Well, there's nothing like a little playoff scrimmage to get you feet wet.
The Boston Celtics’ dominance during the regular season earned them a venerable bye in the first round with the Atlanta Hawks' matchup.
As a confirmed Celtics fanatic, and someone who has spent the majority of this season sketching out what the 17th championship banner might look like up in the rafters of Boston Garden, I’ll be rooting for the Hawks to show up strong.
The C’s need to see some intensity before they meet the bona fide playoff teams. But the odds are against getting much of anything from the lowly Hawks.
I’d usually go into some matchups and detail what the Hawks need to do to win, but why? I’d honestly rather hear something from the Hawks contingent out there, from someone who believes in this team.
At the very least I'd like to hear if anyone has a grip on what the franchise's goals will be after they are swept from the first round.
Does the Hawks' front office plan on keeping Mike Bibby? How about Joe Johnson?
Joe carts off a ton of cash every year, but is he worth it? Do you trade him to get some depth? Would you like to shed his salary and get some bigs to put alongside Al Horford?
I know everyone likes Zaza Pachulia because he’s a big Caucasian dude, has a funny name, and plays hard. But homey ain’t gonna get you to the second round of the playoffs.
C'mon, Hawks fans, I left Marvin Williams out just so you have some place to go!
Now I realize that by calling out the fans it just looks like I don’t want to go through writing about the series. Here’s my thing about that—I’m being honest and admitting that the last thing I want to do is comment about the very obvious. It's a waste of time.
The Hawks are going to get stomped harder than a narc at a biker rally, so why go into the details of their being over-matched in every facet of the game?
What's more relevant to everyone scanning Bleacher Report is to know if any Hawks fans are actually sharing space with the other NBA fans in the universe (at least more than the three or four Hawks fans I envision).
It's not too far-fetched to think that if there are any Hawks supporters, they'll be willing to comment about the stinky nature of their team.
Look, I’m just standing tall and saying it out loud. I don't feel like I'm doing it in the limp-wristed Stephen A. Smith way—I feel like I'm doing this in a concerned-for-my-team kind of way.
I’m a Celtics fan, and I need some first round competition to get my team primed for a championship run. Unfortunately, I get the Hawks instead of a high caliber squad.
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5 months ago
Fuck this waste of time and the semen-drinker that wrote it.
5 months ago
Rick,
Thanks for providing a random sample of the Hawks fan base. I'll be sure to ask some easier questions of for you folks next time around, I can see basketball oriented commentary isn't your forte.
Go Hawks!
5 months ago
Fuck the first comment and the semen-drinker that wrote it.
And for the writer: Good article, mate. I too would have liked to have seen the Celts get an actual priming challenge, but these are the shitty cards that were dealt. The Hawks are the shitty cards. That was for you, first commenter, you crazy semen-drinker.
from 5 months ago
Thanks for the support Spartacus. After what I saw the Sixers do to the Pistons, and remembered who handed us our last loss at home -- I was re-evaluating my disappointment in those shitty cards!
5 months ago
My Hawks are WAAAY in over their heads. Paul Pierce is a nightmare matchup for them defensively, and they have a very short bench. If Bibby comes on, they could make things interesting, but Boston just executes better.
Here's hoping ATL finds a way to win at least one game.
from 5 months ago
Classy feedback. Props to you for this reply. Great insight in pointing out the Pierce matchup. That guy can drop 25 on any team in the league and his tendency to key on mis-matches hardly ever get talked about.
Hey, I'm obviously trying to draw a response with an article like this, so no disrespect to the Hawks. They have some solid pieces, and it's important to remember that this is their first trip to the post season in ten years. That's a really long drought, and this team certainly looks like it has some momentum for the future.
Al Horford is a monster. I hope you guys can hold on to him and Joe Johnson and build around that core.
I'd love to hear some fans talk about Marvin Williams. He seems to have flashes of being a great player, but I don't see his stat line produce quality numbers night in and night out. In my opinion, it's the inconsistent teammates that have a dramatic impact holding a team back.
5 months ago
Marvin Williams lacks the aggression right to really be that kind of player, nor does the team ask that of him. I think if he were on a team that asked him to be a more prolific scorer, he would be. However, that's not his role.
The Hawks biggest problem is the coaching and management. If we had added Bibby earlier in the year we'd be the 5th or 6th seed right now, instead Billy Knight waited for years to get a decent PG in town. That said, Bibby will be here next year, so will Johnson. I just hope Knight and Woodson aren't.
from 5 months ago
Ben,
That makes a lot of sense about Marvin. I think Joe Johnson is the guy that gets the ball on my team, so maybe they move Marvin Williams? Even if they got some draft picks it seems like it could help them out.
Honestly, I don't know much about Mike Woodson and his staff to argue one way or another. Either way, he got them into the post season -- it might not say a ton about his ability, but it's better than anyone else has been able to do in Atlanta in quite awhile.
I do know enough about Billy, and I agree with you. However, it feels like he has enough equity with the team and players to keep the job. He's like carbon dioxide. You know -- you don't really understand its killing you because you never get uncomfortable enough to fight it. Then you just go to sleep and die.
I remember when Antoine Walker got dealt back to the C's a couple of years ago, he was all gushing about Billy and how he respected the way he handled his situation... blah, blah, blah. I just thought it was smoke to cover his tracks for that terrible Jason Terry trade with Dallas.
Props to the Hawks fans that showed up with great b-ball insight and love for their team. Great commentary.
5 months ago
This Hawks team had the talent to finish 5th or so in the East this year. The fact they finished 8th is on the coaches of the shoulders. This team was way too inconsistent, seemingly disinterested at times. Additionally, we were TERRIBLE in the 3rd quarter way too often this year. That tells me other teams have an ability we don't, the ability to make halftime adjustments.
As for Marvin, we should hang on to him. He's a great third option. He can play down low a little, he can put it on the floor a little, and has a decent jump shot. He doesn't excel at either, but is good enough at all three that just about regardless of who you put on him, if he's used properly, he can exploit some sort of mismatch. Not to mention, it's been nice to watch his improvement. Remember, he would just now be finishing his senior year in high school, so he's not yet realized his potential. We need to hang on to him.
Billy Knight should be fired though on the Williams over Paul decision alone, lol. That and the Shelden Williams mistake. He's just a terrible job with this roster, and waited too long on getting a point guard. I don't think anyone could do a worse job, so we might as well try something new.
The J.T. trade is more evidence. A backcourt of J.T. and Joe Johnson would have been pretty good this year.
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