by Shaun Thomas
The Atlanta Hawks found the motivation to win games 6 & 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks to win the series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. With that being said, they have a much tougher opponent awaiting in the Orlando Magic.
Orlando poses match up problems for Atlanta, starting with Center Dwight Howard. Versus the Magic during the regular season Atlanta went 1-3, and it took a buzzer beater tip dunk by Josh Smith to muster that single victory.
The biggest concern is the Hawks half court defense! Too often during the Milwaukee series, the Bucks were able to spring free for wide open jumps shots. If this happens against Orlando, Atlanta will quickly be focusing on "next" year.
The Hawks win this series if....
They are able to negate the most overwhelming mismatch.....Howard vs Horford. Dwight Howard is the defensive player of the year for the second consecutive season. However, Howard is notorious for early game foul trouble. Atlanta must take full advantage and exploit his eagerness to block shots. Without Howard on the floor, Orlando becomes a much easier team to score against.
Also, Atlanta must stay intense and aggressive on defense. The magic have a number of 3 point shooters who can hit shots in bunches. Close out defense is a must in order to give the Hawks a chance to win this series.
Myself being a die hard Hawks fan, I remain optimistic. Game 1 is tomorrow night. We shall see!
What are your thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment