TheNorthCydeRises

Quote: It is absolutely not just money. These guys want to coach basketball and this is one of the 30 available at this level. Every year there are only a handful of jobs available. It happens all the time that a coach chooses to go coach rather than sit on their ass or being a commentator on tv. A guy like avery who's only had one gig and disappointed in the playoffs is probably already itching for a new chance to prove himself. And other than ownership, a highly talented young underachieving team like ours is a GREAT situation for a coach to prove himself. Well why did every team who had an opening, pass on Avery? Especially teams like Chicago, Phoenix, and Detroit? The money is definitely an issue in this equation. And you're going to really dislike this comment, but the fact that you and others aren't renewing season ticket packages, is a small part of the reason why ownership either won't or can't make an all out commitment to significantly upgrade the team quickly. While I don't agree with it, I've always understood where you were coming from. But you also need to understand that when an organization doesn't have a strong fan base to draw revenue from, they're not going to splurge for a top notch coach. Our situation is made even worse due to the fact that the ASG is a fractured organization due to the Belkin situation. Fans don't buy tickets to the game and buy team merchandise . . management doesn't go all out to make the team better. That's pretty much the nature of sports on the professional level. Quote: Look at Blank, even though the falcons are in a waaaaaaay worse situation, he wasn't afraid of getting rejected by top names because he's a winner. If you want to succeed you can't be afraid of failure. Every sign is that the hawks are committed to accepting mediocrity and its sad I disagree. You can maybe say that about the Woodson re-hire, but you can't say that about the Bibby deal. The Hawks could've easily let those contracts expire, and not do anything with that leftover money but re-sign Smoove and Chill.

Quote: I love hearing him answer the questions about adding the pieces we need, re-signing the Joshes, pushing Josh Smith to be an All-Star, sky is the limit for Al Horford, will turn the keys over to Acie in the summer league and make him a big part of the team next year, why he went with a 7 man rotation, etc. I like how he acknowledged the high minutes of Joe and how it was intentional. Next year we will play our bench and go with an 11-12 man rotation. Woody will stay bald next year! It does seem like Salim will not be back. Pushing Smoove to be an all-star? Make Acie be a big part of the team next year? Play our bench next year? Surely you jest Mr. Dol. Just curious, even though we all probably know the answer . . why did Woody say that he went to the 7-man rotation and why he played JJ heavy minutes? One of the other things that Woody doesn't get a little credit for, is the development of Joe Johnson, especially in his mental approach to the game as the star of this team.

Quote: The Hawks can't do crap against the good teams on the offensive end. Don't you guys ever look at things abit before you just throw out a nukber and act like it means something? After the Bibby trade: 93 vs. LA 74 vs. SA 88 vs. Boston 75 vs. Houston 89 points vs. Boston When the Hawks run into a good defense they play really badly on the offensive end. The only real decent team that they played well on offense against was Orlando and they suck on defense. Scoring 110 points against teams like NY, LAC, GS and other such teams shouldn't impress anybody. The offense isn't as good as people think it is. In the playoffs the Hawks needed a FT parade to score really. 47 FT's attempts in one game. Don't let the weak second half schedule fool you. All I did was state the facts Hot. I think we shot 1 less FT a game after Bibby came on board as well. But we hit 3 more threes a game. Overall, i think we averaged just one more FGA per game. Before Bibby, we won games mainly because of stellar defense. After Bibby, we were able to win games with efficient offense. No matter who we played, that was the difference.

Great thread Trace. I'll make sure to add this thread to my favorites list. And I'll make sure people remember this thread in April when they start complaining about Woody, even if we have 43 wins. I'll go on record to say that none of the people who are saying that they'll be satisfied with 42 - 44 wins, will be happy. They'll say that we should've won 50 games. It's a lose - lose situation for Woody, unless he does one thing . . Get us to the 2nd round of the playoffs. If we win 40 - 45 games in a normal year, we're talking about a 6, 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs. That increases our chances of getting bumped out in the 1st round. And that won't sit well with the vast majority of the fan base, even if we do win 45 games. Why? Because teams are eventually judged by what they do in the playoffs, not the regular season. That's why Denver fans and possibly its management are remotely thinking about moving a great talent like Melo. When you get swept out of the playoffs like they did, despite winning 50 games, it leaves a horrible taste in your mouth. That's why NOBODY cares about that 22-game win streak that Houston went on. They lose on round 1, and everybody wonders what happened? That's why Toronto needs to make a big time decision on Calderon and possibly the coach and other players surrounding Bosh. They get bounced in round 1 again. That's why Phoenix goes into full panic mode with the Marion trade and the D'Antoni firing. They made the Marion for Shaq move, specifically to beat the Spurs. So they get the Spurs in the playoffs, and they STILL lose, even though the Shaq-led Phoenix team was 2 - 0 in the regular season vs the Spurs and was just a few games from being the #1 seed in the West. No matter how many games the Hawks win, the expectation from the fan base will be for them to get to Round 2. 37 wins or 57 wins, if we don't get to Round 2, people will scream for Woody's head. (( barring a major injury to JJ or Smith, or a rash of injuries happening at the same time . . )) sub 40 wins: Bad move - unless we win our 1st round playoff series. Sub 40 probably means that we missed the playoffs. 40 - 43 wins: acceptable - but we have to make the playoffs and at least take the series to 6 or 7 games. And don't get destroyed on the road in every game. 44 - 47 wins: Good move - If we're the #6 seed, and the #3 seed doesn't have a record more than 5 games better than us, I fully expect either a 7 game war in Round 1 in which we lose or win. 48+ wins: Great move - but the validation for it to be great needs to come with moving on to Round 2. If we lose to a lower seeded team that many have us favored to beat, it will feel worse than wnning 41 games, but battling and losing to a higher seed.

Quote: You are missing something here. It isn't just about Woody. There is also a question about whether we have a real GM or a Gearon yes man. If Woody was gone that wouldn't be a question at all. Which is why you didn't see me jumping up and down over the Sund hire. See, one of the thing that people like Dolfan, coachX, and I have been talking about for a while, is "change . . just for the sake of change". With all of this "potential" on the Hawks roster, you'd think at least one of those Asst GMs of playoff teams would jump at the chance to run the show themselves for another organization. But they didn't. Why? When you look at Sund, he definitely has the experience. But why would he leave an organization like Seattle, especially a year after they obtain what could be the next great player in the NBA in Durant? If he left Seattle because he didn't want to go through another rebuilding effort, fine. But if he left Seattle because his job may have been in jeapordy with the new owners moving the Sonics to OK City, and he was willing to take whatever new offer came his way, then that's an issue in itself. It could very well be that a guy like Sund was the ASG's 6th or 7th choice, after their other targets either publically or privately declined the opportunity to take the job. The same thing goes with the coaching job. One or two things are happening with Avery and Flip not landing any of these recent jobs: 1) none of these teams are willing to pay Flip or Avery at or above what they made last year, because they know that they're more than a coach away from being a very good team ( Atl, Chi, etc ) . . or . . 2) Flip and Avery are being paid so much because they are still owed whatever is left on their contract, that they're willing to take a break for a year or two, before coming back. So this means the alternative for the Hawks to replace Woody, were 1) hire an assistant coach that many believe is ready to be a head coach, though he's never been one . . or . . 2) hire a coach that has NBA head coaching experience, but couldn't make his team a perennial playoff contender . . which is what we're aspiring to be. So while it is very possible that Sund is just a "yes man" to the ASG, it's also possible that Sund looked around and researched the entire situation and said . . "hey, i think the real problem here, has to do with the depth of this team and the quality of the players on the squad, and not necessarily the coach." I think that's definitely the position of the ASG. If Sund came to the same concusion, then I see why no one else was interviewed.

Hawks offense after Bibby came on board: 103.5 ppg 47% FG 39% 3FG That's pretty good if you ask me. And it's also an indication of how a player upgrade at a key position can really improve your team in a certain area.

He should wear that big azz championship ring to his interview, if he's going to be live in studio.

Now that we know that Woody is coming back, you are allowed a period of mourning. So go ahead and bytch and cry about this decision for a few days. Take a week if you have to. If you need two weeks, you have serious problems . . but hey, take 2 weeks if you have to. But by the time the NBA Draft comes around ( and definitely by the time summer league comes around ), all of this crying should have ceased. What's done is done. And anyway, the most important decision to be made this summer is NOT on who's the coach, it's on what we do with Smith and Childress. Woody coming back is actually a good indication that both Smith and Childress will be retained, seeing how much Woody trusts both of them. In the grand scheme of things, that's what we can't make a mistake on . . . player personnel. At any rate, this team will have my UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT, no matter what the management does. - I will continue to be a die hard fan of this team - I will be in attendance for opening night - I will make the commitment to attend 7 - 10 home games - And WHEN we make the playoffs next season, they will have my full support, no matter what record going in or what seed we have. It's amazing. Doc Rivers, by most accounts, probably would've been fired by most organizations because he couldn't get his young team to win. A few Hall of Fame and veteran players later, he's on the verge of winning Boston's first championship in 20+ years.

WTH? This has morphed into a football discussion now? LOL.

He'd definitely take a one year - 4.5 million dollar deal like that, in my opinion. Because if the Hawks made the playoffs again, and they had a decent record or seed going into the playoffs, he would be on the short list for not only the Hawks job in 09 - 10, he'd be on other teams radar as well. But if I were Woody, and they offered me a deal like that, I would also make them put in some extra kickers to sweeten the pot for him. - if the Hawks make the playoffs with a .500 or better record, but lose in Round 1: He automatically gets a 2-year - 7.5 million extension. ( which would bring his total 3 year deal to 12 million ) - if the Hawks advance to Round 2: He automatically gets a 2 year - 9.25 million extension ( total deal: 3 years - 13.75 million ) - if the Hawks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals: He automatically gets a 3 year - 14.5 million extension ( total deal: 4 years - 19 million ) - if the Hawks advance to the NBA Finals: He automatically gets a 3 year - 17 million extension. ( total deal: 4 years - 21.5 million ) - if the Hawks win the championship: He gets a 3 year extension that makes him the #3 highest paid coach in the NBA per year. Any breech of contract, and the Hawks have to pay Woody.

Quote: Having spent a good deal of time in Boston I can assure you that there are many more die hard Celtics fans then Hawks fans, so to suggest they came "from the dead" this year is a gross mischaracterization. Obviously the more casual fan is going to be drawn to a more successful team, but that is true of every village, town and city in the country. I understand that. But it goes back to what I said about the difference between really following your team unconditionlly, or really following your team when things at A-OK. The casual Hawks fans only come out for big games, or when things are going extremely well. My point is that we need more core fans at Philips, especially now, seeing that we are starting to take care of business at home against mdiocre and bad teams, and a select few good teams. I just can't see why some fans think things are so terrible now, even though we made the playoffs and took the Celtics to 7 games. Quote: It is also naive to think that poor decisions by management that result in a poor product on the floor would not have an impact on the zeal of the fan base. It is no fun to go to games where the team is just going through the motions. That's kind of my point though EDS. The product at HOME was pretty good this year. And it was a fun atmosphere. We didn't win 40+ games this year because we were horribly inconsistent on the road, not at home. Counting the preseason and the playoffs, we won 64% of our home games. That's not as good as the elite teams, but it is on par with the other playoff teams. It's good enough for the fan base to really look forward to next season, and to buy tickets to the game. It's the road that kill the Hawks. So that being said, it's up to the fans at home to really make Philips a legit home court. If JackB is right, and it's really the crowd that get the young Hawks to play at a high level, how much effect will a great and rowdy home crowd just about every night, have on the Hawks? Will it translate to 3 more home wins? 5? 8? If we can win 30 home games next year, that pretty much guarantees us making the playoffs. If we win 1/2 of our road games, that could elevate us close to or above 50 wins, a top 4 seed, and possibly a division title.

Since just about everything else has been said, I'll say Marvin's steal and dunk in the Seattle game And Smoove's MISSED dunk in Game 6. If he makes that dunk over KG and I think Perkins, they show that dunk forever, because he was so high in the air and the move was totally unexpected.

Quote: That was a much more rational post about your thoughts on the matter. But regardless, it is anyone's choice whether or not to give ownership a part of their hard earned check if they don't believe the owner is trying to put together a winning team. Not getting a MUCH better coach in here simply because of $$$ shows that winning isn't a top concern. You can still be a fan of the team without agreeing (paying) with the owners. Do you make that many trips to the games EVERY year or just this year? No matter how you answer that question I'm sure you were just as big a fan of the Hawks in any given year. It's rediculous to base someone's fanhood on how many games they attend, especially considering you've only been to 9. I've made it a point to go to 5 - 10 Hawks games every year, for the past 6 years. And I don't doubt Fros, or anybody elses "fandom". But I do have to question some of those that live in metro ATL, and don't support the team by going to the games. They're contributing to fans of other teams taking over our building. There are a lot of issues that can keep people from going to the games, I understand that. But when you go to Philips, and a popular team shows up, it's irritating as hell to see 4 - 6 thousand people cheering LOUDLY for the other team. Opening night vs Dallas was ridiculous, with all of the Mavs fans in the building. And God forbid LeBron coming through town. He brings 5,000 pro-Lebron/anti-Hawk fans out by himself. And for Game 3, there had to be at least 4,000 Boston fans in the house. By Game 6 though, the arena was full of Hawk fans, cheering loud as they can. So when he says that he's basing his season ticket purchase on whether Woody is let go or not, and not getting them solely because he likes watching the Hawks, then yeah, I have a problem with that. It's his choice true enough, but I wonder how many thousands of Hawks fans in metro ATL are thinking exactly like he is? If he's blessed enough to make a commitment to purchase season tickets, in my opinion, he should do it because he loves to see the Hawks play. Don't base it on Woody, especially seeing that it's probably a good bet he's coming back for at least one more year. If anything, be one more die hard Hawk fan in the building, and keep those star-loving fans of other teams out of the building.

Quote: clyde....I am loyal to the TEAM.........not the coach. Is that not allowed? I want the team to improve and feel they need a better coach to do so. That makes me a "fairweather fan"??? I went to 15 home games last year, plus all 3 playoff games.....watched every game on TV and read about them every day in the paper and here. I think that makes me a pretty good fan I don't see why I have to support an inept coach just because he is the Hawks coach? I love my country but I don't like our current President (thank God it's almost over)...does than make me anti-American? I AM loyal to the Hawks and will continue to back them even if "Mr Potato-Head" continues to be the coach, but it pains me to watch him continue to cost this team wins and ruin player's confidence's. I really hope we get a "real" coach in ATL sometime soon so you guys can see the difference. Jack, you and I actually share the same thoughts. My point isn't about fans not being critical. It's about supporting the team, regardless of how messed up things "appear" to be. It's also about being realistic about where we are as a team. I'll admit that winning 37 games was below my expectations. I expected somewhere around 40 - 42 wins. But when you and others start talking about how we should be 10 games better, that's just not realistic. That means that we'd have to have won every cloe game we lost, plus an additional 5 more games that we let slip away in the 4th quarter. No team in the NBA ( especially a mediocre one like us ), wins all of its close games. And we also won some close games that we probably should've lost. This team has talent, but it is also seriously flawed in key areas that would make us more consistent. People on this board are talking about being a contender and competing for championships . . . lol. Ish, a LOT of things have to take place before we can even think about all of that. How about concentrating on getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs first, before talking about cntending for a title. We gotta do more than change a coach for some other out of work coach, before we become contenders. The two teams in the Finals made trades to significantly upgrade their talent, in order to become title contenders. But I don't want to hear of how some out of work coach like Del Harris or Bob Hill or Paul Silas is going to turn us into a contender, if given the same talent Woody has had to deal with. Those guys are not upgrades.

Quote: Is it wrong to want the team to actually be a good basketball team? I didn't realize I needed to turn my fan-card in because I wanted the Hawks to succeed and and was not allowed to criticize the organization for the mistakes it has made in the rebuilding process. You can criticize the coaches, the organization, and the players all you want. But don't let your support of the team diminish because they make a move that you don't like or keep a coach that you hate. There are fans on this board that will flat out stop following the Hawks if we traded or didn't re-sign Josh Smith. Their fan loyalty should be to the TEAM, not just one particular player. I think Diesel pointed this out one time when discussing why Marvin should be moved. JJ is my favorite player. I'll be pizzed if JJ isn't given an extension sometime next year, but that will in no way, shape, or form affect how passionte i am about the Hawks. I'm just And you see that so often in sports. People becoming fans of a player, the the team. But once the player leaves, they don't like the team anymore. All of those Celtic fans came from the dead this year.

Quote: You are COMPLETELY missing the point. Why should any one support an organization that they don't believe is moving in the correct direction? Because you are a fan of the TEAM. A lot of fans think like you, which makes you a normal fan. When things go well, you're the biggest Hawks fan round. When things don't go as well as you expect, your suppot wanes. The reason why Bibby called out the Boston fans, is because when the team was struggling, they didn't show up to support the team regardless of how bad the situation was. And i tell you something else Fros ( my bad for misspelling your name, because I get irritated when people call me northcLyde. There is no "L" in northcyde. ) This is exactly why a lot of people outside ATL consider ATL to be a bad sports town. As soon as a little adversity hits the Braves or the Falcons, the fans don't show up. That was even evident in the fact that game 3 wasn't sold out until the last minute, because some believed it would be a waste of time and money, because Boston blew us out in those first 2 games. Then they wait too long to commit to get tickets to Games 4 and Game 6. It's just not a hardcore fan base, no matter how much people in the area want to believe it is. Not even close. Especially when it concerns the Hawks. And I'm sorry . . when a team wins 28 of the 44 regular season and playoff home games that they played ( 31 out of 48 if you include the preseason ), and you claim that the team isn't moving in the right direction, that's complete BS to me. Regardless of what our overall record is, the fact that the Hawks won over 65% of their total games at home should be enough reason to buy season tickets because you're going to watch the Hawks win most of the time, and have a smile on your face when you leave the arena. We haven't won at home at that high of a clip in 9 years. So if you are going to buy season tickets, don't base your decision on who is the coach. Base it on the fact that this team will just about win 7 of every 10 games you attend at Philips next year, regardless of who is the coach, because the TALENT is getting more experienced and better. Base it on the fact that if you're like some of the others, and TRULY believe that the fans helped beat Boston in those 3 playoff games, that you NEED TO BE THERE, in order to help the Hawks win in the future. Quote: I don't believe that the Hawks, coached by Woodson, have a chance to be significantly better. Do you honestly believe that Woodson gives the team a better chance of winning than the majority of other coaches he went up against last season? If you do, I have no idea what you were watching. Again, why invest in something that you know is broke? We just made the (( bleepin )) playoffs and beat Boston 3 games, yet things are broke? What are YOU watching? The next phase of this road back to being a contender, is to start winning more consistetly on the road. When we start winning 1/2 of our road games, we'll start approaching that 50-win mark. To think that coaching is the only thing holding this team back, is an idea that isn't based in reality. The coaching could be better, yes. But when people constantly complain about Smith and his BBIQ . . Marvin and his "limited" offensive arensal . . Zaza looking like garbage for the vast majority of the year . . and Bibby's schizophrenic jumper . . you don't think that the inconsistent nature of our players has something to do with our success and failures? Quote: How can anyone be satisfied with the coaching that has taken place over the past four years? Its not necessarily about wins and losses over the past 2 seasons (Woody's first two were throw aways in my book), its about how well the team plays and thinking that the team has a chance to improve season to season. Nobody is totally satisfied with the coaching, or the players, for that matter. But you guys act like we're Jersey, and are in decline. And this notion that we were supposed to win 45+ games this year is completely ridiculous. Wanting Woody gone is one thng. Saying that Woody being brought back will affect your decision to buy season tickets ( even though they were VASTLY IMPROVED at home this year ), is another. Every ESPN analyst, except Hollinger, had this team picked to fnish 10th or lower in the East. Anthony picked us dead last. They did that mainly based on the talent, or lack of talent we had. The NBA is a talent driven league people. I don't care how good of a coach you are, if you don't have talent that can play at a high level every night, you're not going to consistently win. Ask Larry Brown when he coached the Knicks. Ask Doc Rivers, when he went from coaching a team full of inexperienced youngsters, to a team full of experienced vets ( some who have won rings ) Ask Mike D'Antoni, everytime the Suns looked like crap whenever Nash missed a game. Quote: Again, how do you rationalize supporting something that is less than what it could be and should be? If you want to support Woodson, that is your choice. My reaction to that support is that I don't believe you know what coaching is all about in the NBA. Woodson provides nothing extra for the team. Again, its about how he manages the team and how players play for him. I cannot believe that someone is so blindly supportive of a below average coach. Talk about a FAKE fan. This isn't supporting Woodson at all. I traveled 4.5 hours and 275 miles to ATL . . 8 times . . to see the Hawks this season. It had everything to do with the team, and not about who was coaching or runnng the oganization. I went to games to see the Hawks. And i got to see them win 88% of the time I went to Philips this year. Just because we're not at the level you think we should be, shouldn't mean that you shouldn't make a commitment to support the team. I now see why the Braves can't sell out playoff home games. Instead of the fan base unconditionally supporting the team just because they're in the playoffs, they assume that they'll lose the divison series or the LCS because that's what they do every year. So some of the fans don't even bother to show up. Quote: Fans should always demand better out of their team. I demand better of myself every day, why not demand the same from the team that you are investing emotion, time, and money in? Seriously, why? Fans should always demand better of the team. But for some reason, the demands, in my opinion, have become unrealistic. There's no way in hell that this team should've won 10 more games. The people who believe that, are smoking some of that Bin Laden. People can make a case for 5 more wins, which would put us at 42 wins ( and still very much a mediocre and schizophrenic team ). Then you have to identify which 5 games we should've won, and what was the main reason why we didn't win. More often than not, it will be a combination of the coach not doing something he probably shoud have, combined with the player(s) doing something wrong, to lose a game. NOTE: The Hawks were 5 - 5 last year in games decided by 3 points or less. So I guess in everyone's eyes that hate Woody, the players won those 5 games, while Woody lost the other 5. Quote: The easily replaced comment is ridiculous as demonstrated by the dwindling season ticket holders. You don't loose season ticket holders if you are a healthy franchise. People make judgements on their perceptions, and the VAST majority of the 4+ million people in this city are calling a spade a spade in terms of the Hawks. I say, get new blood in here to help revitalize the franchise. Sund was a good start, now its time to keep improving the team by hiring a new HC. Dwindling? Wasn't there a post on this board about how the Hawks sold quite a few season ticket packages after the game 4 win? That's what happens when fans get excited about their team. Season ticket sales and attendance will definitely be up. I just hope that you're one of those season ticket holders. I just don't know where all of these outlandish expectations about the Hawks came from. People surely didn't share these ideas before the season started . . nor durng the season. And when e finally finished strong, people dismissed that as us playing a very easy schedule. Once again, I'm all for a coaching change if you're actully bringing a coach that is a legitimate upgrade over what we have now. If the goal is to be a perennial contender, a lot of the coaches mentioned on this board haven't done jack squat with their teams when they made the playoffs. So change just for the sake of change, is useless. That's my position on Woody . . and on the players people are constantly trying to trade around here ( marvin, Chill, Smoove ). I'm not trading any of those guys, unless i can get a significant upgrade at the position they play at. If you truly want to get season tickets, do it because you love your team UNCONDITIONALLY. Not because they got a coach or a player that you hate outta here.

That's a big time move by Philly, if they can pull that off. You get a proven scorer and rebounder in Randolph, plus get a mid-high lottery pick? If they're able to get Randolph and a lottery pick like OJ Mayo, Philly will stay ahead of us in the East, possibly going all the way up to 3rd or 4th in the East.

Quote: Several reasons to think it makes Atlanta look better. 1- Hawks, who no one much had watched outside of Atlanta, suddenly was on national T.V. for everyone to see. After being easy victims in Boston, the scene shifted to the home of the Hawks and the Hawks and their fans proved to be too much for the mighty Celtics. That was enough to make fans not familiar with the Atlanta lads set up and take notice. Not just once, but every time these Celtics faced these Hawks in Atlanta, they failed to win. 2- Sure, we were blown away on the road. Some of that was because of the youth of the Hawks roster and their inexperience in the playoffs - also, they DID have a terrible road record for the regular season. Leave it to GM to explore the angle that no one didn't even think about, and that was the national TV angle. Those games vs the East champ should translate into more national TV games. It may very well give us 5 - 8 national TV games, with one of those games definitely being a home game vs Boston. With Boston being so successful, it assures that they'll be on the maximum number of times on Natl TV. Hawks vs Boston will definitely be one of those games. Hawks vs Phoenix, playing off the JJ angle, will surely be another one. I could see other possible matchups with Orlando ( division rival and possibly the Smith vs Howard correlation ), Charlotte ( if Woody comes back, it'll be Teacher vs Student ), Golden St ( run and gun vs athletes who like to run ) New Orleans ( Paul / Marvin angle ) and LA Lakers ( because they'll have the max number next year and because we beat them at home ) Once again, Mule proves that age trumps youth.

Quote: Quote: The Celtics were content with coasting through the first couple rounds of the playoffs winning their games at home. However, their play on the road improved after losing at home to Detroit. This is about the biggest POT Of BS that has probably ever been written on this messageboard. The Celtics were not content going 7 games against Atlanta. Did you see the Looks on their faces when the series was knotted up 2-2? How about right after game 6?? That was not a look of content. That was concern. The Celtics had the pressure of the basketball world on them because they were supposed to beat us in 4. Don't you think that they felt like they could be the next GS? Wow!! I can't believe you came up with that BS. Then you said that they came out of their stupor after losing a home game to Detroit? More BS!!! They won in Detroit after losing to Detroit, but they were in no stupor. Ask KG if they were taking any away games off in these playoffs and I will love to get the youtube footage of him whipping your ass. Totally agree. People can use that "they didn't take us seriously" excuse for Game 3 ONLY. But after we pretty much led them wire to wire in Game 3, we definitely had their attention in Game 4. Matter of fact, i think Boston had a double digit lead in the 2nd half of Game 4, before the Hawks defense and JJ's offense shut them down in the 4th qtr. After that game Boston DEFINITELY TOOK US SERIOUS!! Whenever you see them employ the "Jordan Rules" on JJ starting in Game 5, you know they are taking us serious. And no way did they want the series to go 7 games, when just about everybody else in the playoffs had their series wrapped up by the 6th game. I don't know why people want to diminish those 3 games we won at home as something that everyone expected to happen. Then again . . . i know exactly why.

Diesel, just about everybody on the board knows that you are right about how basketball, especially in the NBA, is mainly about matchups. It's the same reason why Phoenix can never beat San Antonio. And you're right about young players in the playoffs too. You can find exceptions to the rule. But for the most part, young players that have never experienced playoff basketball, will almost always struggle on the road. At home, Rajon Rondo plays like a solid veteran PG that has been in many playoff battles. On the road, he looks like a deer in headlights most of the time. And when he looks like that, Boston loses.

C - Jefferson PF - Brand F - Marion G - Redd PG - Baron Davis C - Gasol F - Smoove F - Iggy G - Carter G - T. Parker

I like that lineup too. Just 3 concerns: 1) Can Acie guard decent 2-guards? I don't expect him to guard the great ones, but can he guard the mediocre ones? He'll have to be tough in order to defend those taller guys. 2) Will Smith play inside all the time, with the smaller lineup on the floor? He'll have to be willing to battle and not drift out to the perimeter with Acie, Bibby, and JJ on the floor at the same time. 3) Can the combo of Andersen/Zaza play center well enough, in order to let Horford play a little more PF? If they can, we may really get to see what Horford can do at that spot.

NOTE: this is why just about every coach in basketball has a TIMED SUBSTITUTION pattern, in order to properly manage the minutes, regardless of how a player is playing . . . especially in the 1st half of games. Just had to throw that in there.

Quote: So put Acie at the 2 and leave Bibby at the point. JJ to the 3 , with Smoove and Horf. Marvin and Chills off the bench. If we loose Chillz to FA, then we may HAVE to do this. If we lose Chill, but add Andersen and/or re-sign West or a shooter, this could very well be the breakdown of minutes: PG: Bibby ( 34 min ) - Acie ( 14 min ) G: JJ ( 32 min ) - Acie ( 12 min ) - West/shooter ( 4 min ) F: Marvin ( 36 min ) - JJ ( 8 min ) - West/shooter ( 4 min ) PF: Smith ( 36 min ) - Horford ( 12 min ) C: Horford ( 24 min ) - Andersen ( 16 min ) - Zaza ( 8 min ) It'll be a situation in which Acie would have to at least guard the 2 spot, even if he is playing the point on offense. He'd have to guard the 2 whenever JJ slides over to the 3 to give Marvin a break. So I agree with you. We may have to go with an Acie - Bibby backcourt at times, if Chill isn't here.

Quote: Quote: I agree it's insane and irresponsible. Even if you can afford it, why WASTE all that gas? These enormous vehicles just continue to give money to the arabs. JJ, if you want to throw money away, why not give it to the homeless or charity instead? I love JJ as a player, but my opinion of him as a human being went down a little. Would you rather he buy a small jet and give money "to the arabs" that way instead? I think it's John Travolta who is a licenced pilot that also flies his own private jet anywhere he wants. People have to remember that JJ got a nice chunk of change as incentive to come here. Then he gets another couple of million every month during the season. When you're making that kind of money, a thousand dollars isn't much at all. Even if he only gets 12 miles a gallon, he'll have to drive well over 2,000 miles in between fill-ups. So if he drives that truck a lot, he's maybe filling that up 6 times a year.