FlamingoBarnes

Thabo is active today.

Heat TT Under 51 for the 2nd half for me. 

I like it and will join. 

Just wanted to check in and give you props for that lakers ml call last week.

GL tonight.

ole Kenny Atkinson is proving to b one hell of a coach so far. 

I wanted to take the Nets but the line seemed to be begging for Nets money.  

The cover is shot.  ATL will be lucky to win this one.  LAL just flat out wants it more.

I like that Clippers -7.  I will be on it with you if the Hawks handle business.

Adding:

The Sacramento under ended up being a little closer than I expected due to some hot shooting.  Sac's bench made 7/15 from 3 pt range and the Kings shot 45% in between the restricted zone and 3 pt line.  The Hawks lack of chemistry on offense is still putting the defense in precarious positions at times. 


Lakers vs Atlanta

-The Lakers have been on the road since October 27th and will be flying back to LA after tonight's game.  They are coming off a loss against Indiana last night where they showed some serious fight in the 2nd half.  No Mozgov for tonight's game.  The last thing a group of young guns wants to see in this situation is a disciplined stifling defense. 

-The only comparable opponent the Lakers have faced is Utah.  In that game, the Lakers scored 94 points while shooting well above their season average from 3 (39% vs 26%).  Like Atlanta, Utah is active in denying the pass and this really seemed to give the young Lakers issues.  Without being able to make the easy pass, the Lakers struggled to initiate their offense and ended up playing street ball often. 

This video does a good job of showing some of the issues the Lakers faced against the Jazz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ACtxZwTso

Keys to the Game

-Howard should feast on the boards.  Tarik Black will be the Lakers only hope and he is only 6'9" and used to playing 15 minutes per game.

-Slow down the Lakers guards and their offense will struggle.  I don't see any reason why Bazemore and Thabo will not be able to do just that tonight.

Let's see if the Hawks can make it 4 straight games where they hold their opponent under the team total. 

Lakers Team Total Under 98.5  AVERAGE

Lakers 1st Half Team Total Under 48.5  SMALL

Hawks -12 -102  SMALL

They may not have the personnel to score on them inside but they certainly have the personnel to rape and pillage the Celtics on the glass.  That's exactly what Chicago did to Boston in their first meeting.  Chicago had 18 offensive boards which led to 16 more shot attempts for Chicago.

The username 'Smartbetting007' and buying 8 points don't go together bro.

Some thoughts on the Hawks after 3 games against 3 lottery teams.


The BAD

-Kent Bazemore - He looks uncomfortable to start the year, like he's trying to prove that he was worth the contract.  His shot is a bit off and he seems to be trying to force it in to rhythm which has lead to bad shots.  He's shooting under 30% and his +/- after 3 games is an even 0.

-The 1/5 PnR.  Under Bud, the Hawks have used the 1/5 PnR along with movement around it to initiate their offense.  Dennis and Howard are really struggling in this area so far.  It has led to Dennis over dribbling and wasted possessions.  Forced shots at the end of the clock often lead to fast breaks for the other team.

-Getting Howard involved on offense.  It's obvious that the Hawks aren't used to playing with a legit post player. There are a handful of opportunities for Howard to score under the basket that are missed each game due to missing the read or sending the pass late or inaccurately.

The GOOD

-The return of Korver and Thabo.  Korver's offense and Thabo's defense were the true catalysts that made the Hawks elite on each side of the ball 2 years ago.  They both struggled last season after spending the summer recovering from broken lower extremities.  Both seem to be back to prime form so far. 

Thabo has been the MVP of the Hawks through 3 games.  He has a +/- of +58 while leading the league in FG% and steals per game.  Thabo looks better than ever on offense while still providing elite defense.  Korver is 9/15 from 3 and has expanded his game some.  He has already made 5 two point baskets.

-Howard's presence on the boards and FT line - The Hawks have out-rebounded their opponent in every game this season and are 4th overall in rebound differential.  Howard is averaging more offensive rebounds (5.7) than Horford is total rebounds (5.3).  The Celtics suddenly find themselves struggling to secure rebounds and I expect this to be very obvious vs the Cavs on Thursday.

While only shooting 46% from the FT line, Howard's ability to draw fouls has been a nice change from Horford who would always shy away from contact.  Howard is constantly putting pressure on the rim on both sides of the floor.  Howard attempted more FTs vs the Kings than Horford did in 3 seperate months last season. 

4th quarter defense

-They have really clamped down when it has mattered the most this season.  They have given up 19, 14 and 14 points in the 4th quarter.

Future Outlook

-I do think the Hawks will be exposed on offense by veteran teams who play fundamentally sound defense.  Teams like Cleveland, San Antonio and Toronto should give these current Hawks a lot of trouble and you should fade the Hawks vs these teams. Look to bet for the Hawks when they play undisciplined teams.

The good news is the Hawks have time to grow and figure things out since their first 19 games are loaded with lottery bound teams.


I will be ack in a bit with a Lakers writeup and probably a play on the Lakers Team Total Under.  The Hawks are 3-0 vs the opponents team total line so far.

Not even close. That unit is undersized and won't be able to secure the defensivery rebound. Just wait til they play Cleveland with that unit. Lebron, Love and Thompson will feast.

2 young teams that are still learning how to play going against 2 of the best defenses in the league. Doesn't sound like a good formula for a big upset to me.

I think Charlotte and Atlanta both win comfortably.

I'm leaning towards Sacramento in this one.

The big question for me is who guards Cousins for Miami? 

Cousins is a damn fool.  Has 4 fouls and he intentionally grabs Kris Humphries for his 5th foul with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

Whistle on every single play in the 2nd half

The refs never show Millsap love.  

Sacramento is looking good early in the 2nd half.  The Hawks are making some pretty careless mistakes which are leading to easy points for Sac.