By James Goeders
Initial feedback: A completely subjective and immediate response to the events of tonight's game, featuring a comment and rating, the latter on a scale of 1 to 10, on every player who saw the floor and the head coach, along with ephemera and miscellany as the author deems necessary.
Your ratings and commentary, dear reader, are welcomed in the comments to this post.
Boxscore
Players
Jeff Teague: Teague played a ton of minutes but had a tough time from the floor only scoring 9 on 2-of-8 shooting. Jeff was able to dish out 8 assists and grab 5 rebounds, but he had a tough time defensively with Ty Lawson 4/10
Kirk Hinrich: Hinrich was huge in this game getting another start at the 2, but he mostly will be remembered for missing the free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining that would have given the Hawks the lead (his only miss from the line all night). Kirk had his first 20+ point game of the season (22) building on his strong March. Hinrich finished 7-of-8 from the floor (3-of-4 from behind the arc) and had 4 assists, but not a single rebound. 6/10
Joe Johnson: It was a weird game for Joe, as he started hot but the two early fouls got Pargo in much earlier than anyone would want. One might think that moving over to the 3 would get Joe more chances at rebounds, but he finished with only 2. His game high 34 points (including 6-of-10 from 3) were great, but there were stretches when Joe would dribble out the shot clock and leave the Hawks in a precarious situation. The final 2 minutes of regulation were particularly frustrating after an elite 2nd half. Kept the Hawks in it after Josh fouled out, but this doesn't feel like his team like it did before the break 8/10
Josh Smith: When the jumper is falling J-Smoove is unstoppable, and you get games like tonight. After a rough first quarter, Josh went off and finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks in 36 minutes of action. On top of that, Smoove hit 2-of-3 from behind the arc and all 5 free throw opportunities. Josh was beastly on both sides of the court and you could feel the energy leave the team when he fouled out with over a minute left in OT. 9/10
Zaza Pachulia: Zaza did work on the glass grabbing 13 rebounds, but the missed lay-in at the buzzer was all anyone will remember. The playcall was perfect but the shot just did not go down. With Ivan Johnson currently not available there is a huge hole defensively when Zaza is on the bench. His 45 minutes tonight will make things quite interesting tomorrow when he's chasing Blake Griffin around. 5/10
Marvin Williams: Another great night for Marvin off the bench as he was one of only four Hawks players in double figures. Amazing energy all over the court with 3 steals, 2 dimes, and 2 rebounds. Vital in the Hawks' run in the 3rd quarter. Marvin is finally aggressively going to the basket, and then he was knocked out of the game with a right hip injury. He came in as a decoy on the final possession of regulation, but it was quite disappointing to not have him down the stretch. 6/10
Vladimir Radmanovic: Definition of worthless tonight. Missed all four shots from the floor (all behind the arc) to finish with no points and four fouls. You'd think a guy playing 11 minutes at the 4/5 would luck into more than 2 rebounds. What has happened to this 3-point specialist? 1/10
Jannero Pargo: Joined VladRad as the two worst Hawks players in +/- finishing with a -11. Pargo was also mostly ineffective on the court making 1-of-5 shots and finishing with 3 points. He was able to grab 2 rebounds and dish out 3 assists making his night less of an abomination. Lost the inbounds pass with 9 seconds left off his knee giving Denver the opportunity to make the go-ahead 3 pointer. 2/10
Erick Dampier: Four completely irrelevant minutes 1/10
The head coach Tried throwing a number of different things at Denver to slow down their offense (going small, going to a zone, etc) and it should have led to the Hawks stealing one on the road. After giving up 64 points in the first half, the Hawks held Denver to 54 in the 2nd (including OT). It was good to see him pick up the technical defending Josh (and Marvin) who were both knocked to the ground by Nene in successive possessions. As short handed as the Hawks were, Coach Drew got all he could hope for from the starters and Marvin. Will be interesting to see what he can do tomorrow with so many guys playing 40+ minutes.
6/10
A thought regarding the opposition Gallinari's fade-away three to go up 1 at the end of regulation was just absurd. Denver has a weakness falling asleep inside on defense, and the Hawks drew up the perfect play to exploit it and win the game, and the shot just did not fall.
Showing posts with label nuggets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nuggets. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Denver Nuggets 102 Atlanta Hawks 87
Boxscore
Last season, the Atlanta Hawks were an offensive team playing for a defensive coach. This season, at least since Rick Sund swapped Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich, the Hawks are a defensive team playing for an offensive coach.
Case in point: the fourth quarter of this game. With 7:52 left and the Hawks down eight, Larry Drew went with a big lineup: Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson in the backcourt and Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza Pachulia in the frontcourt. The express purpose of this lineup was to get the ball to Josh Smith, in an advantageous matchup against JR Smith, in the post. Granted, this effort to get the ball to Smith (13 points on 16 shots, 7 of them jumpers, all 7 of them missed, 1 assist against 2 turnovers) in the post came approximately 40 minutes and 8 seconds (of game time) too late but, theoretically, it's sound.
Theoretically* sound offensively.
*Practically, the Hawks suffered both from Smith's inability to finish in the paint and Joe Johnson's willingness to stop the ball when Smith drew, then appropriately passed out of, double-teams.
Defensively, the lineup was a disaster. Defensively, Josh Smith is at his worst when he has to close out on shooters. On the second and third Denver possessions following Larry Drew's decision to go big, JR Smith caught a simple, direct, initial pass and made three-point baskets over the sagging Smith. On the next three possessions, the Nuggets played 1/5 pick-and-roll with Raymond Felton and Nene against Jamal Crawford and Zaza Pachulia. Nene scored twice, then Felton made an uncontested layup.
For the sixth straight possession on which the Nuggets scored, JR Smith broke Josh Smith down off the dribble before pulling up for an essentially uncontested 13-footer. On the seventh straight scoring possession, Smith made a long three-pointer as the shot clock expired. On the eighth straight scoring possession for the Nuggets, Felton made another layup. At that point the Hawks were down 16, Drew pulled the passive (just five shots in 33:47, plus, granted, six assists) and possibly still-injured Al Horford and the game was over with 2:47 left, just five minutes after Drew made his bold tactical choice.
Bold and different, yes, but essentially the same choice that Drew made so often earlier this season when he left Crawford and Johnson and Bibby on the floor in an effort to catch up on offense, not acknowledging that such a perimeter troika would do little to stop the other team from scoring. One might argue that tonight's fourth quarter lineup was actually worse as it invited Denver to attack Josh Smith's greatest defensive weakness and allowed the Nuggets to make Al Horford a non-factor. After the Nuggets scored on three straight Felton/Nene pick-and-rolls, Horford switched onto Nene. The Nuggets then used Kenyon Martin (now matched up against Pachulia) to set ball-screens.
To be fair, Larry Drew doesn't have a lot of options from which to choose. Then again, if the Atlanta Hawks had been in the market for a coach who accounted for as many contingencies as possible, he probably wouldn't have his job.
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| DEN | 88 | 1.159 | 58.2 | 23.3 | 20.6 | 13.6 |
| ATL | 89 | 0.978 | 44.5 | 17.1 | 18.2 | 11.2 |
Last season, the Atlanta Hawks were an offensive team playing for a defensive coach. This season, at least since Rick Sund swapped Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich, the Hawks are a defensive team playing for an offensive coach.
Case in point: the fourth quarter of this game. With 7:52 left and the Hawks down eight, Larry Drew went with a big lineup: Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson in the backcourt and Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza Pachulia in the frontcourt. The express purpose of this lineup was to get the ball to Josh Smith, in an advantageous matchup against JR Smith, in the post. Granted, this effort to get the ball to Smith (13 points on 16 shots, 7 of them jumpers, all 7 of them missed, 1 assist against 2 turnovers) in the post came approximately 40 minutes and 8 seconds (of game time) too late but, theoretically, it's sound.
Theoretically* sound offensively.
*Practically, the Hawks suffered both from Smith's inability to finish in the paint and Joe Johnson's willingness to stop the ball when Smith drew, then appropriately passed out of, double-teams.
Defensively, the lineup was a disaster. Defensively, Josh Smith is at his worst when he has to close out on shooters. On the second and third Denver possessions following Larry Drew's decision to go big, JR Smith caught a simple, direct, initial pass and made three-point baskets over the sagging Smith. On the next three possessions, the Nuggets played 1/5 pick-and-roll with Raymond Felton and Nene against Jamal Crawford and Zaza Pachulia. Nene scored twice, then Felton made an uncontested layup.
For the sixth straight possession on which the Nuggets scored, JR Smith broke Josh Smith down off the dribble before pulling up for an essentially uncontested 13-footer. On the seventh straight scoring possession, Smith made a long three-pointer as the shot clock expired. On the eighth straight scoring possession for the Nuggets, Felton made another layup. At that point the Hawks were down 16, Drew pulled the passive (just five shots in 33:47, plus, granted, six assists) and possibly still-injured Al Horford and the game was over with 2:47 left, just five minutes after Drew made his bold tactical choice.
Bold and different, yes, but essentially the same choice that Drew made so often earlier this season when he left Crawford and Johnson and Bibby on the floor in an effort to catch up on offense, not acknowledging that such a perimeter troika would do little to stop the other team from scoring. One might argue that tonight's fourth quarter lineup was actually worse as it invited Denver to attack Josh Smith's greatest defensive weakness and allowed the Nuggets to make Al Horford a non-factor. After the Nuggets scored on three straight Felton/Nene pick-and-rolls, Horford switched onto Nene. The Nuggets then used Kenyon Martin (now matched up against Pachulia) to set ball-screens.
To be fair, Larry Drew doesn't have a lot of options from which to choose. Then again, if the Atlanta Hawks had been in the market for a coach who accounted for as many contingencies as possible, he probably wouldn't have his job.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Denver Nuggets 100 Atlanta Hawks 90
Boxscore
Gameflow
Highlights
Winning three of the seven games on this road trip did nothing to hurt the Hawks. The trade they made might well help the team. If Josh Smith's right knee is seriously injured, neither will matter much.
The Hawks lack depth. With Kirk Hinrich missing from the start of the game, one-third of the 12 players the Hawks dressed were Jason Collins, Josh Powell, Hilton Armstrong, and Etan Thomas. They had just three usable guards (one of which has earned 10 DNP-CDs this season), two small forwards (one of which was signed as a free agent in December and scores a point about once every 8-and-a-half possessions he's on the court), and three post players (one of which the organization seems determined not to use as the third man in the post rotation despite signing him to a multi-year deal less than two years ago). That's with Kirk Hinrich missing the game. Kirk Hinrich was the third guard for the Washington Wizards a week ago.
If Josh Smith misses a game, Larry Drew will almost certainly have to use Jason Collins (regardless of matchups) and Josh Powell (just because he's there). No matter how many jump shots Josh Smith takes (and it was five more in less than a half of basketball last night), that's a massive drop-off in quality.
As for this loss, mark it down to the Hawks still struggling to defend in transition (Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson were always as culpable as Mike Bibby on that score), struggling to stop dribble penetration (even when Hinrich returns he won't be able to guard more than one point of attack), the absolute failure of Marvin Williams (3 rebounds in 36:28) and Joe Johnson (3 rebounds, 2 of them offensive in 40:42) to pick up the rebounding slack in Smith's absence, and the inefficient scoring of Williams (13 points on 14 shots and 6 free throw attempts), Crawford (11 points* on 12 shots and 5 free throw attempts), and Joe Johnson (22 points on 22 shots, including going 0-4 from the field over the final 5:16).
*Even that modest total inflated by the prayer he made at the end of the first quarter.
The healthy Hawk players did what they could and, with the exception of Al Horford (21 points on 15 shots, 16 rebounds, 5 offensive, a team-leading 4 assists, and 2 of Atlanta's 3 steals), they're mostly capable of better than they offered on the back-end of a back-to-back at the end of a seven-game road trip that began prior to the All-Star break. But how much is the team capable of if, in the fourth quarter, Marvin Williams is the team's best healthy option at power forward and Larry Drew's options on the perimeter are the woefully inexperienced Jeff Teague or the one-dimensional Jamal Crawford or the (inversely) one-dimensional Damien Wilkins?
Larry Drew:
Gameflow
Highlights
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL | 90 | 1.000 | 41.2 | 23.5 | 21.3 | 10 |
| DEN | 90 | 1.111 | 50.6 | 18.3 | 17.5 | 6.7 |
Winning three of the seven games on this road trip did nothing to hurt the Hawks. The trade they made might well help the team. If Josh Smith's right knee is seriously injured, neither will matter much.
The Hawks lack depth. With Kirk Hinrich missing from the start of the game, one-third of the 12 players the Hawks dressed were Jason Collins, Josh Powell, Hilton Armstrong, and Etan Thomas. They had just three usable guards (one of which has earned 10 DNP-CDs this season), two small forwards (one of which was signed as a free agent in December and scores a point about once every 8-and-a-half possessions he's on the court), and three post players (one of which the organization seems determined not to use as the third man in the post rotation despite signing him to a multi-year deal less than two years ago). That's with Kirk Hinrich missing the game. Kirk Hinrich was the third guard for the Washington Wizards a week ago.
If Josh Smith misses a game, Larry Drew will almost certainly have to use Jason Collins (regardless of matchups) and Josh Powell (just because he's there). No matter how many jump shots Josh Smith takes (and it was five more in less than a half of basketball last night), that's a massive drop-off in quality.
As for this loss, mark it down to the Hawks still struggling to defend in transition (Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson were always as culpable as Mike Bibby on that score), struggling to stop dribble penetration (even when Hinrich returns he won't be able to guard more than one point of attack), the absolute failure of Marvin Williams (3 rebounds in 36:28) and Joe Johnson (3 rebounds, 2 of them offensive in 40:42) to pick up the rebounding slack in Smith's absence, and the inefficient scoring of Williams (13 points on 14 shots and 6 free throw attempts), Crawford (11 points* on 12 shots and 5 free throw attempts), and Joe Johnson (22 points on 22 shots, including going 0-4 from the field over the final 5:16).
*Even that modest total inflated by the prayer he made at the end of the first quarter.
The healthy Hawk players did what they could and, with the exception of Al Horford (21 points on 15 shots, 16 rebounds, 5 offensive, a team-leading 4 assists, and 2 of Atlanta's 3 steals), they're mostly capable of better than they offered on the back-end of a back-to-back at the end of a seven-game road trip that began prior to the All-Star break. But how much is the team capable of if, in the fourth quarter, Marvin Williams is the team's best healthy option at power forward and Larry Drew's options on the perimeter are the woefully inexperienced Jeff Teague or the one-dimensional Jamal Crawford or the (inversely) one-dimensional Damien Wilkins?
Larry Drew:
"The things we were concerned about coming into this game they completely took advantage of it."Joe Johnson:
"We had bad floor balance, which is unlikely for us knowing we are playing a team that likes to get up and down the court. Knowing that if you didn’t shoot the ball, you have to get back. I messed up a few times on that and it costs us. Just boneheaded plays."Josh Smith:
"When I went out after the first half, and then Kirk not being able to go I think it hurt us a lot."Drew:
"When they started double-teaming Joe we tried to space the floor. This was one of those games where we could have used Kirk, could have used Josh Smith. Because one thing those guys can do is space the floor. We turned down some shots out of the double team which we can’t do. If they double team and you get an open look you’ve got to take the shot. We had some guys that were a little bit reluctant."Josh Smith is never going to take fewer jump shots.
Monday, February 28, 2011
February 28th Game Preview: Atlanta Hawks (36-23) @ Denver Nuggets (34-26)
TIP-OFF: 9pm (EST)
TELEVISION: SportSouth
CHAT: Daily Dime Live
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
DENVER INJURY REPORT: Melvin Ely is listed a questionable. Danilo Gallinari is a game-time decision.
BY THE NUMBERS
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Denver -6, 202 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the Denver Nuggets lost 107-106 in Portland in overtime on Friday. They won their first two games since the Carmelo Anthony trade: 120-107 against Memphis and 89-75 against Boston, both at home.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TELEVISION: SportSouth
CHAT: Daily Dime Live
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
DENVER INJURY REPORT: Melvin Ely is listed a questionable. Danilo Gallinari is a game-time decision.
BY THE NUMBERS
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (off) | 89.6 | 1.071 | 50.3 | 21.4 | 24 | 15.3 |
| DEN (def) | 95.6 | 1.093 | 50.7 | 30.3 | 25.1 | 12.1 |
| 2010-11 | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (def) | 89.7 | 1.058 | 48.8 | 27.2 | 25.2 | 14.3 |
| DEN (off) | 95.6 | 1.112 | 52.3 | 29.7 | 22.9 | 13.1 |
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Denver -6, 202 o/u
PREVIOUSLY...the Denver Nuggets lost 107-106 in Portland in overtime on Friday. They won their first two games since the Carmelo Anthony trade: 120-107 against Memphis and 89-75 against Boston, both at home.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Nuggets 124 Hawks 104
Boxscore
Which is to say I also agree with Mike Woodson:
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL | 94.2 | 1.104 | 53.2 | 25.3 | 14.6 | 15.9 |
| DEN | 94.2 | 1.316 | 61.7 | 14.4 | 22.7 | 8.5 |
Watching this game, 14 hours after the fact, in full knowledge of the final score, while suffering Scott Hastings' morose sub-Tommy Heinsohn color commentary might color my impressions of the game. There's nothing good about losing by 20 points to a Nugget team missing Chauncey Billups* but the win, large as it was, only pulled Denver within 5 points of the Hawks on the season. Perhaps the length of my journey yesterday has me sympathetic for anyone on the road right now, but I tend to agree with Joe Johnson:
6 offensive rebounds in 41 opportunities, 8 forced turnovers, and 4 fast break points attest to the lifelessness of the Hawks. As did the poor (and somewhat misguided) defensive rotations."We just kind of ran out of energy. We didn't have the intensity that we normally have."
Which is to say I also agree with Mike Woodson:
"Our defense was just awful tonight."But, as my contribution** to today's holiday edition of the Daily Dime suggests, that awfulness has as much to do with the team's inherent defensive limitations as one night's fatigue.
*Credit to the Nuggets for drafting Ty Lawson to back Billups up.
**Filed before last night's consistently poor (63 points allowed in the first half, 61 points allowed in the second half; at least 29 points allowed in each quarter) defensive performance.
**Filed before last night's consistently poor (63 points allowed in the first half, 61 points allowed in the second half; at least 29 points allowed in each quarter) defensive performance.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
December 23rd Game Thread: Atlanta (20-7) @ Denver (19-9)
TIP-OFF: 9pm (EST)
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: Joe Smith is out.
DENVER INJURY REPORT: Chauncey Billups and Johan Petro are questionable.
BY THE NUMBERS
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Denver -3.5, 206.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
PREVIOUSLY, THE DENVER NUGGETS...lost their last two games, @New Orleans (98-92) and @Memphis (102-96), both nights playing without Chauncey Billups. On the season, Denver is 12-1 at home (the sole loss coming to Minnesota on November 29th) and are outscoring opponents by 13.7 points per game in Denver.
Atlanta beat the Nuggets 125-100 in Atlanta on November 7th.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap*) thoughts.
*Holiday hours commence today. Travel and the league pass broadband blackout rules will likely extend the length of time between the end of games and the appearance of a recap.
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: Joe Smith is out.
DENVER INJURY REPORT: Chauncey Billups and Johan Petro are questionable.
BY THE NUMBERS
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (off) | 90.6 | 1.153 | 51.1 | 21.2 | 29.7 | 13.2 |
| DEN (def) | 94.3 | 1.073 | 48.6 | 32.2 | 28.8 | 16.5 |
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL (def) | 90.6 | 1.057 | 49.5 | 28.1 | 27.1 | 16.7 |
| DEN (off) | 94.3 | 1.136 | 50.4 | 33.0 | 25.9 | 15.3 |
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Denver -3.5, 206.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
PREVIOUSLY, THE DENVER NUGGETS...lost their last two games, @New Orleans (98-92) and @Memphis (102-96), both nights playing without Chauncey Billups. On the season, Denver is 12-1 at home (the sole loss coming to Minnesota on November 29th) and are outscoring opponents by 13.7 points per game in Denver.
Atlanta beat the Nuggets 125-100 in Atlanta on November 7th.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap*) thoughts.
*Holiday hours commence today. Travel and the league pass broadband blackout rules will likely extend the length of time between the end of games and the appearance of a recap.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Quotes, Notes, and Links: Hawks 125 Nuggets 100
Gameflow
Highlights
Josh Smith:
Jamal Crawford was also looking forward rather than talking about the past:
In other news, I'm getting pretty damn good at predicting* what people will say after basketball games.
George Karl:
Karl further demonstrates how to criticize a team while taking responsibility for one's own role in a short-term failure:
Highlights
Josh Smith:
"It's a big statement. Having a letdown loss last night, and being able to come in and beat the number two or three team last year in the Western Conference. That's a big boost of confidence. I had opportunities to succeed and I seized the moment. I have wonderful guys to pass the ball to and I was really looking to crash the boards."Joe Johnson:
"I think we still have a little bit of immaturity on this team. And that's something we've got to look forward to working on. In no way possible should Charlotte beat us by 20, even though they were at home."Which one is supposed to be the immature one?
Jamal Crawford was also looking forward rather than talking about the past:
"It's big, more mentally than anything else. We had tough loss against Charlotte last night, and we beat a tough Denver team. We didn't lay down, and we fought. From start to finish, I thought we were really good as a team."Mike Woodson:
"I know George [Karl] is probably in there wondering where was the energy for his group tonight, just like I was last night, shaking my head."George Karl:
"Atlanta has as many good one-on-one players as any in the NBA, and that showed."It's funny because it's true. Last night, the Hawks did an excellent job of spreading the floor and letting players beat their defender one-on-one. That there was rarely a help defender arriving for Denver speaks to the their role in Atlanta's outstanding offensive night.
In other news, I'm getting pretty damn good at predicting* what people will say after basketball games.
George Karl:
"No one should feel happy about what went on, but no one should feel like it's broken, either. Anytime you go on a six-game road trip, if you can win half your games or more, it's a great success, and we have a chance of doing it."*I'm aware this is not a gift of great utility.
Karl further demonstrates how to criticize a team while taking responsibility for one's own role in a short-term failure:
"Offensively, we take way too many tough shots and a lot of that should be on me. We don't have enough sets in right now, and today our playbook was limited because Kenyon gives us a versatility, and I think we missed that."John Hollinger elaborates on how the Nuggets missed Kenyon Martin and JR Smith (and not just because Renaldo Balkman and Joey Graham aren't nearly as good):
With Kenyon Martin’s mid-range threat replaced by non-shooter Renaldo Balkman and Smith replaced by another weak perimeter threat in Joey Graham, the Nuggets made only two triples on the night. Worse yet, their drivers constantly faced crowds of Hawks at the rim, as Atlanta saw no need to respect any perimeter shooter besides Chauncey Billups. Atlanta returned nine Denver shots to sender, including six blocks by Josh Smith.The Human Highlight Blog has a fine appreciation of Josh Smith's performance:
Through all the times we've pulled our hair out watching him, Atlanta's Saturday night 125-100 victory over the suddenly staggering Denver Nuggets showed why you just can't give up on a player like Josh Smith.
Smith was omnipresent throughout the dominant home team win on both ends of the floor. He consistently challenged the Nuggets interior on his way to an 8-10/2-4, 22 point night on the one end while stamping the defensive effort of the evening with his (6) blocks and a level of activity that had the Nuggets either settling for outside shots or looking over their shoulder.
The Nuggets had no answer for Smith's ridiculous athleticism and new found respect for attacking the hoop. He is one of the best finishers in the league now and he made the case over and over again against anyone Denver threw at him.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Hawks 125 Nuggets 100
Boxscore
Whatever the Hawks suffered due to the vagaries of the schedule last night, the Nuggets--sluggish, disinterested, and irritable--made up for it tonight in Atlanta. Denver appeared more comfortable with their feet up than with them on the court, giving up an 8-2 run to start the game, a 7-0 Atlanta run over the first three minutes of the second quarter and a 10-0 run over the first 4:20 of the third quarter. That interminable, foul-riddled (22 personal fouls and 33 free throw attempts combined) third quarter delayed knowledge of the game's margin but not its result.
Once Carmelo Anthony figured himself unlikely to make many shots from the field, he put all his efforts into getting to the foul line. Scoring one point at a time will (almost) never better two- and three-point baskets. Denver attempted 11 and made 7 more free throws than the Hawks but Atlanta made 7 more two-point and 6 more three-point field goals.
Josh Smith led the team in two-pointers made. Not coincidentally, just one of his 10 attempts was a jump shot*. Even better, he grabbed nine rebounds, earned seven assists, blocked six shots, stole the ball twice, and turned it over just once. Those seven assists (just three fewer than the entire team registered last night in Charlotte) led the team which, as a whole, assisted on two-thirds of made baskets. Al Horford registered five assists (and 12 rebounds). Joe Johnson had five assists to go with 22 points and 7 rebounds of his own. Jamal Crawford (25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Jeff Teague each had four assists. Mike Bibby had three (plus 11 points on seven shots) in 20:13, his minutes limited by an inability to guard Chauncey Billups without fouling. There was little one-on-one basketball to irritate either insiders or outsiders.
*and he even made that one, 5-21 on the year now
An NBA season finds its balance, and team's find their true selves, in between the extremes. Just as the Bobcats are not so much better than the Hawks as they looked last night nor are the Hawks so much better than the Nuggets as they appeared tonight. The Hawks' road trip had an unsatisfying end but was, in its entirety, a successful trip. Before the game, Mike Woodson offered the perspective his best player was unable to see immediately following the loss last night:
Closer to home, it's seven days into November and Atlanta's 2-2 on the road and 3-0 at home. The season's eight-and-a-half-percent done, as a whole, it's been strong, everyone's healthy, and the team's course is not due to change. Calm (which is not the same as complacency) should prevail in the coming days before the Hawks will head to New York and Boston, try to win both games (even though they probably won't win more than one), then return home to take advantage of their home court and some other teams' road trips as the season putters along, one hopes, in a similar competent rhythm.
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| DEN | 94.8 | 1.054 | 42.3 | 43.6 | 21.7 | 10.5 |
| ATL | 94.8 | 1.318 | 56.3 | 31.0 | 23.5 | 8.3 |
Whatever the Hawks suffered due to the vagaries of the schedule last night, the Nuggets--sluggish, disinterested, and irritable--made up for it tonight in Atlanta. Denver appeared more comfortable with their feet up than with them on the court, giving up an 8-2 run to start the game, a 7-0 Atlanta run over the first three minutes of the second quarter and a 10-0 run over the first 4:20 of the third quarter. That interminable, foul-riddled (22 personal fouls and 33 free throw attempts combined) third quarter delayed knowledge of the game's margin but not its result.
Once Carmelo Anthony figured himself unlikely to make many shots from the field, he put all his efforts into getting to the foul line. Scoring one point at a time will (almost) never better two- and three-point baskets. Denver attempted 11 and made 7 more free throws than the Hawks but Atlanta made 7 more two-point and 6 more three-point field goals.
Josh Smith led the team in two-pointers made. Not coincidentally, just one of his 10 attempts was a jump shot*. Even better, he grabbed nine rebounds, earned seven assists, blocked six shots, stole the ball twice, and turned it over just once. Those seven assists (just three fewer than the entire team registered last night in Charlotte) led the team which, as a whole, assisted on two-thirds of made baskets. Al Horford registered five assists (and 12 rebounds). Joe Johnson had five assists to go with 22 points and 7 rebounds of his own. Jamal Crawford (25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Jeff Teague each had four assists. Mike Bibby had three (plus 11 points on seven shots) in 20:13, his minutes limited by an inability to guard Chauncey Billups without fouling. There was little one-on-one basketball to irritate either insiders or outsiders.
*and he even made that one, 5-21 on the year now
An NBA season finds its balance, and team's find their true selves, in between the extremes. Just as the Bobcats are not so much better than the Hawks as they looked last night nor are the Hawks so much better than the Nuggets as they appeared tonight. The Hawks' road trip had an unsatisfying end but was, in its entirety, a successful trip. Before the game, Mike Woodson offered the perspective his best player was unable to see immediately following the loss last night:
"If we had won last night, it would have been a great trip. It was a good trip because you go out, you play .500 on the road...that's what we want to do this year. We only won 16 out there last year and your elite teams, your good teams, they're winning at least 21 to 25 games on the road. If we can get to 21 games on the road it'd fantastic for this team and anything over that is icing on the cake."George Karl will probably say something similar about the Nuggets tonight or tomorrow. They've lost two in a row on the road, haven't really been in either game in its final quarter-and-a-half, but they're 3-2 on the road, they're 2-0 at home, JR Smith's about to return, and it will take something more drastic than consecutive losses for the team's structure to feel true stress.
Closer to home, it's seven days into November and Atlanta's 2-2 on the road and 3-0 at home. The season's eight-and-a-half-percent done, as a whole, it's been strong, everyone's healthy, and the team's course is not due to change. Calm (which is not the same as complacency) should prevail in the coming days before the Hawks will head to New York and Boston, try to win both games (even though they probably won't win more than one), then return home to take advantage of their home court and some other teams' road trips as the season putters along, one hopes, in a similar competent rhythm.
November 7th Game Thread: Denver (5-1) @ Atlanta (4-2)
TIP-OFF: 7pm (EST)
TELEVISION: SportSouth, NBA TV
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
DENVER INJURY/SUSPENSION REPORT: JR Smith serves the final game of his 7-game suspension tonight. Kenyon Martin suffered a left fibula contusion last night in Miami and is out.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -3, 211.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
PREVIOUSLY, THE DENVER NUGGETS...lost 96-88 in Miami last night. Denver's first loss of the season was a eight-point defeat much like the Hawks' loss in Los Angeles was an eight-point defeat. Denver finished the game on a 14-3 run and outscored Miami 32-18 in the fourth quarter to make the margin of defeat superficially slighter.
Carmelo Anthony has been excellent through 6 games, averaging 31.7 PPG (48.4 2PTFG%, 41.2 3PTFG%, 81.4 FT% on 11.7 FTA per game) to lead the Nuggets to the league's 3rd best offensive efficiency despite Anthony Carter starting in place of the suspended JR Smith. As expected by those gifted with (occasional) foresight, Ty Lawson entered the NBA ready to contribute.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TELEVISION: SportSouth, NBA TV
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: None.
DENVER INJURY/SUSPENSION REPORT: JR Smith serves the final game of his 7-game suspension tonight. Kenyon Martin suffered a left fibula contusion last night in Miami and is out.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Atlanta -3, 211.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
PREVIOUSLY, THE DENVER NUGGETS...lost 96-88 in Miami last night. Denver's first loss of the season was a eight-point defeat much like the Hawks' loss in Los Angeles was an eight-point defeat. Denver finished the game on a 14-3 run and outscored Miami 32-18 in the fourth quarter to make the margin of defeat superficially slighter.
Carmelo Anthony has been excellent through 6 games, averaging 31.7 PPG (48.4 2PTFG%, 41.2 3PTFG%, 81.4 FT% on 11.7 FTA per game) to lead the Nuggets to the league's 3rd best offensive efficiency despite Anthony Carter starting in place of the suspended JR Smith. As expected by those gifted with (occasional) foresight, Ty Lawson entered the NBA ready to contribute.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Nuggets 110 Hawks 109
Boxscore
Gameflow
Two interesting things happened in last night's game. Working backward chronologically, the first occurred after Marvin Williams scored an and one at 9:49 to pull the Hawks within 6 (86-92), George Karl switched JR Smith off Williams (9-12 FGA, 1-2 3PTA, 10-10 FTA in 28:50 to that point) and onto Joe Johnson, putting Carmelo Anthony on Williams. I cannot remember the last time* an opposing coach decided to focus on stopping a Hawk other than Joe Johnson. Now, Karl's decision was made by easier by continuing to have the Nuggets double-team Joe Johnson when he got the ball below the free throw line.
*There may not be a last time.
Even though this decision succeeded in slowing down Williams (1-5 FGA, 0-1 3PTA, 0-0 FTA for the remainder of the game), I can't say it had a great impact on the final result as Johnson picked up the slack scoring 10 of Atlanta's final 23 points (3-3 FGA, 2-2 3PTA, 2-2 FTA) and assisting on Al Horford's bucket that cut the Denver lead to 1 (109-110). Putting a priority on stopping Marvin Williams didn't limit the Nuggets* to two made free throws in the final 3 minutes of the game. It simply serves as another example that Marvin Williams may be developing into the kind of offensive player his potential suggested four years ago.
*Karl's decision to put Anthony Carter back in the game for most of the final two minutes may have. Carter was as bad as Chauncey Billups was good last night.
The other interesting thing occurred in the first half and also involved Marvin Williams, albeit more indirectly. Williams committed his second foul with 7:18 left in the second quarter. The Hawks held a 43-39 lead. Mike Woodson replaced Williams with Mario West, putting a Murray/Johnson/Evans/West/Horford lineup on the floor. One minute and 25 seconds later, Woodson replaced Horford, who had played just 8:31 of the first quarter and, to that point, the entire second quarter, with Pachulia. Williams sat for the rest of the first half and he finished the game with three personal fouls. Horford sat for four minutes and 53 seconds before returning for the final minute of the first half.
Mario West played power forward for six minutes and 17 seconds of the second quarter. I repeat, Mario West played power forward for six minutes and 17 seconds of the second quarter. Compounding that bit of madness he was assigned to guard Chauncey Billups (12 points on 2-3 FGA, 2-2 3PTA, 6-7 FTA plus 2 assists in the second quarter) for much of that time. When he left the game (mercifully), the Hawks trailed 53-57.
West plays hard, yes, but he did not have sufficient offensive skill to play even half of his team's minutes for a mediocre ACC team two years ago. He has not developed any offensive skills in the interregnum. There's no rational argument for an NBA team having him on their roster. Furthermore, unless I greatly underestimate the value of jumping so high in the pursuit of offensive rebounds that you can't land on your feet*, he has no business stepping on the court outside of garbage time.
*Apparently this is "daredevil"-ness. I'm worried Sekou's going stir crazy from the paper not allowing him to do his job.
Yet he played almost seven straight minutes in the second quarter, out of position and charged with guarding the opposition's second-best player, for a team with (one hopes) ambitions to host a first-round playoff series, a team missing two starters thus shrinking their margin of error in a road game against a superior opponent. Why? Because Marvin Williams committed two fouls in the first 17 minutes of the game.
The irrationality of this knee-jerk, reactive, and compulsive behavior is magnified the more you think about it. Woodson doesn't pull a guy for committing two fouls in any 17 minute stretch of game time unless it occurs in the game's first 17 minute stretch. Hell, he doesn't pull his reserves in the first half until they commit their third foul. Williams played 14:37 before committing his second foul. At that rate, he'd play 43:51 before committing his sixth foul. He did play another 24:22 and committed only one foul. He was never in foul trouble.
That's just Williams. Woodson also had Al Horford at his disposal* and chose to play Mario West instead.
*Truly at his disposal, even in Woodson's rigid world; Horford only committed one first half foul.
The mind boggles.
Flip Murray on missing the potential game-winner:
I've learned in the last few days* that Murray's resurgence has coincided with a significant drop in his assist rate and a concurrent, even more significant, drop in his turnover rate. Whether conscious or not, whether by instruction or not, Flip's been so useful recently because he's not tried to play like a point guard. He struggles with the pass or shoot decision. Eliminate that decision and (at least in the short term) the turnovers have gone down and the quality of his shot attempts have gone up.
*Teasing an upcoming pair of graphs.
Jeremy at Roundabll Mining Company has a typically thorough recap from the Nugget perspective. Here are a couple of gems regarding the fourth quarter:
Gameflow
| Team | Poss | Off Eff | eFG% | FT Rate | OR% | TO% |
| ATL | 89.7 | 1.22 | 53.1 | 30 | 31.6 | 15.6 |
| DEN | 89.7 | 1.23 | 57.1 | 39 | 43.6 | 19 |
Two interesting things happened in last night's game. Working backward chronologically, the first occurred after Marvin Williams scored an and one at 9:49 to pull the Hawks within 6 (86-92), George Karl switched JR Smith off Williams (9-12 FGA, 1-2 3PTA, 10-10 FTA in 28:50 to that point) and onto Joe Johnson, putting Carmelo Anthony on Williams. I cannot remember the last time* an opposing coach decided to focus on stopping a Hawk other than Joe Johnson. Now, Karl's decision was made by easier by continuing to have the Nuggets double-team Joe Johnson when he got the ball below the free throw line.
*There may not be a last time.
Even though this decision succeeded in slowing down Williams (1-5 FGA, 0-1 3PTA, 0-0 FTA for the remainder of the game), I can't say it had a great impact on the final result as Johnson picked up the slack scoring 10 of Atlanta's final 23 points (3-3 FGA, 2-2 3PTA, 2-2 FTA) and assisting on Al Horford's bucket that cut the Denver lead to 1 (109-110). Putting a priority on stopping Marvin Williams didn't limit the Nuggets* to two made free throws in the final 3 minutes of the game. It simply serves as another example that Marvin Williams may be developing into the kind of offensive player his potential suggested four years ago.
*Karl's decision to put Anthony Carter back in the game for most of the final two minutes may have. Carter was as bad as Chauncey Billups was good last night.
The other interesting thing occurred in the first half and also involved Marvin Williams, albeit more indirectly. Williams committed his second foul with 7:18 left in the second quarter. The Hawks held a 43-39 lead. Mike Woodson replaced Williams with Mario West, putting a Murray/Johnson/Evans/West/Horford lineup on the floor. One minute and 25 seconds later, Woodson replaced Horford, who had played just 8:31 of the first quarter and, to that point, the entire second quarter, with Pachulia. Williams sat for the rest of the first half and he finished the game with three personal fouls. Horford sat for four minutes and 53 seconds before returning for the final minute of the first half.
Mario West played power forward for six minutes and 17 seconds of the second quarter. I repeat, Mario West played power forward for six minutes and 17 seconds of the second quarter. Compounding that bit of madness he was assigned to guard Chauncey Billups (12 points on 2-3 FGA, 2-2 3PTA, 6-7 FTA plus 2 assists in the second quarter) for much of that time. When he left the game (mercifully), the Hawks trailed 53-57.
West plays hard, yes, but he did not have sufficient offensive skill to play even half of his team's minutes for a mediocre ACC team two years ago. He has not developed any offensive skills in the interregnum. There's no rational argument for an NBA team having him on their roster. Furthermore, unless I greatly underestimate the value of jumping so high in the pursuit of offensive rebounds that you can't land on your feet*, he has no business stepping on the court outside of garbage time.
*Apparently this is "daredevil"-ness. I'm worried Sekou's going stir crazy from the paper not allowing him to do his job.
Yet he played almost seven straight minutes in the second quarter, out of position and charged with guarding the opposition's second-best player, for a team with (one hopes) ambitions to host a first-round playoff series, a team missing two starters thus shrinking their margin of error in a road game against a superior opponent. Why? Because Marvin Williams committed two fouls in the first 17 minutes of the game.
The irrationality of this knee-jerk, reactive, and compulsive behavior is magnified the more you think about it. Woodson doesn't pull a guy for committing two fouls in any 17 minute stretch of game time unless it occurs in the game's first 17 minute stretch. Hell, he doesn't pull his reserves in the first half until they commit their third foul. Williams played 14:37 before committing his second foul. At that rate, he'd play 43:51 before committing his sixth foul. He did play another 24:22 and committed only one foul. He was never in foul trouble.
That's just Williams. Woodson also had Al Horford at his disposal* and chose to play Mario West instead.
*Truly at his disposal, even in Woodson's rigid world; Horford only committed one first half foul.
The mind boggles.
Flip Murray on missing the potential game-winner:
"It was a shot I should have made. I had a chance to win the game with my last shot and I short-armed it. But it was a shot I should have made. Other than that it was a good game."He shouldn't be faulted for being surprised that putative franchise player Joe Johnson passed up a game-winning shot attempt to flip the ball back to Murray. I think that caught everyone off guard. Murray gave a decent impersonation of a point guard in Mike Bibby's absence.
I've learned in the last few days* that Murray's resurgence has coincided with a significant drop in his assist rate and a concurrent, even more significant, drop in his turnover rate. Whether conscious or not, whether by instruction or not, Flip's been so useful recently because he's not tried to play like a point guard. He struggles with the pass or shoot decision. Eliminate that decision and (at least in the short term) the turnovers have gone down and the quality of his shot attempts have gone up.
*Teasing an upcoming pair of graphs.
Jeremy at Roundabll Mining Company has a typically thorough recap from the Nugget perspective. Here are a couple of gems regarding the fourth quarter:
Denver’s offense ground to a halt in the fourth quarter and due to a combination of the aforementioned turnovers and stagnant uninspired play they only made four field goals in the quarter. All four were jumpers. The Nuggets did not score a point in the paint over the final 13 minutes. Now that is somewhat misleading as Chauncey did get to the line for six free throws on plays where he drove into, or at least in the vicinity of, the lane and was fouled and J.R. earned a pair of free throws, but apart from those four instances the Nuggets were seemingly always scrambling to fire off a jumper with the shot clock winding down. The key to the Hawks fourth quarter comeback was their 14 points in the paint. Fortunately for Denver the Hawks needed 16 in order to pull off the win.The Hawks are still a game-and-a-half up on the Heat for the fourth seed and play 13 of their next 17 at home. This isn't going to be a 50-win team but they still have an excellent shot at hosting a first-round playoff series.
...
In the fourth quarter, the Hawks ran more isolation sets and had some success early with Marvin Williams. The key to the fourth quarter though was the Hawks desire to have Joe Johnson take the game over contrasted with the Nuggets fear of Johnson taking over. Denver doubled Johnson almost immediately when he caught the ball. The result was they were left scrambling trying to cover either an open shooter or to collapse on the drive. Atlanta did a pretty good job of moving the ball and getting good shots. They had several attempts just rim out and the Nuggets should feel pretty fortunate for that. There were a couple of possessions where the Nuggets chose not to double Johnson and he made them pay with five easy points.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
February 25th Open Thread: Atlanta (32-24) @ Denver (37-20)
TIP-OFF: 9pm
TELEVISION: SportSouth, NBA TV
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: Josh Smith is out. Mike Bibby will be a game-time decision.
DENVER INJURY REPORT: Nene and Steven Hunter are out. Kenyon Martin is probable.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Denver -8.5, 203.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
PREVIOUSLY, THE DENVER NUGGETS...were beaten comprehensively (114-76) at home by the Boston Celtics on Monday. It was the third straight loss for the Nuggets, the other two occurring at the end of a successful (5W 3L) eight-game road trip.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
TELEVISION: SportSouth, NBA TV
RADIO: Hawks Radio Network, Audio League Pass
GAME NOTES: Hawks/Nuggets
ATLANTA INJURY REPORT: Josh Smith is out. Mike Bibby will be a game-time decision.
DENVER INJURY REPORT: Nene and Steven Hunter are out. Kenyon Martin is probable.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY: Denver -8.5, 203.5 o/u
OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Roundball Mining Company
PREVIOUSLY, THE DENVER NUGGETS...were beaten comprehensively (114-76) at home by the Boston Celtics on Monday. It was the third straight loss for the Nuggets, the other two occurring at the end of a successful (5W 3L) eight-game road trip.
Consider this an open thread for all pre-game, in-game, and post-game (but pre-recap) thoughts.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Nuggets 107 Hawks 100
Boxscore
Gameflow
With 5:27 remaining in the game Josh Smith made a layup to pull the Hawks within eight points. In a vacuum, not the most exciting moment ever described, but Atlanta had spotted Denver a 17-point lead in the first half (for details on that debacle, keep reading) and looked likely to contest the game to the horn.
Smith was almost certainly fouled on the play. Smith almost certainly would have gotten the foul call had he not fumbled the pass, dribbled the ball underneath his feet thus throwing himself off balance, and then struggled to control the ball on the way up. The play looked bad long before there was contact. Had Smith been in full control of his own limbs, the foul would have been easier for the official to see and call. It was a missed call but it's understandable why it was missed.
Smith's reaction to the no-call was demonstrative (and not the first time last night that he took time to complain to an official before running back on defense) and he received a technical foul. Counter-productive behavior to be sure, but forgivable. This Hawks team must rely on effort to paper over the areas in which they lack skill.
Truly damaging (even if one were reasonably to argue that it didn't influence the outcome of the game last night) and unforgivable was Mike Woodson receiving a technical foul while the free throw for Smith's technical was being administrated. Woodson co-signed Smith's rash behavior, a decision which could well go beyond the extra point he chose to give Denver in the fourth quarter.
Woodson's petulance is of a piece to his reaction to the Miami Heat's protest being upheld: that decision is unfair to the Hawks nevermind that the Hawks' scorers unfairly fouled Shaquille O'Neal out of that game. Granted, there is likely a significant amount of stress from being a (probably) lame duck head coach of an NBA team. Woodson just doesn't deal with it very well. That can't help the team. Especially considering he doesn't coach the team very well to begin with.
The Hawks fell so far behind in part because Al Horford sat for 7:38 across the first and second quarters during which time Denver outscored Atlanta 20-6. Horford sat for another 6:59 in the second half after picking up his fourth foul. The Hawks were outscored 22-18 during that stretch. Horford had a great game when Woodson thought to include him: 14 points (6-8 FGA, 2-5 FTA), 11 rebounds (5 offensive), 5 steals, 2 assists, 1 block, and 0 turnovers. He only played 29:07. He did not foul out. He never picked up a fifth foul.
The other rookie, Acie Law IV, was rewarded for his good game against Portland on Monday with two two-minute stretches of playing time. Law didn't play well but how can he be expected to with such a short leash. Jerking him around like that may be worse for his confidence than sticking him next to Mario West and indulging in one's veteran point guard fetish. To be fair, Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue both played decent games by their standards. Ultimately, it makes little sense to try and play three point guards in an injury- and ejection-free regulation NBA game.
Atlanta's offense was dreadful in the first half, especially late in the first quarter. The Hawks opened the game with a Josh Smith dunk, a Smith layup, and an Anthony Johnson transition dunk in their first five shot attempts. They made only 4 of their remaining 21 field goal attempts in the quarter. Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Josh Childress combined to miss 9 of those 21 attempts. That would make it difficult for the Hawks to score in the best of circumstances. When Josh Smith chips in by missing 3 jump shots in the quarter (To recap, in the first quarter, Smith on dunks and layup: 2-2 from the field, fouled twice, 3-3 from the line; Smith shooting jump shots: 0-3.) and Shelden Williams and Solomon Jones combine for three missed jump shots (None of which were emergency end of shot clock shots, they just felt like shooting some jumpers.), it's damn near impossible.
But giving away all those potential points isn't enough get Woodson as worked up as the opportunity to give Allen Iverson two free throws to put Denver up 10 as a protest of the absence of the seven-tenths chance that Josh Smith made a free throw to cut Denver's lead to seven.
Gameflow
With 5:27 remaining in the game Josh Smith made a layup to pull the Hawks within eight points. In a vacuum, not the most exciting moment ever described, but Atlanta had spotted Denver a 17-point lead in the first half (for details on that debacle, keep reading) and looked likely to contest the game to the horn.
Smith was almost certainly fouled on the play. Smith almost certainly would have gotten the foul call had he not fumbled the pass, dribbled the ball underneath his feet thus throwing himself off balance, and then struggled to control the ball on the way up. The play looked bad long before there was contact. Had Smith been in full control of his own limbs, the foul would have been easier for the official to see and call. It was a missed call but it's understandable why it was missed.
Smith's reaction to the no-call was demonstrative (and not the first time last night that he took time to complain to an official before running back on defense) and he received a technical foul. Counter-productive behavior to be sure, but forgivable. This Hawks team must rely on effort to paper over the areas in which they lack skill.
Truly damaging (even if one were reasonably to argue that it didn't influence the outcome of the game last night) and unforgivable was Mike Woodson receiving a technical foul while the free throw for Smith's technical was being administrated. Woodson co-signed Smith's rash behavior, a decision which could well go beyond the extra point he chose to give Denver in the fourth quarter.
Woodson's petulance is of a piece to his reaction to the Miami Heat's protest being upheld: that decision is unfair to the Hawks nevermind that the Hawks' scorers unfairly fouled Shaquille O'Neal out of that game. Granted, there is likely a significant amount of stress from being a (probably) lame duck head coach of an NBA team. Woodson just doesn't deal with it very well. That can't help the team. Especially considering he doesn't coach the team very well to begin with.
The Hawks fell so far behind in part because Al Horford sat for 7:38 across the first and second quarters during which time Denver outscored Atlanta 20-6. Horford sat for another 6:59 in the second half after picking up his fourth foul. The Hawks were outscored 22-18 during that stretch. Horford had a great game when Woodson thought to include him: 14 points (6-8 FGA, 2-5 FTA), 11 rebounds (5 offensive), 5 steals, 2 assists, 1 block, and 0 turnovers. He only played 29:07. He did not foul out. He never picked up a fifth foul.
The other rookie, Acie Law IV, was rewarded for his good game against Portland on Monday with two two-minute stretches of playing time. Law didn't play well but how can he be expected to with such a short leash. Jerking him around like that may be worse for his confidence than sticking him next to Mario West and indulging in one's veteran point guard fetish. To be fair, Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue both played decent games by their standards. Ultimately, it makes little sense to try and play three point guards in an injury- and ejection-free regulation NBA game.
Atlanta's offense was dreadful in the first half, especially late in the first quarter. The Hawks opened the game with a Josh Smith dunk, a Smith layup, and an Anthony Johnson transition dunk in their first five shot attempts. They made only 4 of their remaining 21 field goal attempts in the quarter. Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Josh Childress combined to miss 9 of those 21 attempts. That would make it difficult for the Hawks to score in the best of circumstances. When Josh Smith chips in by missing 3 jump shots in the quarter (To recap, in the first quarter, Smith on dunks and layup: 2-2 from the field, fouled twice, 3-3 from the line; Smith shooting jump shots: 0-3.) and Shelden Williams and Solomon Jones combine for three missed jump shots (None of which were emergency end of shot clock shots, they just felt like shooting some jumpers.), it's damn near impossible.
But giving away all those potential points isn't enough get Woodson as worked up as the opportunity to give Allen Iverson two free throws to put Denver up 10 as a protest of the absence of the seven-tenths chance that Josh Smith made a free throw to cut Denver's lead to seven.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Hawks 104 Nuggets 93
Boxscore
Gameflow
One of the reasons I rarely write game previews is that when I am invariably wrong about things, I tend to write the game recap in terms of my misguided assumptions about the game I watched rather than simply in terms of the game I watched.
Yesterday, though, I was right. The pace at which the Nuggets played made it easier for Atlanta to get the transition opportunities they need to increase their offensive efficiency. Atlanta was so successful playing at Denver's preferred pace that Denver made a concerted effort to slow the game down in the second half.
(NOTE: Possessions are estimated. OE = Offensive Efficiency = Points per 100 posssessions)
Slowing the game down helped Denver significantly but they were too far behind for it to make a difference in the game's outcome.
Denver fell so far behind in no small part due to Anthony Johnson's fine defense on Allen Iverson. Iverson still had a productive game (before getting tossed) but Johnson, for the most part, forced Iverson into scoring with his jumper. For a team that has had terrible problems keeping opposing guards from breaking them down off the dribble, I think this is as significant a lesson to take from this game as yet another example of how much more successful the Hawks are in transition as opposed to their half-court offense.
He didn't shoot much better but Acie Law IV had an encouraging night. Mike Woodson used the Law/Tyronn Lue backcourt for a long stretch in the first half. To his credit, it worked. The Hawks were +6 over 7 minutes and 22 seconds. Woodson tried it again in the second half and it didn't work: -4 over 5 minutes and 2 seconds.
Being at the game really helped highlight how uncomfortable Acie Law is playing off the ball. On the (too many) possessions where Lue was the primary ball-handler in the half-court, Law would follow him around the perimeter asking for the ball. Law doesn't know how to play off the ball. I still fail to see what advantage Lue (who could convert some of the open jump shots Law's dribble penetration would create for him) possesses over Law as a primary ball-handler when they share the court.
Law was +7 in the 9 minutes and 31 seconds he was the sole point guard on the court for the Hawks.
The Hawks get a very different challenge in the second-half of their back-to-back tonight in Milwaukee. If the Hawks feel the effects of last night's game and the trip to Milwaukee it could easily degenerate into a half-court game. The Bucks don't want to run and they don't want to let the Hawks run. The saving grace should that scenario come to pass is that even if they fail to play to their strengths, Atlanta has the ability to grind out a win in Milwaukee. Granted, that has much to do with the Bucks who are just as inefficient offensively as the Hawks but nowhere near as good defensively.
Gameflow
One of the reasons I rarely write game previews is that when I am invariably wrong about things, I tend to write the game recap in terms of my misguided assumptions about the game I watched rather than simply in terms of the game I watched.
Yesterday, though, I was right. The pace at which the Nuggets played made it easier for Atlanta to get the transition opportunities they need to increase their offensive efficiency. Atlanta was so successful playing at Denver's preferred pace that Denver made a concerted effort to slow the game down in the second half.
| Half | Poss | Den OE | Atl OE |
| 1st | 50.3 | 87.4 | 129.2 |
| 2nd | 42.9 | 114.2 | 86.2 |
(NOTE: Possessions are estimated. OE = Offensive Efficiency = Points per 100 posssessions)
Slowing the game down helped Denver significantly but they were too far behind for it to make a difference in the game's outcome.
Denver fell so far behind in no small part due to Anthony Johnson's fine defense on Allen Iverson. Iverson still had a productive game (before getting tossed) but Johnson, for the most part, forced Iverson into scoring with his jumper. For a team that has had terrible problems keeping opposing guards from breaking them down off the dribble, I think this is as significant a lesson to take from this game as yet another example of how much more successful the Hawks are in transition as opposed to their half-court offense.
He didn't shoot much better but Acie Law IV had an encouraging night. Mike Woodson used the Law/Tyronn Lue backcourt for a long stretch in the first half. To his credit, it worked. The Hawks were +6 over 7 minutes and 22 seconds. Woodson tried it again in the second half and it didn't work: -4 over 5 minutes and 2 seconds.
Being at the game really helped highlight how uncomfortable Acie Law is playing off the ball. On the (too many) possessions where Lue was the primary ball-handler in the half-court, Law would follow him around the perimeter asking for the ball. Law doesn't know how to play off the ball. I still fail to see what advantage Lue (who could convert some of the open jump shots Law's dribble penetration would create for him) possesses over Law as a primary ball-handler when they share the court.
Law was +7 in the 9 minutes and 31 seconds he was the sole point guard on the court for the Hawks.
The Hawks get a very different challenge in the second-half of their back-to-back tonight in Milwaukee. If the Hawks feel the effects of last night's game and the trip to Milwaukee it could easily degenerate into a half-court game. The Bucks don't want to run and they don't want to let the Hawks run. The saving grace should that scenario come to pass is that even if they fail to play to their strengths, Atlanta has the ability to grind out a win in Milwaukee. Granted, that has much to do with the Bucks who are just as inefficient offensively as the Hawks but nowhere near as good defensively.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Preview: Nuggets at Hawks
I'm extremely interested in the game tonight because the Nuggets, in addition to providing the sternest test Atlanta's faced since their trip to Dallas back in 2007, might force the Hawks to play to their strengths.
The Hawks have two modes of offense which work fairly well: 1) intermittent stretches of transition buckets earned off of forced turnovers and defensive rebounds and 2) intermittent stretches when Joe Johnson cannot miss no matter the difficulty of the shot or the number of defenders guarding him.
It's obvious that the Hawks are incapable (or unwilling to make a priority) of pushing the ball up the court after every forced turnover or defensive rebound. That's where Denver provides me with hope. The Nuggets average 98.4 possessions per game. They play at a pace a full 10% faster than do the Hawks.
Even if the Hawks drag the pace half-way down to their usual 89 possession pace they will have several more opportunities to play to their offensive strengths: scoring before the defense gets set, offensive rebounding, and getting to the foul line.
It's not a new request of mine that Mike Woodson take advantage of every opportunity he has to play Josh Childress (in lieu of one of the point guards) alongside Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford. I think tonight is an opportunity to lean heavily on that lineup. No one on Atlanta's roster is capable of staying in front of Allen Iverson. The one thing Denver does not do well defensively is rebound. That lone weakness should be magnified in Nene's absence. In a game that should feature a lot of Alanta Hawks shot attempts, it's imperative they use their best percentage shooter and second-best offensive rebounder as much as possible. It would also be a fortuitous night to act as if Al Horford has a six rather than five foul limit.
The Hawks have two modes of offense which work fairly well: 1) intermittent stretches of transition buckets earned off of forced turnovers and defensive rebounds and 2) intermittent stretches when Joe Johnson cannot miss no matter the difficulty of the shot or the number of defenders guarding him.
It's obvious that the Hawks are incapable (or unwilling to make a priority) of pushing the ball up the court after every forced turnover or defensive rebound. That's where Denver provides me with hope. The Nuggets average 98.4 possessions per game. They play at a pace a full 10% faster than do the Hawks.
Even if the Hawks drag the pace half-way down to their usual 89 possession pace they will have several more opportunities to play to their offensive strengths: scoring before the defense gets set, offensive rebounding, and getting to the foul line.
It's not a new request of mine that Mike Woodson take advantage of every opportunity he has to play Josh Childress (in lieu of one of the point guards) alongside Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford. I think tonight is an opportunity to lean heavily on that lineup. No one on Atlanta's roster is capable of staying in front of Allen Iverson. The one thing Denver does not do well defensively is rebound. That lone weakness should be magnified in Nene's absence. In a game that should feature a lot of Alanta Hawks shot attempts, it's imperative they use their best percentage shooter and second-best offensive rebounder as much as possible. It would also be a fortuitous night to act as if Al Horford has a six rather than five foul limit.
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