Close your eyes, shut your mouth and hope for the best.Before we lose our Hawks Blogger Card, and since we attended both games at Philips, I figure we may as well throw up some thoughts on the first two games of Hawks-Heat. Get it on:
1. The Hawks have played well in both games. The Heat, on the other hand, played like shit in Game 1 (37% FG, 17% 3FG) and out of their damned minds in Game 2 (55% FG, 57% 3FG). It's very unlikely that Miami will replicate their performance of either game, and the Hawks will always win if the Heat play as poorly as they did in G1, and they (or any NBA team) will lose against a performance from D-Wade and Co. in G2. I see the Heat finding an equilibrium for the rest of the series, thus resulting in some close games from here on out.
2. I like the chances of Daequan Cook not going 6-9 from the three point line for the rest of his series. Similarly, while I'm hoping that Eminem can channel his inner-2001 when Relapse drops next month, I'm hoping the exact opposite for Jermaine O'Neal the rest of this series.
3. I've been a Hawks fan since I was 8-years-old, watched most all the games through the "Big 4 (as in four total playoff wins)" days, as well as the "Jason Terry is our #1 option? Really?" days, so I like to say that I'm not a bandwagon fan. That said, I do prefer to attend Hawks games against star-studded opponents. To those who went to Games 1 and 2 solely for the Dwayne Wade factor, they weren't dissapointed. They got to see some sick dunks in Game 1 and/or a classic playoff-Wade performance in Game 2. But from here on out, screw him.
4. I am a big fan of Josh Smith, Playoff Basketball Player. A vast improvement over the regular season version.
5. Not sure what's gotten into JoeJ, but he doesn't seem like himself out there. It appears that he's pressing, using more behind-the-back dribbles and jukes than normal in order to penetrate the defense and get to the basket. I also don't like him on Wade unless MoE is on the bench. Marvin has played very well considering his injury, but nobody on this roster can be as effective on Wade as MoE, and it's not in the Hawks best interest offensively to have JoeJ expending the energy on the defensive end needed against D-Wade. So basically, I'd like to see MO MO out there (sorry). Speaking of which...
6. OBJ and Bret from Hoopinion disagree with me, but I'm in favor of doubling (or at least bringing a help defender in the general vicinity of) Wade around the three point line. Again, I'll take my chances of Cook hitting 6-9 beyond the arc or Haslem knocking down 18-footers with ease. That said, switching on pick-and-rolls consistently doesn't help the defense, either.
7 I still have no idea whether or not Beasley is a future stat-sheet filler, or a lifetime enigma ala Kenyon Martin or Derrick Coleman (that can shoot 3s). Given that dude is only 20, I guess nobody really knows. Worthless thinking aloud.
8. So basically, we know nothing yet. The Heat are all over the board, the Hawks predictably looked good at home, and (gulp) they haven't yet hit the road. So there's still alot of ball to play. Just wanted to mention, however, that the home crowd on Wednesday for Game 2 was by far and away the worst Hawks home playoff crowd I've ever experienced. I'm not exactly Mr. Punctuality by any means, but when I saunter into my "adopted" seats midway through the first quarter, I plan on cheering, being loud, waving those gay towels and pretty much standing up anytime anything happens. So while I apologize to the folks that repeatedly told us to sit down and/or move during Game 2; it's not happening, brother. Go watch the game at Outback or attend a regular season game against the Clippers if you want to sit and drink your wine during a basketball game.
GO. HAWKS.
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