Here's an inside look at the Hawks' 105-75 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday -- an eminently balanced victory that didn't include one Atlanta player tallying a double-double ... although Elton Brand certainly gave it a shot.
THREE-POINT TAKE
1. The story of the Hawks' supreme effort begins and ends with the 20-0 run in the first half
It's the beauty of the NBA: You're never really prepared for a one-sided onslaught that breaks open a competitive game -- especially during the typically sleepy time of a first quarter.
But the Hawks' uninterrupted rally, which spilled over into the second quarter, was equal parts quick, decisive, unselfish, efficient and mind-blowing -- transforming a 21-17 lead into a 41-17 advantage ... in under seven minutes.
And when Charlotte rookie P.J. Hairston ended his team's drought with a 9-foot jumper, it merely served as a mini-respite to Atlanta's next go-round of brilliance -- a 23-8 run to finish the first half -- which also featured consistent bouts of crisp, unselfish passing, relentless rebounding and, of course, red-hot shooting.
Here's the breakdown of that 20-point spurt: A Paul Millsap baby hook, an Elton Brand jumper, a Shelvin Mack triple, a Mike Scott turnaround, a mini-flurry of three-pointers (two from Dennis Schroder, one from Scott) and some free throws from Scott and Schroder.
Notice something weird about that amazing stretch? Only one starter (Millsap) scored during that span. Whoa!
"Execution, effort and the activity was really good," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer after the game. "The guys have really committed and gotten better defensively. But we can't rest -- we've got to keep getting better."
The Hawks bench played a feature role in that absurd second quarter, helping Atlanta outscore Charlotte by 25 (36-11), with Scott, Mack and Schroder nailing 4 of 4 three-pointers ... and Brand -- the club's affable elder statesman -- racking up five rebounds and one block in 11 minutes.
Bottom line: When seeing something so prolific, so indomitable from a single team, it's fair to wonder if the Hornets (five games in seven nights) were the only ones operating on tired legs.
But here's the kicker: Saturday marked the Hawks' third game in four days. In fact, with the Atlanta starters getting so much rest in the second half, a certain writer had to check -- and re-check -- the schedule ... to see if the NBA had the Hawks (9-6, 2nd place in Southeast Division) pegged for a super-secret Sunday outing.
Of course, the answer is no. The Hawks don't play again until Tuesday night.
1a. For a perimeter-based offense, the Hawks (12 3-pointers on Saturday) score a lot of points in the paint
On Friday, Atlanta registered 52 points in the paint against a New Orleans team that's long on quality rim protectors.
Just 24 hours later, while finishing off the first of only two consecutive-night home outings this season (the second one comes in late January), the Hawks tallied 38 points in the paint -- after just three quarters.
The fourth quarter of this blowout, affectionately referred to as garbage time, featured a number of perimeter shots from the Hawks reserves.
2. Saturday's loss undoubtedly served as the Hornets' ugliest defeat of an extended slide
It's hard to spin many positives from a losing streak (nine games) that consumes one-ninth of an NBA campaign.
It's also difficult to find goodness in a 1-11 stretch that dates back to Nov. 8 -- just hours after Lance Stephenson buried a buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat the Hawks in overtime (122-119).
Remember that crazy play? If memory serves, it was the first Stephenson buzzer-beater of his hoops career (high school included); and it's a wonder the basketball gods even allowed it ... since the New York City schoolboy legend didn't call 'glass' before the wonder shot.
Anyway ... if you're a Hawks fan whose Novembers are typically consumed with football -- both college and pro -- that Stephenson gem must feel like three or four days ago.
But if you're a Hornets fan, and fully prepared to live-and-die with all the franchise's major changes of the last 12 months (name/color-scheme switch, major acquisitions) ... Stephenson's crazy sequence of making the dream shot/storming the scorer's table must feel like a lifetime ago.
And Saturday's result certainly didn't really alter either perspective. On paper, Charlotte (4-14) has the talent to improve upon last year's 43-39 mark and qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs once again.
But here's the stark reality: For the Hornets to even match the aforementioned threshold of 43 victories ... they'll have to go 39-25 from this point forward -- an ambitious feat considering Charlotte still has one more extended road trip out West and only three scheduled affairs with the winless 76ers (now 0-16).
Which brings us to this: No one wants to be that first team to fall to a Philly squad that's comprised of a few teenage stars -- with high ceilings -- and a number of end-of-the-bench veterans who are merely bridging the gap to the 76ers' impending summer of big changes -- 2015.
(Unless that plan gets delayed for another year.)
But the Hornets certainly need to get things straightened out over the next few weeks, in advance of that trap game against the 76ers (Dec. 19).
The Bulls, Knicks and Celtics invade Charlotte over the next 10 days -- three games that could easily set the tone for the rest of the Hornets' season.
Bottom line: When checking out the expression of Hornets coach Steve Clifford during TV timeouts, you understood how this was one of those nights when coaches are powerless to stop a decisive defeat.
Just like the Hornets players realize that certain things won't fly for the future:
**Not a single Hornets starter sunk a three-pointer.
**In a free-flowing game, Charlotte accounted for only two fast-break points.
**With plus-minus ratios, the five Hornets starters were a combined minus-136.
**By contrast, the Hawks' starting five tallied a plus-132 for the night.
**Charlotte allowed Atlanta to shoot 50-plus-percent with field goals made and three-pointers made.
**The Hornets' star trio of Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Stephenson combined for only 21 points.
"It's a battle, it's always a battle," said Hawks forward Al Hoford (11 points, four rebounds) on the seismic task of defending Jefferson. "Our team's energy was the difference."
3. Elton Brand deserves a lot of kudos for standing out in a game that might have been over before he checked in
Nine points, nine rebounds (three offensive) and a superb job defending the Hornets' big men (particularly Al Jefferson).
Are we missing anything else from Brand's efficient evening (28 total minutes)?
"Energy," said Horford. "Elton's a true professional, stays ready all the time. He really changed the game for us."
Budenholzer had similarly stellar praise for Brand, saying, "Obviously, Elton's a huge part of our group ... and it was great to see him really compete out there."
One last thing: Brand's last double-double came on April 9, when he notched 13 points/13 rebounds against the Celtics -- Tuesday's opponent.
How's that for symmetry?
STATS THAT MATTER
7 & 7: To some, this represents a delicious adult beverage that's especially refreshing at weddings. In this case, it commemorates the prodigious stretch of the first quarter when the Hawks buried seven straight shots ... with an assist to go with each bucket.
Of equal relevance, Teague (game-high 10 assists) was credited for either the score or assist on six of the seven baskets.
26: The number of years it took the Hawks to foster a halftime lead larger than their 34-point advantage over the Los Angeles Clippers in March 1988.
To put that into greater context ... neither Mike Muscala, John Jenkins, Dennis Schroder, Mike Scott, Adreian Payne nor Jeff Teague had been born yet, when Atlanta crushed the Clippers at the old Omni.
3: As in the number of three-pointers made in Al Horford's mostly paint-centric career.
During that carefree time of the third quarter, Horford busted a triple from the right side ... a moment that perfectly encapsulates the Hawks' Saturday dominance.
