Atlanta Hawks Weekly: A Blast From The Past, And A Bright Future

The Hawks took to the floor four times in five days this week, as the schedule remained jam packed. For the second week in a row, the Hawks were lucky enough to have all of their traveling limited to within their own conference. On Tuesday, the Hawks faced off against LeBron James and his Miami Heat down in South Beach. That was followed by Josh Smith‘s return to Atlanta as a Piston the following night. The Hawks returned the engagement, heading to Detroit for a showdown on Friday night. Before the week finished up with the Hawks returning home to face bitter franchise rival, the Boston Celtics. The Hawks finished the week 2-2, with a mix of good and bad play. Things are definitely looking good moving forward as the team has the third-best record in the conference, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

The Week That Was

Miami Heat – Tuesday, Nov..19 (American Airlines Arena, Miami)

The Hawks headed to Miami, for their first of four meetings with the defending champions this season, having lost seven of their last eight against the Heat. Coming off the back of a strong 3-1 week, the Hawks entered looking to keep up their good play, particularly their highly efficient offense. The Hawks started out strong early on, making their mark on the Heat, who were without Dwyane Wade, while some niggling tendinitis in Paul Millsap‘s elbow meant he was unavailable for Atlanta.

The Hawks controlled the pace, leading for much of the first half. The lead was built up from a mixture of clever offensive sets, strong man on man defense, and an accurate three point touch. Shooting 55 percent from downtown in the first half, allowed the Hawks to keep pace with Miami, and stay in front of them for most of the half. At the break after two quarters, the score was 48-45 with the Heat only up three. This would soon change though.

Mike Scott recorded an outstanding double-double on the trip to face Miami at South Beach. (Photo credit: NBA.com)

Atlanta did a lot of things right in this game, but they only had themselves to blame for their eventual demise. The Hawks won the rebounding battle, made more three pointers, and scored more fast break points than Miami. It wasn’t a case that they lost the individual battles that are key against the Heat either. LeBron James was defended outstandingly by DeMarre Carroll for the whole game, limiting the MVP’s productivity to its lowest level so far this season. Carroll mixed up his approach, meaning James could never know whether to expect high pressure with really tight man on man coverage, or the space to take a mid to long range jump shot. Either way, it worked, as LeBron finished the night with only 13 points.

Unfortunately, for Atlanta, the care and efficiency they have shown on offense for the majority of the season so far abandoned them in the second half. Instead it was replaced by a game of turnover after turnover, giving Miami way too many chances to score. With a season average of only 14 turnovers per game, to that point, the Hawks gifted opportunities to Miami by turning it over a remarkable 24 times. The Heat were impressive from three point range in developing their lead, and Ray Allen had 17 points off the bench to provide a necessary spark. One plus for the Hawks was the strong performance of Mike Scott. Scott, who has shown that he tends to excel in the spotlight of big games, had 15 points and 10 rebounds in his 27 minutes of play. Not that that was enough to stop the Heat charging away, the final score ended up 104-88 in favor of Miami.

Detroit Pistons – Wednesday, Nov. 20 (Philips Arena, Atlanta)

With the arrival of the Detroit Pistons in Philips Arena for the first time this year, the focus of everyone was centered around one man. Atlanta native and former Hawk of nine years Josh Smith returned to Atlanta for the first time since signing with Detroit as a free agent during the summer. Smith’s stats should secure his status as a Hawks legend, but his inclination to take tough, ill advised shots throughout his years in Atlanta mean that instead he can be a divisive figure among Hawks fans. This was something which was very much in evidence on Wednesday night, Smith was both booed and cheered during the pre game introductions, while during the game itself the home fans urged him to shoot from distance every time he touched the ball.

The game itself was perhaps the ugliest the Hawks have been involved in so far this season. Both teams struggled to get into any offensive flow for most of the game, and never was this more than evident than in a first quarter that contained only 28 points in total between the two teams. Although the Hawks struggled shooting the ball early on, they would improve, eventually finishing with a 50.7 percent field goal percentage versus the Pistons paltry 40.2 percent.

Millsap had a game high 19 points. (Photo credit: NBA.com)

The Hawks received a good all around contribution from all corners of their rotation, once again proving the selfless, next man up mentality that head coach Mike Budenholzer seems to be instilling in the group. Paul Millsap led the scoring with a game high 19 points, closely followed by Jeff Teague who had 18 points and 7 assists. Al Horford was as dependable as ever with 10 points and 8 rebounds, while Mike Scott continued to make an impact off the bench, posting 11 points and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes.

The man who was the real difference maker was without doubt DeMarre Carroll though. Carroll had his first career double-double posting 11 points and 12 rebounds, but perhaps even more important was his non box score contribution in providing stellar defense again. Carroll was the man tasked with stopping Josh Smith on his return home and he did an outstanding job. Smith was his usual unstoppable self in the paint going for 5-for-6, but Carroll, much like he did with LeBron on the previous night, judged masterfully when to press Smith hard and when to leave him shoot it. As a result, Smith fittingly went 0-for-9 on jump shots against his old team, leaving the Pistons struggling offensively. It finished in a Hawks victory, 93-85.

Detroit Pistons – Friday, Nov. 22 (Palace of Auburn Hills)

After taking care of business in Philips Arena on Wednesday, Atlanta headed to Detroit for the return game. Following his struggles from outside the paint on his return to the ATL, Josh Smith was surprisingly dropped to the bench to start this game. In his place, Kyle Singler got the start and took full advantage of his opportunity, shooting 9-for13 from the field for 22 points.

The Hawks found themselves leading throughout much of this game, pushing their lead out to the eight to 10 point mark on a number occasions without being able to kill Detroit off. Al Horford was outstanding for the Hawks, he had 17 points and 11 rebounds, eight of which came at the defensive end as he dominated that end of the floor. Millsap added 14 points and seven boards into the mix, while Carroll was a significant factor again, scoring 12 points. Kyle Korver was on song from behind the 3-point line, as per usual, not only did he have his 86th consecutive game with a made 3-pointer, but he shot 4-for-6 from deep en route to 14 points.

Jeff Teague exploded late in the game. (Photo credit: NBA.com)

Detroit, to itscredit, managed to hang tight and stay within firing distance though. Brandon Jennings struggled with his shot, shooting only 4-for-16 for eight points, but his 14 assists helped to keep the offense flowing. Andre Drummond continued to excel as a starting center, posting 15 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. There wasn’t much help for Jennings, Drummond and Singler though. Josh Smith had yet another disastrous night, this time failing to score a single point and being sat down by his coach, Maurice Cheeks, for the entire fourth quarter. Greg Monroe also struggled to get going on the offensive end, only managing 11 points.

With the Pistons charging back into the game, Jeff Teague took over. From midway through the third quarter, Teague’s shooting clicked and he became more aggressive in driving to the rim. The most important play of the night came with 1:41 left in the fourth and the Hawks up by three. Teague was stripped by Brandon Jennings in the half court, but the Hawks point guard tracked him the whole way down the floor for a tremendous charge- down block. Hawks would close it out 96-89.

Boston Celtics – Saturday, Nov .23 (Philips Arena, Atlanta)

What had become a fierce rivalry in recent years with the likes of Zaza Pachulia and Kevin Garnett battling down low, took on a very different look when the Celtics arrived in Boston for the first meeting between the two sides this season. With Rajon Rondo still out indefinitely because of injury, the Celtics are having a tough time of it. The man forced with trying to fit square pegs into round holes is rookie NBA head coach Brad Stevens, who was reunited with his former point guard from his Butler days, Shelvin Mack, in this matchup.

After a lightning fast start for the Celtics from the field, the Hawks began to pull themselves into the game as Boston’s shooting cooled off. The Hawks struggled a little inside on the night, with Jared Sullinger and Brandon Bass allowed to have their way in the post at times, but a bigger issue was undoubtedly the Hawks being outrebounded 47-38, and outblocked 7-3. In spite of this the Hawks led and appeared to have full control for much of the game.

Al Horford maintained his consistent high standards against the Celtics. (Photo credit: NBA.com)

Al Horford was Atlanta’s scoring leader with 18 points, also adding 7 boards. Paul Millsap stuffed the stat sheet as is becoming the norm, he had 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, and Jeff Teague continued his excellent play with another double-double, 13 points, 10 assists.

Early in the fourth, the Hawks bench pushed the lead out to 12 points, before it all started to go downhill fast. The Hawks had 11 straight missed field goals, as the Celtics put a strong run together to close the gap. Jordan Crawford who had struggled from the field all night made some clutch layups and free throws to add 12 points to his 10 assists. With nothing falling for the Hawks, the Celtics would close out the 4th quarter 30-13. This was a gut wrenching loss for the Hawks as the game was completely under their control and they let it slip, but these things can happen when a team is playing their fourth game in five nights. The Celtics picked up the win 94-87.

Slam Dunks and Air Balls

Here’s a look at the best and worst aspects of the Hawks play from the past week:

Slam Dunks

• Kyle Korver continues to shoot the ball incredibly well from deep, currently ranking fourth in the league at 52.9 percent. In his pursuit of Dana Barros‘ all-time record for consecutive games with a made 3-pointer, Korver has made light work this week, scoring his 3-pointers early and not allowing anxiety to set in. Korver, now at 87 only two behind, is closing in on the record which he can equal on Wednesday against Dallas and surpass against Houston on Friday.
• Shelvin Mack has taken over the role of primary backup point guard off the bench and is proving to be a very solid option. Taking Dennos Schroeder’s minutes due to the rookie’s high turnovers early in his NBA career, Mack has been the picture of efficiency averaging less than one turnover per game. Coming off a stand out double-double against the Knicks last week, Mack has continued to build, this week averaging 4.75 points and two assists a game providing a reliable backup who doesn’t put a foot wrong. On top of that, Shelvin has made some big three pointers, and is currently shooting 46.7 percent from deep.
• Mike Scott is continuing to grow and develop as both a scoring option and an improved defender off the bench. For the week Scott averaged 11.25 points and 5.5 rebounds with the highlight being a 15 and 10 night against Miami. Scott is establishing himself as one of the first options off the bench, and I’d expect him to continue to offer double digit points from the bench on a nightly basis.

Air Balls

• The Hawks are developing a habit of going through spells when their concentration lapses in games. Against Miami, this resulted in turnovers. Against Detroit on the road, they switched off defensively allowing the Pistons to roar back and give them a scare. While against the Celtics, they weren’t so lucky as to get off with only a scare two nights in a row, instead losing a game they should have won easily. The Hawks have played well in virtually every game of this young season, but the games have been close throughout as the Hawks have struggled to ruthlessly close out. If these lapses can’t be addressed, expect more disappointing losses, and unnecessary scares.
• Jeff Teague is struggling considerably from behind the arc. Although the rest of his game has appeared to be in tip top shape, Teague is shooting an abysmal 20.5 percent from 3-point range. That figure is tracking for his worst long range shooting year ever, beating even his rookie season. For his career Teague averages 33.8 percent from deep, so there is definite room for improvement in that department.
• Dennis Schroeder showed some promising flashes of play early in the season, but has since fallen down the rotation due to turnover issues. Schroeder only played just over 5 minutes this week, all coming in the game against Miami, where he managed only a single point and no assists. Although coach Budenholzer is clearly trying to send the youngster a message, and let him work on his game with the coaches behind the scenes, for his development’s sake, a few extra minutes wouldn’t go amiss.

Rookie Watch

Dennis Schroeder: As mentioned above, Schroeder has only featured in one game this week. In five minutes against the Heat, the German had one point, via the free throw line, and a steal to go with it.

Pero Antic: The Macedonian man has begun to generate quite the following, with Macedonian contingents showing up to support him in away arenas around the league, as seen in Detroit this week. Antic played in two games this week and offered solid production.  Against the Celtics, Antic had two points and six boards, while against Miami, it was 12 points and four rebounds.

Weekly Stat Rankings

Here is a quick roundup of where the Hawks currently rank overall in some of the NBA’s key stats:

PPG: 100.8 (12th)
RPG: 40.8 (26th)
APG: 25.1 (3rd)
SPG: 8.8 (8th)
BPG: 4.8 (13th)
FG%: 46.6% (7th)
3PT%: 35.4% (15th)
FT%: 72.4% (21st)

Player of the Week

DeMarre Carroll, HoopsHabit Hawks Player of the Week. (Photo Credit: NBA.com)

This is one of these weeks were a player has been a lot more important to his team than the stats necessarily suggest. DeMarre Carroll has done a tremendous job defensively, having limited LeBron James to a season low 13, and keeping Josh Smithdown for 11 points over two games. Otherwise, his contribution has been solid also, with Carroll generally stepping up when needed.

Weekly Averages: 9PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.75 SPG, 44% FG

Coming Up Next

Nov.26 Orlando Magic (American Airlines Arena, Miami)
Nov.27 Houston Rockets (Toyota Center, Houston)
Nov.29 Dallas Mavericks (Philips Arena, Atlanta)
Nov.30 Washington Wizards (Verizon Center, Washington)