and I think it would be in your best interests as well (face us instead of Cleveland). Works both ways.

Regardless of which team wins, we are sending Cleveland to a potential Boston match-up in the 2nd Round which is great for either of us. They can rip each other apart and the Celtics might even upset the Cavaliers.

[FCNATL85]

I would personnally favor the 3rd as CLE and ORL seem like a lock at 1st and 2nd. I would prefer to play ORL rather than CLE...
I also would love for Teague to get some PT before the play-offs or at least before he gets traded as Acie...
I also agree with D21 on the short rotation. I do not see how it could help us in the rugged play-offs. Even Joe Smith would need more minutes at the end of the season in order to contribute more during the PO.

[tontoz]

I'd rather finish 3rd. It looks like the Bucks will finish 5th and i would prefer to avoid them. They have been on a roll lately. They just beat utah and have won 10 of 11. their only loss was to us in OT.