We have clinched home court

[Brotha2ThaNite]

Does he rest players and play the bench more now or does he play them with their high minutes to keep up this good ball playing?

[mrhonline]

I'd kind of like to beat Miami to put some pressure on them, but he'd better rest JJ vs. the Grizzlies.

[Chris18]

Woody needs to rest the starters.

[AmishBoy]

I think Miami will and should be treated like a playoff game by both teams. We have 3 days until the Miami game. Give the guys a day off and then rest the starters vs. Milwaukee.

[Deeman]

I say we tank the game against Miami, so that increases our chances of playing them in the 1st round.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Deeman

[mattlanta]

Woodson should definitely rest the starters. Especially Joe Johnson. Our starters should be on limited minutes just so they don't get rusty towards the playoffs... but players like Acie Law, Mario West, and Solomon Jones should get a lot more playing time so we can at least allow them to develop even if it's just a little bit towards the end of the season.

[LOL_Hawks]

Rest. Don't wanna tip our hand to the Heat, nor do we want to waste minutes on the Grizzlies.

[mrhonline]

BTW, all 16 playoff teams are now decided, but seeding has not been.

I love the jockeying going on in the WC.

[Frenzy]

JJ definately needs rest

[aznsensation]

Does he rest players and play the bench more now or does he play them with their high minutes to keep up this good ball playing?

I think keeping the momentum is overated sometimes. Last year, we play like crap and we still push Boston to 7 games. I say rest the starters as much as you can.

[prolific25]

I could see why someone would want the Hawks to try to keep the momentum going by beating Miami as a fan...but the reality is that these last two games mean nothing for the Hawks core players(maybe outside of Marvin shaking off the rust)outside of staying healthy. The Hawks lost 3 games in a row going into the playoffs last year but no one remembers those games.

I don't know if it's possible for Miami to clinch the 5th seed before Tuesday,but I can guarantee you that Miami will play Wade very little-if at all if that game has no meaning. I just hope Woodson does the same thing with his key players.

[High5]

Considering the 3 days of rest before the Miami game, I think the starters should still play decent minutes (under their averages), but then VERY limited minutes against Milwaukee. Especially for Joe and Bibby.

[mrhonline]

I don't know if it's possible for Miami to clinch the 5th seed before Tuesday

It's a possibility, but it's also a possibility that Detroit, Chicago, and Philly get closer, too. They've still got some work to do...

[Dexmethylphenidate]

I'd say play them with less than their normal averages, but sit Joe Johnson on back to back games.

[tonegully]

play the starters 15minutes. Thats about it.

[DrReality]

You actually think Woody will do something different? Not sure he is that bright.

[Dexmethylphenidate]

You actually think Woody will do something different? Not sure he is that bright.

I think he overplayed the starters last year (toward the season's end) because he's fighting for his job. He probably secured his job for next season, I think, with HCA and a first round win. So he'll definitely rest Joe Johnson... if not, he's just plain ignorant.

Edited April 11, 2009 by DeerPark

[HamHawk]

The players need rest. JJ has has said that these come from behind wins takes so much energy to pull off. Since we've run into a few of those lately, I'd say to keep the starters on limited display. I do think, however, that we should beat Miami in the regular season whatever it takes. They've been on a little skid and if that lasts until playofffs, they'll come out weak. D-Wade will always be D-Wade, but if we can shake his supporting cast then we'll be in good shape.

[pound4pound]

Say Hello to Thomas Gardener / Mario West / Soloman Jones getting 30 minutes a game. That is if I were Woody. I think the only question is how much run does Marvin get to knock the rust off.

[mrhonline]

He gave the team the weekend off...