The Atlanta Hawks are a much deeper team than they were
going into the playoffs last season. With a starting lineup of Jeff Teague, Joe
Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Al Horford the Hawks had one of the
most talented starting lineups of all 16 teams that were in the postseason last
year.
Sadly they had no bench. The only player that made any major
contributions for the Hawks off the bench last season was Jamal Crawford but
this year their bench production has been much improved.
And it’s a good thing that they improved their depth during
the offseason because this team has had numerous injuries this year. The injury
that has had the most impact on the team though was the strained pectoral
muscle suffered by Horford at the beginning of the season.
Horford has missed all but 11 games this year which has
caused the Hawks to make numerous changes to their lineup throughout the season
in order to cover for Horford’s missing production.
And although Horford has said he will be back in time for
the playoffs, it is unlikely he will make much of an impact since he will need
time to work himself into game shape and regain chemistry with his teammates.
Johnson and Smith have carried the team this year in Horford’s
absence but the key to the Hawk’s playoff fortunes is Teague.
Teague stepped in for the injured Kirk Hinrich during the
playoffs and made life difficult for last year’s MVP Derrick Rose. Although the
Hawks lost in six games, Teague played well the entire series prompting coach
Larry Drew to award him the starting position going into this season.
And with the Hawks slated to face the Boston Celtics in the
first round of this year’s playoffs, Teague will need to be just as much of a disruptive
force against Rajon Rondo as he was against Rose last year.
Rondo is the one that makes the Celtic’s offense go. He
leads the league in assists and triple-doubles this season which shows that he
can affect a game in many ways. Rondo has had some great games as a scorer but
he usually prefers to defer to the big three in that department.
The reason for that is because Rondo is such a poor shooter
but like Rose he loves to drive to the basket. Teague will have to use his
speed and quickness to stay in front of Rondo while also making Rondo expend
energy on the defensive side of the floor.
The Celtics will sport a strong starting unit that consists
of Rondo, Avery Bradley, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, and Kevin Garnett while the
ageless Ray Allen will provide scoring off the bench. The Hawks aren’t as
accomplished of a scoring team as Boston is but they have shown in the past
that they can give the Celtics problems with their youth, length and tough
defense.
The last time the Hawks faced the Celtics in the playoffs
they pushed them to a decisive Game 7 before finally losing to the Celtics who went
on to win the championship that year. The Celtics’ trio of Pierce, Allen and
Garnett was considered an old group back then and they’re four years older now.
The Hawks on the other hand are more experienced now having
advanced to the second round of the playoffs three years straight. The Celtics
had home court advantage last time they played the Hawks which was crucial for
them because they failed to win any games in Atlanta. This year the Hawks will
have home court.
Regardless of where they play though, Teague will be the
difference. Teague is young and still learning the position but his athleticism
at point guard is a major upgrade over Hinrich and Mike Bibby who was the
starter when the Hawks played the Celtics four years ago.
But just like he did versus Rose last year, Teague will have
to bring his A-game because Rondo always raises his play in the postseason. And
how Teague performs will ultimately determine whether the Hawks bow out in the
first round or make their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals
since moving to Atlanta.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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