TheNorthCydeRises

Forget that loser Howard. Hell, if Bud was so concerned about rebounds, just start another big and move Millsap to SF for this series only.

Supes is right though. No one in Atlanta Hawks history has won a game past the 2nd round. So why should others hold that against Horford? Here are the teams and players that put Horford and the Hawks out: 2008 - Boston ( World Champs - 3 Hall of Famers: Pierce, Garnett, Allen ) 2009 - Cleveland ( EC Finalist - 1 Hall of Famer: Lebron ) 2010 - Orlando ( EC Finalists - 1 Hall of Famer: Howard ) 2011 - Chicago ( EC Finalists - Rose was league MVP ) 2012 - Boston ( EC Finalists - Horford was hurt, but came back in the middle of the series ) 2013 - Indiana ( EC Finalists - 1 potential Hall of Famer: George ) 2014 - Indiana ( EC Finalists - Horford was injured ) 2015 - Cleveland ( NBA Finalist - Lebron, with Love and Kyrie potential Hall of Famers ) Dominique went through the same thing, but his path was even tougher. People are mad that Horford grabbed 1 rebound in a game in which we almost got out rebounded by 30 ( which is incredible ). But without Horford's 22 points, we get blown out ... again. Here's what people forget, when they talk about tanking. Horford was the 3rd pick in the 2007 Draft behind Oden and Durant. Only 4 All Stars have come out of that draft. Durant, Marc Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Al Horford. Durant has been to a NBA Final and 2 Conference Finals. Horford, Gasol, and Noah have been to 1 Conference Final apiece, and have a 1 - 12 record.

I peeped early on that Bud had gone to the "switching defense", which occasionally will have the bigs out on the perimeter, and forces the guards to defensive rebound. Woody used to talk about guard rebounding all the time. Horford's rebounding has been an issue all year because I truly believe he's trying to pick and choose when he plays hard. He's obviously been avoiding going all out to get rebounds unless he's right in the area. And he rarely puts a body on people to secure good rebounding position ( Millsap is guilty of this as well ). Only Humphries seeks contact before getting a rebound. Al was sensational on offense because he was in full attack mode. Even his jumpers were all in rhythm. That dunk was spectacular. But we do need him to rebound. And if he's not rebounding, we need other people in the game who can hit the boards. That's why I've been saying all along that the Hawks need to go BIG. HUMPHRIES - HORFORD - MILLSAP ... that should be your starting frontline for Game 4. Bud simply has to value rebounding over shooting in this series. Especially when most of our shooters can't shoot. He may even have to send an extra person to the offensive boards, to try to get 2nd chance possessions.

You mean like how Joe Johnson leaving made the Hawks better? From an overall standpoint, it really didn't, minus a 2 month stretch of historic basketball. If you don't replace Horford with an impact player, the Hawks fall into the lottery. The real issue is can we draft a true franchise changing player in the lottery? Honestly as of right now, the Hawks have to hope that Schröder makes the jump in Year 4, to damn near All-Star level. That way, maybe we can get "something" good from a Dennis or Teague trade. All of our "stars" are at their peak, or starting to decline, so a true star needs to emerge quickly.

Thabo must get defensive rebounds

Kyle not starting.

Wrong. The playoffs are won and lost by talent and coaching adjustments. Bud is coaching "soft" as well.

Hawks have to go big. It's that simple. That run they went on started with an onslaught of offensive rebounds in the 1st quarter. Then the turnovers. Then the 3s.

GO BIG!

He's always been a better BIG GAME shooter than Kyle.

You know how you get Durant to ATL? BEAT CLEVELAND! Because a superstar like Durant is only going to a team or an area in which he may have an emotional connection to, or to a team who is a legit championship contender, or to one of the historical storied NBA franchises. That means that Durant is more likely to go to Washington, Golden State, New York, and even Boston, before he sets one foot in Atlanta. People want the Hawks to attract 1st rate talent, while being a 2nd class team and franchise. The "game" doesn't work like that.

Very true.

Go BIG. Millsap needs to guard Lebron in certain situations, to force him to take jumpers. If he drives, have multiple bigs waiting for him in the lane ( Horford & Humphries ). Tavares needs to dress this entire series, not Patterson. Toss him in the game for a few minutes, just to see how the Cavs will respond. If the Cavs go small, and Love is at the 5 and Lebron at the 4, Millsap will end up on Lebron anyway. Rebounding will be of most importance in this series. Honestly, we haven't consistently knocked down shots all year. We must be able to get 2nd chance points, while limiting their 2nd chance opportunities. Overall though, we just need our main rotation guys to be solid. They don't have to be great every night. But they can't be horrible either.

Billy Donovan is a joke.

All I know is with the news that Malachi Richardson of Syracuse has entered the draft, I'd love for the Hawks to possibly be in position to snatch him up. Baze can be replaced.

I agree. I'm not for that pay cut or "hometown discount" business. These are the same NBA owners that jack up playoff tickets by 100%, simply because they can and they know that people will pay those prices. Players need to get all they can get, when they can get it. I'm not for paying Baze 10+ million. Let someone else do that. Lakers will go all out and overpay for him anyway.

What will it take to make me happy? ONLY a series win. For once, I want them to beat someone in the playoffs that they're not supposed to beat. The defeat of Orlando in 2011 was so satisfying. We were the lower seed, and they had owned us for about 3 years. But the Hawks went right into that series and took them out. We've been getting moral victories since 2008. I want them to SHOCK THE WORLD! Only that will satisfy me.

No chance for cheap tix in this series.

80% Bud ... 20% Teague Teague definitely went too late. But honestly, he shouldn't have had the ball. This was Millsap's night. His signature moment as a player. He DESERVED to have that ball in his hands at the end. Let him make the shot or the pass to an open man. To say that Teague had the clutch and hot hand, simply because he made back to back 3s .. when Millsap had 9 of the Hawks 13 points before those 2 threes .. is kind of ridiculous. Teague was HORRIBLE up until that point. I wonder how Millsap felt about Teague having the ball, while he's having the best basketball game any Hawk has ever had in the playoffs, since Dominique in Boston Garden back in 1988 ( 28 years ago ) That would be like Woody taking the ball out of Joe Johnson's hands back in 2008, when he had that epic 42 point performance. If we win, with Sap making the game winner, he becomes a Hawk legend. Instead, the Hawks flat out wasted his 45 points. He may as well only have scored 15 points, because the 45 points will be forgotten. Bud definitely gets most of the hit for this loss.

What does Muscala do?

Worried? No. I was much more concerned last season, when Brooklyn tied it up 2 - 2. We literally had no answer for Brook Lopez for much of that series. One thing to look at is that Isaiah Thomas is expending A LOT of energy, trying to be Allen Iverson. Can he keep doing that and be effective the rest of the series? The other thing is this. If the Hawks keep missing jumpers, a rebounder like Humphries must start to get playing time. When this team went stale in the middle of the season, his aquisition literally saved the Hawks. Humphries plays a little tougher than Horford and Moose, and may can grab some of those bricks that Dennis, Baze and Thabo are throwing up. Bud simply has to make the adjustment, and we'll be OK.

"You ask for a miracle ( monster game )? I give you the F....B.....I ( 45 pts - 13 boards )

I said this in chat, and immediately thought about you. For a long time in that game, made FTs were literally the difference in the game. Made FGs and 3FGs were virtually even.

Let's keep it real man. You watched more of a meaningless regular season Braves game, over a Hawks playoff game .... because you are a Braves fan.

Joe Johnson - Part 2 That's why JJ wasn't worried about his contract negotiations, even after the Magic swept us in 2010. 24 & 12 is a good start for Al to get that max deal. If he balls out during the playoffs, he's definitely getting paid in full.