[Eastern Conf. 1st Round] Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks

I really hope so. The Hawks are my second favorite team outside of the Rockets. I've been saying for months the Hawks are more dangerous than people realize. I think a lot of it has to do with how the Hawks get little exposure so nobody really even knows they have good players and how they're probably the most athletic team in the league (even without Childress).

The kicker is they've always played Cleveland tough too. They're athletic enough to give LeBron some trouble defensively, and truth be told, didn't really kill them TOO badly in their head-to-heads. The main problem with the Hawks is they always seem to get killed by teams with good PG's. Mo Williams absolutely decimated the Hawks this year. Mostly due to Bibby being a complete statue and an abysmal defender. I'm pretty sure Ryan Bowen could crossover Bibby at this point.

Another issue is the Hawks aren't exactly the most cerebral basketball team in the world. Their collective team bball IQ is pretty low. On top of that they aren't the most mentally tough team either. They have a tendency to get down on themselves and hang their heads in response to big runs, funks and what not. Things you DEFINITELY can't afford to do against a team like Cleveland.

 

Thanks for covering the -4.5 tonight Hawks..

 

Man, Josh Smith put on a dunk CLINIC tonight.

 

I like the Hawks, too. Drafting Marvin Williams (even though he still has good potential) over Chris Paul and D-Will in '05 then Shelden Williams over Brandon Roy and Randy Foye in '06 were two awful drafts for them. They'd be that much better if they got even one of those two drafts right.

 

It pisses me off when people completely diss the hawks and act as if wade can score 80 pts and win a game on his own, all the games he has won with his brilliant performances have been against scrub teams, Atlanta isn't.

Hawks are a deep team, and their starting 5 has no weak spots on offense, and only one weak spot on Defense (bibby).

Their reserves such as Pachulia (great rebounder), Evans (energy, 3pt shooting) and Flip Murray (instant offense)

Hawks get dissed more than Rockets

I hope Hawks can win this in as few games as possible.

 

Being from ATL, of course I have a weak spot for the Hawks. They were bad for so long and thats why no one takes them seriously. I mean, just look how no one gives Joe Johnson the respect he deserves (mainly from some on this board). Josh Smith, while an incredible dunker, is one of the best shot blockers in the league.

Of course Miami is going to get the fanfare because Wade is easily a top 3 player in the league. But going off for 55 against the Knicks and single handedly beating them is one thing. The Hawks are much better than that...especially at home.

Honestly, I think theyre a good coach away from being spectacular. Imagine if JVG took over for Mike Woodson.

I picked Hawks in 6 and Im sticking with that.

 

Hawks did well today~ but I would like to look at how heats play at the home court should they down by 2 prior to returning to Maimi.

 

I can't believe people think this series is a tossup. ATL is better defensively by far and Miami sucks horribly. D-Wade is going to have a T-Mac postseason - he'll put up big numbers and try to put the team on his back, but fail in the 1st round because his supporting cast is garbage.

 

Cook is on fire!

 

Wade is on the superstar mode!

 

they need to put joe johnson or josh smith on him quick. nobody is even contesting his shots.

height/athleticism is the reason hawks have slowed him down.

 

wade

 

Luther Head sighting!

 

I enjoy the Wade display but I can't stop thinking neither of these teams has a chance against the Cavs. It almost feels like I'm wasting my time.

 

Result is not everything! Enjoy the journey!

 

lmfao at chucks reaction to the tnt crew flying a hawk in there studio

this is why tnt is the best

 

D-Wade just completely went off in the 2nd qt. I mean at that point why in the hell did the Hawks not double team him?

 

Hawks will come back.

 

yah i agree hawks are clearly better than heat and wade may be able to win a game or two cause hes great but they wont beat hawks

and iam putting money on hawks upsetting cavs in second round. they are full of athletic freaks and long players who will give cavs and lebron a hard time. smith will make things tough for lebron. all hawks have to do is run run and run some more

 

man, joe johnson is sucking. the heat isn't known for their D too