Official Game Thread: Hawks at 76ers

[lethalweapon3]

That Same Energy.

 

Who needs Halloween? That’s what the NBA’s schedule makers thought, as they returned the chiller, Ice Trae, the thriller, John The Baptist, and their Atlanta Hawks before the ghouls at The (don’t say Wells Fargo five times into a mirror) Center, coincidentally to face the Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, NBATV) on Halloween Eve.

Back again at the scene of the crime, Trae Young, bearing his devilish grin while sharing the court with the Sixers’ clearly spooked Ben Simmons, would drive the Cheez Wiz-swilling crowd batty, eliciting enough haunts of “BOO!” that dressing up the next day would feel anticlimactic. What the schedule makers underestimated was just how committed Simmons is to Child’s Play.

Here, in Atlanta, and across NBA Nation, we’ve beaten the proverbial horse into paste all summer long, so there’s no need to rehash The Pass. Several Seventy-Sixers, including a laboring co-All-Star Joel Embiid, and head coach Doc Rivers were culprits to varying degrees in their own demise during the seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal.

That said, I’d like to float what I suspect what was going on in Simmons’ mind, in his fateful two-second decision. It’s evidence, in my own mind, that Trae has been playing chess on the league’s checker-playing suckers ever since the summer of 2020, when he made a momentous agent switch that’s paying dividends for him off, and on, the court.

Ben: “Spin move off the iso to shed Gallinari… easy peasy! Now, just go up and dunk that ish to tie the ga—wait a minute! Is… that… Trae Young, my newest frat bro at Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports, coming over to fetter my unfettered path to the hoop? I can’t make a T-shirt out of the poor little guy! What to do? What? To? Do? Let’s see. I’m gonna, uhh… oh, here you go, Matisse Thybulle of Goodwin Sports Management, go off!”

The good folks at Klutch Sports had no idea just how busy their NBA offseason was about to become. The two things we can know for certain about the drawn-out saga between Simmons and Rivers, Embiid, and the Philly phanbase, is that (1) Simmons wants as little to do with those individuals as humanly possible, and (2) Simmons isn’t down with losing another drop of that sweet, sweet, $33 million salary. Rich Paul, Daryl Morey, get to work.

Ben tried the silent treatment, demanding through his agent to be traded to any NBA outpost in California whose city doesn’t begin with the letter “S”. Alas, Moreyball has found no takers for Philly’s exorbitant demands, in Cali or anywhere else. Simmons offered no treats this summer when Sixer teammates, disguised as friends, offered to arrive at his L.A. doorstep, eager to trick him into making amends for championship’s sake.

When the cold-shoulder strategy didn’t work out for Ben, he tried showing up during a preseason game, unannounced, for COVID testing, hooping at practice with a Samsung Galaxy in his sweats pocket (“No, Doc, I am NOT happy to see you”), alienating teammates and rebuffing Rivers’ commands, and getting suspended before he could be forced to travel with the team for the next dress rehearsal. Out of legitimate options with the regular season underway, Simmons showed up to a team meeting and Bawled So Hard that, now, the club no longer wants to fine him.

However sincere, this “mental break” permits Simmons to stay paid-in-full and, aside from workouts and shootarounds, stay out of sight and out of mind. That’s to Rivers and the Sixers’ benefit, as it allows the rest of the roster to focus on just hoops.

Just Hoops was on the menu as the Sixers used a second-half surge to hold off Detroit on Thursday night, kicking off a three-game homestand with a 110-102 win to raise their record to 3-2. The only thing disconcerting is that it was the reserves – Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, new additions Andre Drummond, Georges Niang – taking turns to blow the game open. When Doc subbed in his starters, Detroit whittled down what was a 22-point 76er lead to five with just over a minute to spare.

An example of primary-ballhandler bigs that are, thus far, not severely encumbered by the new ref rules, Embiid (8.8 FTAs/game, down from 10.7 last season) gave it all he had in the opening half (19 points and 12 rebounds, along the way to a 30-and-18 night). But his teammates found it hard to contain shooters or create for each other as the winless Pistons’ footsteps grew louder. With all respect due to starter Danny Green, it’s as if there was a 6-foot-11 apparition standing where Simmons used to be. Thankfully for the hosts, Embiid’s free throws and a late three-pointer kept darkness from falling across the land.

Embiid (available, sore knee), and Tobias Harris, aren’t the only ones who could get by with a little more help from their friends. A 5-0 team dressed up in a scary 3-2 costume, Atlanta pulled off last season’s second-round upset without the services of two young talents who know Philly (the town, if not the team) quite well. The Hawks winning in Philadelphia without much of these players’ vital input, going forward, seems unnecessary.

Cam Reddish (2-for-9 3FGs in last two road contests, but 20 points in Thursday’s 122-111 loss @ WAS) is tasked with expanded playmaking duties until backup Delon Wright can more consistently share the load. Reddish will have to tamp down on wild and unfocused ventures that turn the ball over. Cam’s fellow WingStop server and Keystone Stater, De’Andre Hunter (like Reddish, DNP’d last 9 contests, playoffs included, vs. PHI; 2-for-3 3FGs vs. WAS) could stand to get more productive touches in a more balanced Hawks offense. But Dre has to finish his shots at close range (6-for-15 2FGs within 10 feet, as per bball-ref).

Last year’s Game 7 playoff hero, Kevin Huerter has been an early-season zero (29.7 FG%, 11.1 3FG%; 1-for-12 FGs on road trip, 3-for-21 in three away games). Red Velvet and his Serbian sorbet of a teammate, starter Bogi Bogdanovic (6-for-19 on threes since the win vs. DAL) have to make teams pay for drilling down on Young (13 assists, 2-for-3 FTs vs. WAS), cognizant that defenders are getting the benefit of the doubt when drawing contact while Trae drives and traverses screens.

Beyond shedding the cobwebs from the opponents’ nets, Huerter (Atlanta’s second-favorite Shenendehowa High alum as of last night) and Bogdanovic (probable, sore ankle) have to make the effort to keep ballhandlers in front of them, and to seek out stops with greater urgency. Funneling drivers and cutters from the sidelines and baselines into a fully-occupied Clint Capela, who is often scrambling to help from the weakside, and a foul-prone Collins repeatedly breaks down the Hawks’ defensive coverage.

As the Wizards swelled their lead to 20 points midway through Thursday’s third quarter, Washington was able to control the ball, and the clock, until they found a reasonable shot to their liking. Trae’s two steals represented half of Atlanta’s total on the evening, and a third of the tally of turnovers (6) by a shorthanded array of Wizard players who, like the Hawks, traveled to D.C. for the game the night before.

Digging themselves into unnecessary holes was a hallmark of LP-era basketball. But, as was the case in D.C. when Atlanta added to their demise with five technical fouls, Nate McMillan’s team cannot portray the referees as the (only) problem when confronted with adversity.

Forget whatever you may have heard about the Sixers’ early-season matchups, both defeats, at the hands of bitter division rivals Brooklyn and New York. Like the Knicks on Christmas Day, this game is Philadelphia’s Super Bowl, and a packed arena is arriving on Halloween Eve dressed to suppress.

With Simmons watching from afar, the 76ers, and their fans, are desperate to lock Atlanta in a casket early, and then throw away the key in the fourth quarter. Because there is no more harrowing sight than a fatigued Embiid at the top of the key in No Man’s Land, striving to stop the Hawks’ pick-and-roll with the game on the line. The Sixers and their fans know: Trae Young is back, and he’s here to terrorize y’all’s neighborhood.

 

Two Down, Two to Go! Go Bravos! Happy Halloween! And Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Binoculars down, Benwatchers.

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

21 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Cheez Wiz-

WIT cheese !!!! 

 

22 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Child’s Play.

Sir Chuckie 

 

23 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

dunk that ish

25 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Ben tried the silent treatment, demanding through his agent to be traded to any NBA outpost in California whose city doesn’t begin with the letter “S”.

Still say it’s the best place for him. This or Spurs.

 

26 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Two Down, Two to Go! Go Bravos! Happy Halloween! And Let’s Go Hawks!

Yes sirrrr! Awesome lw3! 

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[kg01]

BUT WHAT ABOUT NOT CALLING ACTUAL FOULS?  WHATS THE ADJUSTMENT FOR THAT?

I'M NOT YELLIN'.  YOU'RE JUST READING TOO LOUD.

[JayBirdHawk]

I don't appreciate Nate's response.  We just want them to call regular fouls.

[Spud2nique]

[Gray Mule]

Nate must talk without being fined, big time, by the NBA.  Remember, Trae was fined for his physical attack of an official.  That one fine is about what a third of my annual income looks like.

I wonder, did the official end up in the hospital?  The Doctor's office?  Did anyone call 911?  

NBA officials apparently have their orders.  "Keep Trae Young off the free throw line by any and every means possible.  If any Hawk objects, give them a tech. foul."  Seems to be working so far.  More news on this tonight.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, GO ATL HAWKS!!

[Spud2nique]

26 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

I wonder, did the official end up in the hospital?  The Doctor's office?  Did anyone call 911?  

 They took it out.. 

[Spud2nique]

28 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

If any Hawk objects, give them a tech. foul."  Seems to be working so far.  More news on this tonight.  Stay tuned.

 

Trying to keep us down for decades when we had no stars, now we have them and they try and “alter” the calls. That’s just low.

[RedDawg#8]

What kills me is that they did not change the rules on hacks and hand checking. If they did they didn't announce it. 
 

That's what needs to be addressed. Not one of the "non-calls" against are of the foul baiting variety. Every time they swallow the whistle on those Trae doesn't say anything. Those are the calls we expected to go away.

If they are bringing back real playoff type defense for good then let us know. Because they sure as like to call touch fouls against the Hawks but not for them.

[kg01]

26 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I don't appreciate Nate's response.  We just want them to call regular fouls.

I dont like it, but I get it.

ultimately, on some level, we'll have to "get past it".  Although there's certainly some fault on the refs' part.

He's taking the stance of not lending credence to it because, if he indicates the refs are at fault, the team may not recover mentally.

Trae is right in his comments, but the league will not capitulate to him.  We could get buried by this if we're not careful

[kg01]

I hope we come out playing as if we know the 6ers will be out for blood tonite.

[Peoriabird]

I hope that Nate doesn't continue to go small and get dominated on the boards against the 6'ers.  Hawks got to attack the rim rather than shooting finesse 3's because it isn't a strength

[NBASupes]

Other than the turnover, I am liking our aggressiveness. 

[hawkman]

Way to exploit the Hunter-Curry matchup. Keep doing that.

[NBASupes]

Bogi gotta get it together 

[Bonkers]

START CAM OVER BOGI!!!!!

[Peoriabird]

2 minutes ago, Bonkers said:

START CAM OVER BOGI!!!!!

You will get in trouble for this

 

[Carmine]

This dude Bogi just dribble dribble dribble doing nothing