Official Game Thread: Bucks at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“I prefer to go by my new nickname, ‘The Beard’, if you all don’t mind… What?”

 

We already knew that former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was worthy of 2019’s Smartest Coach of the Year Award, after passing up offers at sketchy locales like Phoenix and New York to attach himself to Giannis Antetokounmpo (doubtful tonight, sore back) and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The reigning Coach of the Year and his bearers of the league’s best record grace State Farm Arena with their presence this evening (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Fox Sports Wisconsin). But along the way, Hawks fans were curious to see just how competitive Budball would be, with the ball in the hands of a strong-limbed point-forward whose perimeter marksmanship was sub-30 throughout his career. We’re beginning to see just how it all might work out, come playoff time.

It’s likely you haven’t seen a team this dominant in league history INSIDE the 3-pont arc. There have been, as per bball-ref, only two other seasons where an NBA team has made more than half of their 2-point field goals, while holding teams on the other end below 45 percent. Kareem and Oscar’s Milwaukee Bucks, 1971 Champs after going 66-16, and Shaq and Wade’s 2005 Miami heat, 59-23 and Eastern Conference finalists.

There is likely no team in NBA history with a 2FG% differential (team vs. opponent) as wide as the gap between Milwaukee’s 57.2 2FG% and their 44.7 opponent 2FG%, both league-bests. When it comes to the 3-point line, opponents of the Bucks (38.3 opponent 3FGAs per-48, 2^nd-most in NBA) stop here.

Foes know producing points around the rim and in the paint is an adventure. Donte DiVincenzo (1.6 SPG), Eric Bledsoe (returning soon from a fibula avulsion fracture), Sterling Brown and Wesley Matthews are dogged defenders pestering ballhandlers into abandoning drives into the paint, as if the waiting wings of Brook Lopez (2.4 BPG) and Antetokounmpo inside aren’t enough of an imposition.

Then you layer on the Budball principle of 3 > 2. The seven leading Bucks in terms of floor time average 1.2 to 2.2 made threes per contest, a list that doesn’t even include Kyle Korver (1.6 3FGs in 16.3 mins/game), the player whose career was resuscitated under Coach Bud’s watch in Atlanta.

Milwaukee won’t shoot often inside, especially when doing so doesn’t involve Giannis barreling to the hoop for highlight-reel dunks. But when they do, they’re the best at making shots. When they don’t, they’re about as good at sinking shots as their opponent, much better when you remove Antetokounmpo’s 32.7 3FG% (best since his rookie season) from the equation.

Milwaukee’s interior defensive excellence doesn’t mean the Hawks have to pull a Brooklyn Nets (26.9 2FG% yesterday vs. NYK, lowest by an NBA team since 1950) tonight at The Farm. Jabari Parker was relegated to 15 under-productive bench minutes (7 points on 3-for-4 2FGs, 1 FT, 2 TOs), a byproduct of John Collins’ solid return to action in the Hawks’ 121-118 loss in Cleveland on Monday. But it was just last month, in Milwaukee, that Parker had perhaps his finest all-around performance as a Hawk.

Dangerous from both inside and outside (3-for-5 3FGs, 10-for-18 2FGs), impactful on both offense and defense, Jabari had a season-high 33 points and 14 rebounds (9 defensive) while adding a pair of steals and a swat as Atlanta (6-25), following a predictable opening-quarter stumble, held serve with the Bucks until the final 6 minutes of a 111-102 defeat.

If he’s available tonight, Parker (questionable, shoulder impingement) won’t get the 37 minutes he enjoyed against his old club going forward, not so long as Collins (27 points on 12-for-20 FGs, 10 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks @ CLE) stays healthy. But a challenge going forward for Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce is to build a steady second line, featuring a frontcourt of Parker and either one of centers Alex Len (doubtful, ankle sprain) or Damian Jones.

The Hawks have been a positive +1.3 points and +3.0 assists per 100 possessions when Pierce issues the 2-man tandem of DeAndre’ Bembry and Parker. Buckets won’t be as easy to come by for Parker, relying more on Bembry or Evan Turner to set up finishing plays, but those second-line options with Parker will keep the Hawks from hemorrhaging points while on defense, something that happened far too often when Jabari was feasting on dimes from Trae Young.

If the right matchups avail themselves, Pierce will also want to find ways to have the inside/outside threat of forwards Collins and Parker on the floor together. That would likely come at the expense of Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter (23 points, 9-for-12 2FGs but 1-for-7 3FGs @ CLE) at small forward, although one could argue the rookies could use a little less trial-by-fire and a bit more sideline tutelage at this stage of the season.

On Christmas Day, we watched a Clippers team with Lou Williams flummox the Lakers into late-game submission, and a Sixers team contain The Greek Freak to obligatory highlight-reel plays. What they have are players committed to not only locking up their own defensive assignment but helping to make sure their teammates’ assignments feel challenged, too. They may have defensively deficient talents, but ones who understand that team-oriented defense doesn’t involve absent-mindedly waiting to get the ball back in offensive possessions.

I won’t belabor the absurdity of the Hawks’ schedule that, this time, has them boarding a postgame flight for Chicago (four full days off since playing in Orlando on Dec. 23), the team that last awaited the Hawks’ arrival off a back-to-back and pounded them 136-102 earlier this month. But Milwaukee (27-5) will soon be racing to the airport as well.

Relying heavily on Khris Middleton to compensate for the absences of Giannis (100.0 MIL D-Rating on-court, 107.4 off-court) tonight, Bud’s Bucks could be caught looking ahead to a home matchup tomorrow against the Magic. The last time Atlanta won at home, they sent a lot of local fans in Steph and Klay jerseys home dissatisfied, and they could do ATL-area Giannis fans a similar disservice today.

In front of the home crowd, tonight is a great opportunity for Pierce to hone his Hawks’ lineup alchemy to victorious effect. With most of the core gang back together and playing at home, it’s time for fans to begin getting a sense of what Lloydball looks like.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Sorry for Jabari rocking...

~lw3

[High5]

15 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Sorry for Jabari rocking...

~lw3

Well that ain't good. Maybe Bruno can finally put something together. 

[GameTime]

 

[Spud2nique]

32 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

It’s likely you haven’t seen a team this dominant in league history INSIDE the 3-pont arc.

Nice work lw3 as usual. These stats yo-yo mentioned were mind boggling specially in today’s game and specially the above quote under a Bud team no less that loves to let them fly. Tonight without Giannis, they may look a bit like our 2015 Hawks, spreadem and let fly! 
 

Even without Giannis, the latest line,

Bucks -7  o/u 235  (that’s just disrespectful and mean ...where’s the holiday spirit).

No Giannis, no Parker, no Len. Lotta those 2 point field goal guys missing tonight. It’ll be the night of the threes. I think they go over 235 combined tonight in a post Xmas offensive explosion  

Hawks 124

Bucks  121

 

Prediction: Hawks and Bucks combine for 43 three pointers made! (Breaking the Warriors/Kings of 41 from Jan 2019).

 

GO HAWKS!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[GameTime]

@TheNorthCydeRises

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

10 minutes ago, GameTime said:

@TheNorthCydeRises

 

 

Can the Hawks hire me please as their Analytics/Film guy?  I'll do it for the measly price of $70,000 a year.

Now the only thing he needs to figure out, is that Bruno can play MORE than one position on the frontline.  With Parker out, I would definitely go big a few times, with  Len   Jones and Bruno in the game together.  Let Bruno guard Middleton a few times out on the perimeter, just to give him a different look, or to force an out of rhythm 3.

Edited December 28, 2019 by TheNorthCydeRises

[TheNorthCydeRises]

44 minutes ago, High5 said:

Well that ain't good. Maybe Bruno can finally put something together. 

Or Vince will get 30 minutes tonight.

[JayBirdHawk]

2 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Or Vince will get 30 minutes tonight.

Pierce needs to end his love affair with Vince.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

6 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

 

 

 

Game and matchups?

How about Goodwin will play because the Hawks offense has looked like crap whenever he goes out the game.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

OK SportSouth, please fix your audio.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

And Bruno with the quickest 1st foul in franchise history.

Then he forces a turnover because Lopez wasn't expecting him to be all up on him at the 3 point line.

Edited December 28, 2019 by TheNorthCydeRises

[hawkman]

Bruno absolutely cannot afford to get in foul trouble tonight.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

LOL . . and we STILL start out down 0 - 8

Unbelievable . . . haha.

[hawkman]

Terrible start. Too much "sauce" from Trae. I like the energy but he needs to settle down. 

[Bonkers]

That Lloyd Pierce offense lmao

 

Proving me right again

Edited December 28, 2019 by Bonkers

[terrell]

Trae after the highlight cross over. NO need to shoot that from Marietta right now..Come on young fella. 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

1 minute ago, Bonkers said:

That Lloyd Pierce offense lmao

 

Proving me right again

I want him to call a few post ups for Collins, seeing that's how he dominated in college.