Enemy: Atlanta Hawks
2014-15 record: 60-32
What’s the story in Atlanta?
The Hawks had a dream season last year. That’s the only way to describe the team improvement from playoff after thought to the best record in the East.
They did it without making major changes to their lineup or sacrificing future draft picks in the process as well. Instead they installed a team first concept that got 4 players into the All-Star game despite no one on the team averaging as much as 17 points a game.
Paul Millsap continued his incremental improvement to become a major force and led the team in scoring at 16.7 PPG. Kyle Korver, once known simply as a long-range specialist, evolved into an All-Star with his superior 3 point shooting but also his leadership. Al Horford, often injured throughout his career, played 76 games and didn’t show any ill effects from the effort, Jeff Teague blossomed into a Mike Conley type on court leader and most improbable of all, DeMarre Carroll – the only Hawk starter not on the all-star team – became the type of all around player the Grizzlies envisioned when they drafted him years ago.
Atlanta also got a ton of help from overseas for their bench with Dennis Schroder proving a handful backing up Teague, Pero Antic spreading the court as a 3 point shooting big man and Thabo Sefolosha.
They basically built a team around the San Antonio model which isn’t surprising since NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer spent years learning the trade sitting next to Greg Popovic as the Spurs Assistant Coach. His calming influence and spread offense combined with a suffocating defense propelled the Hawks all the way to the conference finals where injuries too many players caused Atlanta to come up short.
That was the easy part of course. It’s far easier to sneak up on teams when they don’t expect you to be that good. No comes the hard part to advance to the next level. Can the Hawks repeat when they are no longer a surprise and the team has lost players that had a large hand in getting the Hawks where they were last year?
What are they cooking with?
The Hawks success last year was built on incredible teamwork. No one player was a star but together as a starting five they placed 4 players in the All-Star game. This year that teamwork will be tested somewhat as DeMarre Carroll took a big paycheck from Toronto and Al Horford has stopped negotiating with the Hawks on a new deal himself. Horford and the Hawks management both have said all the right things so far but Horford turns 30 in June and has played more than 70 games in a season only 5 times in his career.
To help Horford, who has been forced to play Center despite being undersized at that position most of his career, the Hawks acquired former Spur Tiago Splitter in the off-season. Grizz fans are probably a little upset about the trade too because that freed up cap space for the Spurs to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and the Hawks cut Austin Daye to make room for Splitter on their roster.
The most important off-season move was re-signing Paul Millsap to a 3 year deal making him the highest paid Hawk this coming season.
The backcourt of Teague and Korver will return in tact and under contract for two more years but backup SG Thabo Sefolosha may be late to camp as his trial on resisting arrest begins October 5th in New York. Dennis Schroder, the surprise off the bench for the Hawks last season returns but it is unknown if he’ll have his trademark blond blotch again this season. Ken Bazemore, Tim Hardaway Jr., Mike Muscala and Big man Walter Tavares, returning from a year in Spain, anchor the Hawks bench.
How do the good guys stack up?
Chip Crain: The Hawks offer one of the few true tests for the Grizzlies in the Eastern Conference as Atlanta has become the Spurs of the East and everyone knows how much San Antonio has troubled the Grizzlies lately. Gasol can over-power anyone on the Hawks lineup but he also struggles defensively on the perimeter. Randolph and Millsap are a great matchup but again Randolph struggles guarding Millsap on the outside and Millsap has learned to hit the 3. Jeff Green should match up well against anyone the Hawks put up at the SF position but Green has to be aggressive to do so and that isn’t a reputation Green has around the league much less in Memphis. Korver versus Courtney Lee or Tony Allen is an immovable force versus an unmoving object battle. Allen sometimes gets burned over-playing passing lanes against Korver who only needs a half second to nail a 3 point shot. Conley and Teague are a great matchup as well. The big issue is the play off the bench. Schroder has a major speed advantage over Udrih at the point, Carter and Barnes have experience over the Hawks wings and Splitter vs Brandan Wright could be a push. It is too close to say if either team really has the advantage here.
Friday, Nov. 27 – FedEx Forum 7:00 PM CST
Saturday, Mar. 12 – Phillips Arena 6:30 PM CST
