Last season, the rhythm was constant. The ball moved freely. The Hawks’ offense was like watching and listening to orchestra, each instrument perfectly in sync. Pace, space, three passes, five passes — sports socialism at its finest. We marveled at a team that in a short time had evolved from equal parts misery and funny to just plain fun.
But the Hawks’ offense this season has seen too many turnovers and stumbles. They’re often stagnant. They’re not nearly the old Hawks — more like the new Hawks with iron-poor blood.
“We knew we had to do change because our offense just wasn’t as as good this season,” Kyle Korver said. “Our defense has had to be better. So we really worked on it. That’s been more our identity. Scheme is important, but a lot of playing defense is about focus and paying attention to detail, understanding angles and where we want to force the ball.”
The Hawks eliminated the Boston Celtics from the playoffs. Their reward for this Atlanta franchise-first: LeBron James.
Maybe that explains the somewhat muted celebration in Boston on Thursday night.
“I’m excited to be in this position,” Al Horford said. But his tone was devoid of emotion, as if he were reading the words for the first time on a teleprompter.
Do the Hawks have a chance? Most lucid souls scream no. Cleveland is the overwhelming favorite to win not only this series but the Eastern Conference title. (East odds: Cavaliers 2-7, Hawks 15-2.)
The Hawks believe their defense gives them a shot. They held the Celtics to 38.4 percent shooting in six games — the lowest output among the 16 playoff teams. OK, Boston's aim might have been off at times. But it says something that after seeing Isaiah Thomas roll for 70 points and 49 percent shooting in Boston's two wins in Games 3 and 4, the Hawks' defense held him to 7 and 25 (very quiet) points on 33 percent shooting in the next two games (including 1-of-11 from 3-point range).
“Any time he touched the ball, he was looking at four jerseys and we had a guy on his hip,” Kent Bazemore said.
It’s a significant step up from Isaiah Thomas to LeBron James. But the Hawks showed what they’re capable of when they zero in on one guy, and their defense has been strong all season. The Hawks ranked sixth in points allowed (99.2), first in field-goal defense (.432), fifth in 3-point defense (.338), third in steals (9.1), fourth in blocks (5.9) and fifth in opponent turnovers (15.5) during the season.
Asked to compare the Hawks now with the team that was swept by Cleveland in the conference finals last year, Horford said, "We're healthy now, and we've had another year playing in this system. We all have a much clearer understanding of what Coach expects from us on the defensive end. We understand our concepts better. It's been that way since midway through the season."
The Hawks weren’t great offense against Boston. They were good when they needed to be. They’ll need to be better to upset the Cavaliers.
Last season was a walkover. By the time they reached the Eastern Conference finals, the Hawks had worn down from their 60-win season and two extended playoff rounds against Brooklyn and Washington. They lost defender Thabo Sefolosha before the playoffs to a broken leg (caused by NYPD Blue). Then DeMarre Carroll suffered a knee injury in Game 1 against the Cavs and could barely move the rest of the series, and Korver was lost in Game 2 to torn ankle ligaments.
It was left to Bazemore, a reserve most of the season, to guard James.
“That was tough,” Bazemore said. “He’s a different animal on a nightly basis, and it was my first time getting a crack at him. But having this experience under my belt, going through a full season and making it through the first round of a playoff series, I think I’ve grown a lot. Hopefully we can make (James) work at both ends of the floor and not just let him stand and watch on defense.”
Bazemore echoed the sentiment about the Hawks’ focus being different this season: “We were a talented team last year and hit a ton of shots, and we could kind of rely on that. This year we went through some offensive woes, and defense has been our staple.”
They beat the Celtics. Now they only have to beat a team with the best player in the world. Oh boy.
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