Atlanta -vs- Orlando

[Meadowlark_Scal]

So, is anyone really surprised that Atlanta beat Orlando...I know two guys on here, that said there is no way Atlanta could beat them....Well, my opinion is that Atlanta can beat anyone in the East (except the Knicks..!) They CAN beat Cleve...they are the youngest, most explosive team in the East... I do believe the healthy Celtics can beat them...but it won't be easy....Better have that film of Atalnta -vs- the Knicks handy...! The only other thing that can stop them is...themselves...!

[PosImpos]

Atlanta is capable of beating any team on a given night, but I don't believe they have what it takes to beat a top team in a 7 game series.  I'd even take the Celtics in a series against them, assuming the C's are healthy and on their game. 

The Hawks are still one piece away from being a real contender, in my opinion.

[CelticG1]

I think they can beat any team in a 7 game series. I'm not sure if they will when the time comes but this team is pretty stacked. Joe johnson has been a great closer, Horford has had a monster year, and Jamal Crawford is huge for them. They are extremely athletic and their core has been together in the playoffs 2 years in a row and have improved each year.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

Tey are really close to having everything...they even have an ax man in Pachula...He can score, and will take it hard to anyone.....The C's will need to understand that you NEED an enforcer in the playoffs...the other teams have whacked Rondo around without any retaliation.....it needs to be done...if and when you don't, you say...and the coach says...you are the "better team" but that means squat, and inside you never forget it...next thing you know...you are getting timid out there..... (sorry about trailing off..)

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, ATL beating ORL can only boost their already enormous confidence level. They are truly a dangerous team.

ATL is right there I think..but seem to be missing something, in my opinion. Just what I cannot say. ORL's been there (Finals) and retooled their team for the better, and I don't see them losing to ATL in a seven game series..if they met.

ORL has Vince now, and the man seems to be playing a lot more efficiently, which makes them even tougher. ATL added Crawford and Joe Smith, but man for man ORL is better I believe.

I like Al Horford's game, but Dwight would wear him and Zaza down in a series. And ORL has Gortat to throw at them, too.

Josh Smith VS Rashard Lewis - I must take Rashard..Josh is a dangerous shot-blocker, but the mobility of Lewis and his height advantage gives him the edge I think. Rashard's three-pt threat should be enough to keep Josh away from the paint I think. Josh could counter with his youth and speed, but I still like Lewis.

Backcourts? Joe Johnson and Bibby against Jameer and Vince? Wow, nearly identical..Jameer may be a slightly better defender than Bibby I think..Joe may not be able to slow down Vince I believe (and vice-versa)...even though Joe has a slight height advantage.

In the end, though, I think that ORL would have too many weapons to throw at ATL..Pietrus and Matt Barnes are two SGs/SFs that could slow down Joe Johnson I think. And Ryan Anderson has had big games against ATL.

If they met, I'd say ORL in six games.

[Who]

The Hawks have two major flaws:

(1) A consistent second scoring option to help Joe Johnson. They have very good third, fourth, fifth and sixth scoring options in Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams.

(2) Not a dominant defensive team. The main reason is the lack of consistent effort/focus defensively from their three big men Josh Smith, Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia. They coast ... take too many possessions off ... If they displayed more commitment, Atlanta would be a top 6 team defensively. But they don't and they aren't. The combination of Bibby + Crawford also hurts them defensively.

[Who]

Atlanta's biggest problem against Orlando is that Magic are able to derail their offense. They can hone in on Joe Johnson and limit Joe's effectiveness and there's nobody else on that team able to step up and fill that void.

Orlando is able to put big defenders on Joe Johnson (Vince, Barnes, Pietrus) and then sends a second defender off the ball to clog the paint (normally Dwight). That keeps Joe out on the perimeter taking contested shots over equally tall/long + physically strong defenders.

That is the reason why Joe Johnson has scored only 16.3ppg and shot only 37% (FG%) against the Magic in four meetings this season and why he only shot 38% last season while posting 17.5ppg in those four games.

This is the reason why Atlanta is incapable of beating Orlando in a seven game series.

[Fafnir]

The Hawks have two major flaws:

(1) A consistent second scoring option to help Joe Johnson. They have very good third, fourth, fifth and sixth scoring options in Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams.

(2) Not a dominant defensive team. The main reason is the lack of consistent effort/focus defensively from their three big men Josh Smith, Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia. They coast ... take too many possessions off ... If they displayed more commitment, Atlanta would be a top 6 team defensively. But they don't and they aren't. The combination of Bibby + Crawford also hurts them defensively.

I'm glad they're very likely to be on the other side of the playoff bracket from us.

Joe Johnson versus Ray Allen and their athletic bigs would be a load for us. Plus they really do seem to hate us.

Their offense is too stagnant and reliant on Joe Johnson. Even when they don't feed him they're often in isolation sets. Orlando is able to use Dwight and one defender to completely disrupt most of their sets.

[Drucci]

Atlanta has no chance against Orlando in the playoffs. They got pounded by a margin of 22 points in 3 games against the Magic before their buzzer beater victory... and they won this game partly due to a terrible game from the Magic, and at the buzzer on a less-than-one-second putback dunk... nothing to cheer about, they basically played their A+ game and yet won by a very tight margin in the closing seconds.

I would still take us over Atlanta in a 7 game series but I'd rather avoid them because of the bad matchups they present.

[GreenFaith1819]

In my earlier assessment of this matchup, I left out Marvin Williams vs Matt Barnes..i'd give Marvin a slight advantage here.

I think ATL is much closer to ORL as far as competing than I thought..but I still think ORL would win in 7.

[Meadowlark_Scal]

Well, that matchup is something to consider, I'd rather us watch them bang each other up before we face either of them....but as the year went, we showed we COULD beat ORL, just that odd 3rd quarter let down..same with Cleve...but we never had that with Atl.....Atl vs cleve or ORl...well, depends on which ATL shows up...they sort of have a split personality....but most teams do..!

[el.celta]

this series will be in one semifinal and Orlando wins in 5 games.

[liam]

I don't think Atlanta would take it more than 5 games against Orlando, but they aren't even going to get to play Orlando the way things are going. Atlanta needs to worry about the Bucks. They don't match up well against the bucks and look like they will be meeting them in the 1st round and the Cavs in the second.