Ascension: Atlanta Hawks

                               

When someone says the Atlanta Hawks what does one think of? Just 3 Months earlier one's answer might have been completely different. Or maybe its still the same. The mantra of the Hawks for almost a decade now has been a team who can win in the regular season but not pose a threat in the post-season.  There could be many reasons as to why the Hawks couldn't get over the hump in past seasons. One could be facing the "Big 4" of the Celtics in the first round in 2008. Could it be facing King James in 2009 and the NBA MVP Derrick Rose in 2011?  The truth is the Hawks just weren't good enough.

Coming into this season many people had the Hawks as a Lower seed in the playoffs or maybe not in it at all. They had a relatively quiet Off Season by NBA means. The Players the Hawks picked up plugged some holes. One great signing has been Guard/Forward Kent Bazemore who is a great wing player who can guard the Point guard through SF position. He's a 6'5 player with a 6'11 wing span and has a non-stop motor. Another signing for the Hawks was previous Starting Shooting Guard Thabo Sefolosha. One of the best wing defenders in the league, Sefolosha helps out an area where the Hawks struggled last year.

The signings were key for the team's success for this season, but I bet you're wondering why the Hawks starting 5 is having so much success. The main thing is ball movement. The ball is always moving in this offense and the system has the right players. The head of the show is All-Star PG Jeff Teague. One of the quickest players in the league with great vision, Teague has put it all together this season as he's improved in every major category. Improving on defense was another goal Teague worked on during the off season and has became a very pesky player on that end.  One beneficiary of Teague passes is Kyle Korver who was also named an All Star.  Korver is not only having his best season but he's having one of the best shooting seasons of all time.  Currently he's on pace to accomplish the first 50-50-90 (50% FG, 50% 3P, 90% FT) in NBA history.

The biggest key to the Hawks however has been getting big man Al Horford back from a pectoral injury that sidelined him for the last four months of the 2013-2014 campaign including the playoffs. With Horford and his Front Court mate Paul Millsap playing at all-star form the Hawks should be a scary team to face in the Playoffs. The one player I didn't mention was the Hawks SF Demaree Carroll who is the grit of the starting unit. He's a player that will do anything to get a W.  It's a reason  he's called the "Junkyard Dog. Carroll rounds out the core who has guided the team to their highest win total at the all star break in franchise history.

So when someone says the Atlanta Hawks what do you think? You don't have to answer now because there's plenty of games that are left to be played, but take a moment to realize the history this team is making due to a 19 game winning streak which included a 17-0 record for January.  The January success of the franchise led to the entire starting five being named the NBA's Players of the Month, a first in the history of the honor.  With that being said the real focus with the Hawks will be on how they perform in the post-season.

Postseason.......Postseason is a touchy word in Atlanta. Hearing that around here can give you a few reactions. Maybe laughter, Possibly anger, or you might hear despair in the voices of the Atlanta fans. The last major sports championship for the city was won by the Atlanta Braves in 1995. The Hawks however have never won a ring since they relocated from St. Louis in 1968. This team is bringing hope back to this city, and with that hope they also bring a certain buzz. More and more people are talking about the team. A championship to this city will mean so much. This city has suffered through so many bad teams and bad years and Atlantans deserve that championship feeling.  If the Hawks reach the pinnacle they will have the entire city celebrating with them, reveling in and sharing the moment. 

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Knicks Embarrassed by Lakers To Start West Coast Trip

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, March 25^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Post Game Recap

If fans of the New York Knicks thought that Sunday was disappointing, it hit a whole different level of low Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the listless Knicks 127-96. It was a frighten sight for the Knicks, who gave no effort and did not seem to care about what was happening in the game. It was an embarrassing performance for a team still in the playoff race. The Knicks playoff hopes are on life support and fading fast as the poor performances continue to pile up. The Knicks will have a quick turnaround as they will play the Sacramento Kings tomorrow night in the second night of the back-to-back.

Player of the Game: None

For the second consecutive game the Knicks do not have a player of the game. It was a total team embarrassment from top to bottom, players and coaching staff.

Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports

Match-up of the Game Recap:

J.R. Smith and Nick Young didn’t have the match-up anticipated at the start of the game, partially because the Knicks were blown out after the first quarter. Like all of his teammates, Smith was unable to get anything going consistently in the game. Young on the other hand had to going, pouring in 20 points in only 19 minutes. Young, like the Lakers, ran away with this match-up tonight.

-Positives

After starting the game 0-6, Carmelo Anthony was able to finish stronger, ending the game 10-21 for 29 points. Anthony added nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block to round out his stat line for the night.

The first quarter was the only bright spot for the Knicks. Anthony struggled but they were still able to take a 22-14 lead into the second quarter. The 14 points allowed were a season low for the Knicks, as they looked to be well on their way to a much needed victory.

-Negative

The remaining three quarters were a nightmare for the Knicks. After allowing a season-low 14 points, they allowed a franchise-high 51 in the third quarter. That is also a record for points in a quarter for the Lakers, which is shocking because this is quite possibly the worst Laker team in franchise history. The Lakers poured it on after the first quarter, scoring 113 points in quarters 2-4. They really lit the Knicks up from deep, knocking down 18-28 from the three point line.

Harry How/Getty Images

The Knicks bench was pounded tonight. When they were matched up with the Lakers bench to start the second quarter things got out of hand quick and the Lakers started rolling. The Knicks bench scored 21 points combined, 17 from Tim Hardaway Jr. On the contrary, the Lakers bench poured in 82. Xavier Henry scored 22, Young had 20 and Kent Bazemore had 18 to lead the onslaught.

It was scary how poor the Knicks defense was after the first quarter. They showed no heart or effort, leading to a blowout and yet another embarrassing loss. Hardaway Jr. continues to get torched nightly, as he has failed to even pick up the basics of defense in the NBA 60+ games into his rookie season. Tyson Chandler did nothing to protect the paint, as the Lakers scored 40 in there with little to no resistance.  It was an embarrassing performance all-around for the Knicks on the defensive end. They got dominated by essentially a D-League team and players who haven’t played in a very long time. Chris Kaman, who hasn’t even talked to his coach in three weeks, was inserted into the lineup tonight with Pau Gasol out, and scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The team should have to find their own way to Sacramento for the game tomorrow and some people should be left in California for the remainder of the season. They have had golden opportunities to move up in the standings and close the gap with the Atlanta Hawks but have squandered all of them. The Knicks have played heartless and low IQ basketball for the better part of the six quarters and do not deserve a playoff spot. It is hard to imagine this is the same team that beat the Indiana Pacers last week at Madison Square Garden, creating as positive of vibes the team has had all season, and that is all gone now.

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