Wednesday: Cleveland at Atlanta

Post #1 » by **HMFFL** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 2:33 pm

Recent Meetings (Includes Playoffs)
04/02/10 CLE 93 - ATL 88
12/30/09 CLE 106 - ATL 101
12/29/09 ATL 84 - CLE 95
05/11/09 ATL 74 - CLE 84
05/09/09 ATL 82 - CLE 97
05/07/09 CLE 105 - ATL 85
05/05/09 CLE 99 - ATL 72
03/21/09 CLE 102 - ATL 96
03/01/09 ATL 87 - CLE 88
12/13/08 ATL 97 - CLE 92

We need to win this one and put the bad streak behind us. I guess we'll see if Lebron James sits, but Shaquille O'Neal is suppose to play.

Manny Phresh · Post #2 » by **Manny Phresh** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:16 pm

Did you guys wrap up the #3 seed? Just wondering.

gino_giode · Post #3 » by **gino_giode** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:25 pm

So what are you Hawks fans hoping for? Play hard and lock up the 3? Or tank so you can avoid Orlando and screw us over by giving us the Celts in the 2nd round. I hope it's the former cuz a potential Hawks-Cavs series may almost be as bad as last year's.

Manny Phresh · Post #4 » by **Manny Phresh** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:26 pm

Nevermind... That Milwaukee game last night basically clinched them the #3 spot. Is all the Atlanta starters gonna be playing tomorrow?

gino_giode · Post #5 » by **gino_giode** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:42 pm

Manny Phresh wrote:Nevermind... That Milwaukee game last night basically clinched them the #3 spot. Is all the Atlanta starters gonna be playing tomorrow?

What are you talking about clinched?

Hawks 52-29 1 game remaining
Celtics 50-30 2 games remaining

A Hawks Win and/or a Celtic loss clinches the 3rd seed for Atlanta

A Hawks loss and Celtics win (x2) clinches the 3rd seed for Boston---Own the tie breaker by way of Atlantic Division champion

azuresou1 · Post #6 » by **azuresou1** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:58 pm

gino_giode wrote:
Manny Phresh wrote:Nevermind... That Milwaukee game last night basically clinched them the #3 spot. Is all the Atlanta starters gonna be playing tomorrow?

What are you talking about clinched?

Hawks 52-29 1 game remaining
Celtics 50-30 2 games remaining

A Hawks Win and/or a Celtic loss clinches the 3rd seed for Atlanta

A Hawks loss and Celtics win (x2) clinches the 3rd seed for Boston---Own the tie breaker by way of Atlantic Division champion

Key word being basically.

The odds of the Hawks losing to the Cavs bench team is low, and Boston beating both the Bulls who are fighting for a playoff spot and the Bucks, who will try to build momentum into the playoffs, is very very low.

evildallas · Post #7 » by **evildallas** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:59 pm

If Chicago beats Boston tonight it will probably be subs both ways. If Boston wins tonight then I see starters for the Hawks to try and guarantee a Bucks round 1 match up.

Manny Phresh · Post #8 » by **Manny Phresh** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:10 pm

I forgot about that Division tie breaker. Anyways... I think the Cavs starters are gonna play Wednesday. I'm gonna be mad if Mike Brown pulls some BS like he did sunday and take the starters out in the 4th quarter. If you're gonna play your starters for 3 quarters, then why play them at all?

azuresou1 · Post #9 » by **azuresou1** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:25 pm

Manny Phresh wrote:I forgot about that Division tie breaker. Anyways... I think the Cavs starters are gonna play Wednesday. I'm gonna be mad if Mike Brown pulls some BS like he did sunday and take the starters out in the 4th quarter. If you're gonna play your starters for 3 quarters, then why play them at all?

Why would the Cavs starters play? So LeBron can risk landing wrong and take himself out of the playoffs on the last game of regular season that is completely meaningless for them?

Manny Phresh · Post #10 » by **Manny Phresh** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:37 pm

azuresou1 wrote:
Manny Phresh wrote:I forgot about that Division tie breaker. Anyways... I think the Cavs starters are gonna play Wednesday. I'm gonna be mad if Mike Brown pulls some BS like he did sunday and take the starters out in the 4th quarter. If you're gonna play your starters for 3 quarters, then why play them at all?

Why would the Cavs starters play? So LeBron can risk landing wrong and take himself out of the playoffs on the last game of regular season that is completely meaningless for them?

Shaq is coming back and I guess they at least need a dress rehearsal with all the starters for the playoffs. I agree though. Why do they need to play?

gino_giode · Post #11 » by **gino_giode** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:53 pm

^ IMO The Cavs playing full strength in a game that doesn't mean anything and isn't even a home game for them tells me that they figure the Hawks are a much easier draw for them in the 2nd round as opposed to the Celts who despite some major collapses are still a very dangerous team.

Manny Phresh · Post #12 » by **Manny Phresh** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:21 pm

gino_giode wrote:^ IMO The Cavs playing full strength in a game that doesn't mean anything and isn't even a home game for them tells me that they figure the Hawks are a much easier draw for them in the 2nd round as opposed to the Celts who despite some major collapses are still a very dangerous team.

I by no means want an easy draw... We saw what happened last year with that. It doesn't matter who we play. Celtics or Hawks are not gonna make it easy for us. Hawks have gotten way better since last year and the Celtics are still the Celtics.

Post #13 » by **HMFFL** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:08 pm

Manny Phresh,

For what it's worth you beat a wounded Hawks team last year during the playoffs. Many of us Hawk fans felt Joe Johnson was off, but after the season it was confirmed he was playing hurt. Coach Woodson had some sense to play him 1:30 less on average this season.

Post #14 » by **HMFFL** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:44 pm

Brian Windhorst on Twitter:

Daniel Gibson (personal reasons) will not be available for Wednesday's regular season finale against the Hawks.

Coach Mike Brown said there is a "good chance" that LeBron will sit out Wednesday's regular season finale in Atlanta.

Benedict_Boozer · Post #15 » by **Benedict_Boozer** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:54 pm

I doubt Lebron plays. And that's all that really matters from an ATL perspective, we are like 1-4 in games he has missed this year. Will be an easy win for your squad.

killbuckner · Post #16 » by **killbuckner** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:02 pm

I think the bulls are going to easily win tonight. The Celtics are better off resting their starters since the odds of the Hawks losing to the cavs scrubs are so low. They are an old team and the extra rest matters more than a tiny chance that they get #3 vs #4.

HoopsGuru25 · Post #17 » by **HoopsGuru25** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:05 pm

Boston is a very difficult team to project on a game to game basis because they play better on the road than at home.

ATL DirtyBird · Post #18 » by **ATL DirtyBird** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:10 pm

Shaq is back. Cant wait to watch him explode on us. Either way this is the most posts weve had before the game actually started since last years playoffs.

Post #19 » by **HMFFL** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:26 pm

killbuckner wrote:I think the bulls are going to easily win tonight. The Celtics are better off resting their starters since the odds of the Hawks losing to the cavs scrubs are so low. They are an old team and the extra rest matters more than a tiny chance that they get #3 vs #4.

From my understanding KG and Paul Pierce are going to play tonight and will sit out the final game of the season. I believe Chicago will still win.

HoopsGuru25 · Post #20 » by **HoopsGuru25** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 1:11 am

Miami in 6 over Boston.