Court Vision: Balanced Hawks start fast, roll to Game 1 win over Nets
Here are three quick-hitter takes from the Hawks' 99-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, the opening salvo in Atlanta's quest to reach the Eastern Conference finals (and beyond):
1. How about that? The Hawks' brand of free-flowing, unselfish ball carries over to the postseason, as well
It's a common rationalization for detractors when assessing an offensive-minded, highly successful club during the regular season:
Just wait for the playoffs, when the intensity ratchets up and baskets are harder to come by.
Well, from my vantage point, there's really no difference between the "Playoff Hawks" and "Regular Season Hawks" -- especially against the Nets.
Do you recall the Hawks-Nets meeting from 12 days ago? On Brooklyn's home court, Atlanta rolled for 65 first-half points and eventually held on for a 114-111 victory.
On Sunday, the Hawks (10 three-pointers made) raced to a 32-20 lead in the first quarter, citing a combination of stellar shooting, deft passing and expert spacing; and from there, the East's top playoff seed essentially cruised to victory -- fending off the occasional Nets run and staying aggressive on both ends.
2. Pero Antic remains an integral part of the Hawks offense ... as a decoy
In last year's playoff series between the Pacers and Hawks, Antic scored a grand total of 22 points over seven games.
But the scoring impact ran secondarily to his strategic placement in half-court sets.
By serving as a viable threat from beyond the arc -- whether on the wing or running baseline -- Antic's mere outside presence forced Indiana center Roy Hibbert to vacate the paint, allowing Atlanta perimeter players to attack the basket with more gusto.
Fast forward to Sunday: Antic was highly effective over his 19 minutes, collecting eight points (including one three-pointer) and three rebounds. Of more importance, Antic was one of three Hawks to post an on-court ratio in the double digits (+10 -- along Al Horford and Kyle Korver).
That's a vital contribution for the second-year behemoth -- especially since the Hawks (five double-digits scorers against the Nets) kept their playing rotation to eight players (only three reserves logged 16 or more minutes).
3. The Nets have no chance of winning this series when making five or fewer triples per game
One game does not a series make -- everyone knows that.
But troubling trends soon become disturbing for teams, when repeating poor patterns under pressure.
Take the realm of long-distance shooting. For the regular season, Brooklyn ranked just 23rd in three-pointers made (6.6 per game) and 20th in three-pointers attempted (19.9).
The Nets took that conservative approach to Game 1, attempting just 12 triples in the first three quarters and burying only two in that span (Deron Williams, Earl Clark).
And for the first 36 minutes, Brooklyn was averaging 4.8 turnovers per quarter.
(Brooklyn finished the game at 5 for 20 from beyond the arc.)
That might partially explain why the Nets are the only playoff team (East/West) to post a negative scoring differential for the season (-2.9 ppg).
Bottom line: If you are perceived to have the less talented roster in a series, and you're unwilling to maximize shot attempts in the paint and from three-point range ... the margin for error can be razor-thin during hyper-intense postseason outings.
The best example of that: The Nets played pretty well in the first half, exhibiting good intensity and solid rebounding in the first half.
And yet, at the break, the Hawks still led by 10.
