Was at the game last night...

[mrhonline]

From my crappy seats at the Time Warner Arena (no comparison to Philips), I was able to see what the ultimate problem last night was. Don't get me wrong there were several things the Hawks struggled at (rebounding, interior D, etc.), but the difference in the game was:

Defensive switches.

Larry Brown exploited the Hawks' switches all night long. I can't count how many times a big guy would end up being covered by Bibby or Flip or JJ, and the result was usually in the Bobcats' advantage.

The switches simply DO NOT WORK against teams with mobile bigs.

Edited March 7, 2009 by mrhonline

[TheNorthCydeRises]

No doubt. They actually talked about that during the telecasts. Funny thing is . . when Flip is in the game . . those switches are a little more effective. Bibby's weak azz can't ( or won't ) fight hard enough to either body up on a guy, or try to steal the entry pass to the big.

When Bibby isn't scoring, he's a liability, because of his poor play on the defensive end. I was at the Cleveland game last Sunday, and noticed the same thing. That's why Woody opted to go with Flip down the stretch, instead of Bibby.

[jhay610]

From my crappy seats at the Time Warner Arena (no comparison to Philips), I was able to see what the ultimate problem last night was. Don't get me wrong there were several things the Hawks struggled at (rebounding, interior D, etc.), but the difference in the game was:

Defensive switches.

Larry Brown exploited the Hawks' switches all night long. I can't count how many times a big guy would end up being covered by Bibby or Flip or JJ, and the result was usually in the Bobcats' advantage.

The switches simply DO NOT WORK against teams with mobile bigs.

The Cats abused our insane switching scheme that's for sure. I can't stand it - it's so easy to create mismatches. We don't try to fight through ANYTHING, as soon as an offensive player looks like he might be thinking of a screen, it's a switch.

Thus - Okafor/Diaw/Wallace on Evans/Joe/Bibby

Oh, and first qtr defense was the worst I've seen since the Orlando blowout earlier this year - I mean they really didn't give a crap at all. Layup drill

Edited March 7, 2009 by jhay610

[DJlaysitup]

I don't suppose they keep those stats...but I thought we may have given up the most layups/dunks ever in a quarter.

[buckeye242424]

I don't suppose they keep those stats...but I thought we may have given up the most layups/dunks ever in a quarter.

It was a francise record for FG % for the Bobcats in one quarter.

[DrReality]

This stuff is defense 101. Unbelievable. Someone wrote an article about it so the other teams know what to do.

[SuperSavvyNation]

My biggest issue in games like the Bobcats was our refusal to stand up for ourselves. In baseball if a team gets comfortable in the box and keeps swinging from the heels, someone is going down.

We can't give up easy layups. At some point, Horford, Smoove, or Zaza needs to clean some clocks and let their opponents know it ain't gonna be easy inside. You coming inside, you're gonna have to pick yourself off the floor and limp to the free throw line. Not every play (of course), but this needs to happen more. It's an attitude and a toughness that we don't have.

Of course, with all of the hugging and kissing before and after the games between opponents, it's no wonder that things get a little too friendly on the court.