| 09 May 2010
(Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
Orlando Magic 112, Atlanta Hawks 98
According to HoopData, the Magic force the third most 2-point jumpers from 16 to 23 feet in the NBA and allow the 24th-best percentage of those shots. With Dwight Howard patrolling the paint, they play enough help defense to get opposing teams to rush jumpers on the perimeter rather than test the league's leading shot-blocker inside.
For the first three quarters of this pivotal Game 2, the Hawks didn't get caught up in this style. They passed well and created opportunities for each other. But when the game started to slip away from them, they resorted to the type of basketball their fans have grown accustomed to. Team ball became isolation, and isolation became one bad shot off the dribble and out. As a team, the Hawks had only two assists and five made shots in the fourth quarter of a game that was theirs for the taking.
This was part of my piece on the ESPN Daily Dime for Friday that talked about the collapse of the Atlanta Hawks. After the game in which the Birds were blown out and ran off the court in the fourth quarter, Jamal Crawford and other seemed to be of the opinion that the Hawks were running the same fourth quarter plays getting the same shots they had worked for all game. This is part of the problem with this Hawks team and the reason I never bought into them in the regular season.
They don’t really have the collective mentality to persevere through tough situations and just aren’t talented enough to overcome that against a great team like Orlando. The Hawks have a ton of mood swing type of players in their core with Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith all seemingly capable of sulking through tough times. After that, you’re asking Jamal Crawford, Marvin Williams and Al Horford to pick up the slack and overcome an offensive juggernaut like Orlando. This is the reason Orlando has had so much success against Atlanta the past couple of years.
The Hawks think they’re a jump shooting team. The Magic like to make their opponents think that long pull-up jumpers from two-point range are good shots to take. You’d much rather take that shot than challenging Dwight Howard inside. So it turns into the perfect storm of poor offensive decision-making and genius poise on defense. The result is a double-digit point win for the Magic most times they face each other.
Why The Magic Won This Game
Orlando turned the Hawks into an isolation team that was taking bad two-point jumpers. The Hawks got their early lead with ball movement and good offense. Once Orlando too that away from Atlanta, they ended up using it for themselves. Orlando’s passing during the 21-3 run over a seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter was practically a clinic. Each pass was crisp and leading to a shot two steps ahead of what the Hawks could keep up with. The Magic buried Atlanta with big three-point shots during the run and managed to insert the dagger with just under nine minutes left in the game. That’s hard to do.
Why The Hawks Lost This Game
Once again, they don’t understand what it takes to beat this Orlando team for 48 minutes. The Hawks had a great gameplan, played as well as they possibly could for three quarters, only missed one free throw in 31 attempts, made over 50% of their three-pointers and still ended up losing by double digits. Sometimes, you just have no chance against certain opponents. For the Hawks, Orlando is that opponent.
Looking Ahead To Game Three
If the Hawks are going to win a single game in this series, it’s Game Three. They have to come out and turn the way they played through the first 36 minutes of Game Two into 48 minutes in Game Three. They have a chance to do it with a good home crowd around them. However, this Hawks team looks defeated to me. I really want to see them come out and establish a little pride. They’ve only defeated Orlando once in the last couple of years because of a game-winning tip dunk. With that said…
Prediction: Magic Still Take Game Three
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