Atlanta Hawks: Keys To Protecting Home Court

By Adam McGee | Apr 24, 2014

Apr 19, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) takes a shot against Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) and forward David West (21) in game one during the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

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Apr 22, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward David West (21) in game two during the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

After being pounded by the Hawks in many of the individual matchups in game one, the Pacers changed their defensive philosophy for Game 2. Paul George spent the majority of Tuesday’s game guarding Jeff Teague, after George Hill failed to handle him in the previous game. This meant that Indiana’s defensive rotations were reliant on frequent switching.

With the Pacers having won the game, and Teague only having 14 points, the evidence suggests that the strategy worked. In reality though, it also leaves holes in the Pacers defense, that the Hawks just failed to exploit in Game 2. As an example, at one stage on Tuesday, Shelvin Mack found himself one on one with Roy Hibbert on the edge of the perimeter with a clean lane in front of, and pulled up for a poor 3 instead of driving towards the rim.

If the Hawks guards find themselves up against the Pacers bigs on the switch, they need to use their speed to exploit the mismatch.

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Taking Advantage of The Switch