Lessons Learned from Atlanta Hawks' 1st-Round Series with the Nets so Far
The Atlanta Hawks haven't had the postseason their fans were hoping for thus far.
The No. 1-seeded Hawks are leading their first-round series against the No. 8-seeded Brooklyn Nets 3-2, but none of the wins has come easy. The battle-tested Nets never give up and always have a late-game run up their sleeves, outscoring Atlanta in the fourth quarter of all five games.
Although Brooklyn's veterans have played very well to put a scare in the Hawks, Atlanta has also not played up to its standards. The squad's execution isn't as sharp as it was in the middle part of the regular season and is seeing the consequences on the scoreboard.
Here are five main takeaways for the Hawks based on what's happened so far in this tight first-round matchup.
The Hawks Need to Make Their Shots
1 of 5
As NBA legend Bill Russell said in a conversation with Uncle Drew, "This game has always been and will always be about buckets."
Preventing buckets from the opposition is also pretty important (the defensive stud Russell should know that better than anyone), but he's still mostly right—it's difficult to win games when you can't make your shots. The Hawks are struggling to exploit the Nets' 23rd-ranked defense, mainly because their looks aren't falling as frequently as they're used to.
Credit Brooklyn for playing solid defense, but a lot of the blame falls squarely on Atlanta for its shooting struggles.
The Hawks' success rate on shots when a defender is "very tight" has plummeted from 42.5 in the regular season to 35.5 in the playoffs. When a defender is just "tight," Atlanta's percentage has dropped from 50.4 to 44.0. And lastly, the Hawks are making just 39.8 percent of their "wide-open" looks in the postseason, down from their regular-season mark of 46.1 percent.
It's kind of a "duh" thing, but if a team can't take advantage of the shots it's given, it's going to be in trouble.
The Hawks aren't hitting very well right now. Whether it's just a cold streak or because they lost some of their rhythm from all of the late-season rest, they need to regain their shooting touch if they want to advance deep into the postseason.
Thabo Sefolosha Is Sorely Missed
2 of 5
The Hawks got a taste of life without Thabo Sefolosha when he missed nearly two months of the regular season with a calf strain. Overall, when the 30-year-old swingman took the court, Atlanta was 43-9. Without him, the squad was 17-13. It's pretty clear that Sefolosha's defense and leadership is a valuable cog in Atlanta's second unit.
But now that his leg is broken after an incident with the New York Police Department, the Hawks are missing his presence more than ever.
Atlanta's reserves weren't expected to dominate Brooklyn's, but they were supposed to at least keep pace. So far, the Nets bench is averaging 27.4 points per game while Hawks reserves have mustered just 24.0.
The difference in the benches' efficiency is the main issue, however, especially among perimeter players. Brooklyn's two main reserve guards, Jarrett Jack and Alan Anderson, are posting a combined 24.6 points per contest on 62.7 percent shooting. On the other hand, Atlanta's Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore are averaging just 11.4 points per game between them on 36.1 percent shooting.
If Sefolosha were in the lineup, he could've taken some minutes from the ineffective Schroder and Bazemore while helping to contain Jack and Anderson with his fantastic defense. And with his 78 games of playoff experience, he would've provided on-court leadership for the Hawks' younger players.
DeMarre Carroll Is Worth Keeping Around
3 of 5
In February, DeMarre Carroll was the only Hawks starter who didn't make the Eastern Conference All-Star roster.
Two months later, Carroll has been the team's best player thus far in the postseason.
"Junkyard Dog" is playing at a remarkably high level, averaging 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. A shooting slash of .500/.423/.800 indicates he's playing efficiently, too. He's knocking down his threes, finishing well at the rim and creating for his teammates all while limiting the impact of the Nets' Joe Johnson on the defensive end of the floor.
His on-off court splits are staggering, as well—with him on the court, Atlanta outscores Brooklyn by 11.0 points per 100 possessions. When he sits, the Nets outscore the Hawks by 29.0 points per 100 possessions.
Yes, you read that correctly. Carroll entering the game swings the contest a whopping 40 points per 100 possessions in Atlanta's favor.
His teammates recognize how hard the small forward worked to get better. According to Peachtree Hoops' Kris Willis, Al Horford said the following about Carroll: "I've been his teammate for the past two seasons, and just the work he keeps putting in. It's good to see when people who work hard like him start getting rewarded, and the game is coming easy to him. He's making the most out of this opportunity."
Heading into free agency, the Hawks have to make re-signing Carroll a priority. He's becoming more and more of an all-around player, and with only 6,834 minutes of NBA playing time under his belt, he's a young 28-year-old.
For an in-depth look at Atlanta's options with Carroll (and the other Hawks free agents) this summer, take a look at this insightful piece by Basketball Insiders' Nate Duncan. To summarize Duncan's proposition, the Hawks have two main ways to retain Carroll: signing him to a cheaper long-term deal (around $25.4 million over four years) or inking him to a pricier short-term deal ($21 million over two years, for example), which is a better representation of his market value and the more likely route.
Junkyard Dog will have no shortage of suitors this summer, so the Hawks will need to keep their price competitive.
Dennis Schroder Isn't Quite Ready for Big Time
4 of 5
Dennis Schroder has a great chance to be an NBA star one day. But that day is still a few years away.
Schroder's nightmarish first-round series is a huge reason to pump the brakes on the notion that he's ready for a starting role. In his five postseason games this year, the second-year German floor general is averaging 8.8 points on 8.4 shots per game off the bench.
On the other hand, his reserve point guard counterpart, Jarrett Jack, is averaging 12.6 points on 8.8 shots per contest. Schroder's assists are also at just 3.2 per game, just a hair higher than his 2.8 turnovers.
It's those turnovers that are especially concerning. Schroder is forcing drives and passes that aren't there way too often, an issue he struggled with tremendously during his rookie season but was starting to correct this year.
The 21-year-old has way too much natural talent for anyone to give up on him now. He's lightning-quick, has a knack for finishing inside and had a great 2014-15 season overall. Five postseason games don't change any of those facts.
Schroder just still has a lot of room for improvement.
The Hawks Can Still Win the East
5 of 5
Yes, the Hawks probably peaked too early in the season. Yes, they lost some of their mojo by resting their starters so much during the last several weeks of the season.
But have they lost their status as an Eastern Conference contender? Not at all.
The second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who most assumed would represent the East in the NBA Finals, will have to navigate the postseason without Kevin Love. The star forward injured his shoulder in Game 4 of Cleveland's first-round series against the Boston Celtics and is out four to six months, according to the Cavs' official website. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and a few dependable role players will make them tough, but definitely not unbeatable.
The third-seeded Chicago Bulls looked great in building a 3-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. But the Bucks stormed back to win two games and now look to tie the series Thursday night in Milwaukee. Inconsistency is still an issue for the Bulls, as it was all regular season.
Should the Hawks advance to the second round, they'll face a rested Washington Wizards squad who swept the Toronto Raptors in the opening round. Washington looks like a formidable opponent, but the Hawks won the season series against the Wizards 3-1, would have home-court advantage and could take advantage of the Wizards' rust.
In fact, the home-court advantage Atlanta would have in any Eastern Conference series could be a huge key going forward. For all of the Hawks' struggles late in the regular season and early in the playoffs, they've still compiled an overall record of 38-6 on their home court. Simply put, the Hawks are a difficult team to beat in Philips Arena.
First things first, of course—Atlanta needs to fend off the feisty, veteran-laden Nets in the first round—but neither the team nor its fans should get down on its chances to reach the NBA Finals.
All statistics are from Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com/stats and updated through April 30 unless otherwise indicated.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
