Game 58 Preview: Atlanta Hawks Versus Golden State Warriors
Posted by: Elliot Bernstein in Atlanta Hawks
Tuesday Night the Atlanta Hawks will play host to the Golden State Warriors inside Philips Arena. Both teams are teetering with an outside shot at a playoff spot in their respective conferences. So neither franchise is taking this match-up lightly. Golden State is coming off a five game home-stand where they won four of five with their only loss being to Atlanta. The Hawks are winners of two of their last three, and are looking to rebound from a tough road-loss up in Boston. Both teams have played much better at home this season, but they have also compiled a couple of high profile road wins as well.
Since becoming head coach of the Warriors, Don Nelson has adopted a fast paced, high scoring offensive scheme which places Golden State 2nd in the NBA in scoring behind only Denver. Golden State’s roster is filled with undersized yet athletically gifted talent. Baron Davis stands as one of the NBA’s most exciting and physically gifted point guards. He leads his team in points, assists, and minutes played, and looks to lead his team to a second consecutive playoff run. Davis’s experience and talents gained national recognition after the upset win over Dallas in the 2007 playoffs, but has since created a belief in the Bay Area that the Warriors are true contenders in the West. Baron Davis has been the center piece for the Golden State franchise, but a lot of the attention has been shifted to another guard on the team, Monte Ellis. Ellis was drafted in 2005 in the 2nd round by the Warriors and has done nothing less than impress since he has been in the league. He is having a career year, averaging 19.2 ppg, and has been on fire as of late. Ellis possesses a beautiful short range jumper, but it is his finesse around the rim that has his teammate, Baron Davis, taking notice of this destined all-star’s potential.
The Atlanta Hawks are a team that thrives in up-tempo games. Their lack of size in the post and streaky shooting from the perimeter are balanced by their young and athletic talent which is why they match up nicely with Don Nelson’s run’n’gun style. In their most recent game, Atlanta’s lack of low-post presence was exposed by bigger, quick players which the Warriors do not rely on. Joe Johnson emerged as a premier talent in Atlanta last year and has served as an anchor for this young franchise since his arrival from Phoenix. With the acquisition of Mike Bibby, the Hawks were looking to add another veteran to help develop much of Atlanta’s young talent, and provide an immediate upgrade at point guard. In Bibby’s first 8 games with Atlanta the team has gone 3-5 but have had tough match ups against San Antonio, Boston, Los Angeles and Utah on the road. Bibby’s record since he has been a Hawk has been mediocre at best, but his numbers have steadily improved. The team is slowly starting to find its identity with Bibby running the point, and looks to use his experience and leadership to carry them into a possible play-off spot and strengthen Al Horford’s rookie of the year campaign.
The match-up between the Hawks and the Warriors should be extremely entertaining. Look for a lot of fast-break opportunities, acrobatic scoring, and some sloppy defensive match-ups. Philips has been nick named the “High-Light Factory” due to the breath taking bursts of athleticism by Josh Smith and Joe Johnson, but do not be surprised to see Monte Ellis and Baron Davis leave Atlanta with a few high lights of their own. I expect a high scoring affair, and believe the match-up to watch will actually be under the rim between Atlanta’s stud rookie Al Horford and Golden States Andris Biedrins. Both players are prolific rebounders and second shot opportunities will prove to be critical in this game. Golden State is one of the few teams that Atlanta matches up well against, and will definitely have to rely on their home court to pull out a win. One does have to factor in the possibility of the locker room instability with the recent news that Billy Knight has tried to fire Mike Woodson three times, with the most recent attempt coming right after the Bibby trade. Despite the Warriors seeking revenge for a 110-117 home loss to Atlanta on February 22nd, I still see the Hawks sneaking out a close one in Atlanta. Regardless, the game is guaranteed to provide plenty of jaw dropping and exciting moments, and showcase some of the NBA’s finest talents.
photo credit: Frogbrother
Elliot Bernstein is a 22 year old native of Atlanta. He currently attends the University of Georgia, but will be graduating in August. He is an avid fan of Atlanta sports, and a very proud member of the Bulldog Nation. Elliot is extremely excited about working with SportsPage Atlanta, and believes the city of Atlanta has an exciting year of sports to look forward to!
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