2012-2013 Season Game Thread

[SB75]

Good story on Ivan.

http://blogs.ajc.com/hawks/2012/10/1...of-reflection/

This qoute from Ivan really bothers me! On one hand I agree, A lot of the rookie hazing is stupid and you don't send him home for not following it. Fine him? Yes! Hit him where it hurts ( in the wallet) so he understands the pecking order, but again I think a lot of it is stupid and should be done away with.

On the other hand..... He was older, so that should have brought some maturity with it. He should have understood this is just part of your rookie duties, except it and see the bigger picture. You where signed for the min after years of hard work to get to the NBA, you understand how lucky you are to have this chance and understand there are not a lot of jobs paying 900,000.00 a year. You are older, you know what kind of money you could be F-ing up for not giving up a seat? Come'on man. Give up the seat and get you revenge back on the practice court with a well placed screen or elbow. See the bigger picture.

[Bravo95]

Looked at the Box score. Josh and Al didn't play much, so hopefully that got our rookies some exp.

Trying out diff lineups apparently. Seems like Scott is off to a good start.

[Bravo95]

This qoute from Ivan really bothers me! On one hand I agree, A lot of the rookie hazing is stupid and you don't send him home for not following it. Fine him? Yes! Hit him where it hurts ( in the wallet) so he understands the pecking order, but again I think a lot of it is stupid and should be done away with.

On the other hand..... He was older, so that should have brought some maturity with it. He should have understood this is just part of your rookie duties, except it and see the bigger picture. You where signed for the min after years of hard work to get to the NBA, you understand how lucky you are to have this chance and understand there are not a lot of jobs paying 900,000.00 a year. You are older, you know what kind of money you could be F-ing up for not giving up a seat? Come'on man. Give up the seat and get you revenge back on the practice court with a well placed screen or elbow. See the bigger picture.

I had those same conflicting thoughts and agree, but here's something else I had to consider: We both know Drew isn't really a disciplinarian, so Ivan probably figured he had more room to "be himself" instead of falling in line like he would have to with another coach/organization like, say, Doc Rivers. Plus, I can't imagine somebody like Joe Johnson standing up to Ivan if he got out of line or made the team look bad. Basically what I'm saying is, the people in positions of authority were enabling bad behavior on and off the court. But at least he seems to have learned from it.

[Bravo95]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Mike Conley had 18 points, hitting all five of his 3-point attempts, and Marc Gasol added 17 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 110-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in a preseason game Sunday.

Zach Randolph had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis.

Al Horford led the Hawks with 13 points, while Anthony Morrow had 12. Kyle Korver scored 11, and Ivan Johnson and Lou Williams added 10 apiece. Zaza Pachulia, making his first appearance of the preseason, had nine points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.

The Hawks led throughout the first half, carrying a 59-54 lead into the break after shooting 53 percent. Memphis took its first lead midway through the third with a 13-3 run, part of Memphis outscoring Atlanta 33-20 in the third.

Memphis never trailed the rest of the game, eventually building the advantage to 12 points.

espn

The guys at PH offered some more analysis:

http://www.peachtreehoops.com/2012/1...012-larry-drew

Having now reached the midpoint of the preseason, Drew and the rest of his staff should start to tighten things up. Part of the rotation is known, Teague, Smith and Horford will start with Ivan Johnson and Zaza Pachulia serving as top backups up front. Where exactly everyone else fits is still not clear but that should become more apparent over the next three games.

Other observations from Sunday's 110-102 loss to the Grizzlies:

●Zaza Pachulia saw his first preseason action and finished with nine points and nine rebounds to go along with four turnovers. Pachulia sat out the first two preseason games while recovering from a groin injury.

●Anthony Morrow followed up a subpar performance against Miami and a DNP against the Spurs with his best performance of the preseason. Against the Grizzlies Morrow finished with 12 points on 4-8 shooting. Morrow got some run in the first quarter at small forward as the Hawks went with a three-guard look but played primarily shooting guard from their on out.

●John Jenkins played 17 minutes and finished with two points on 1-3 shooting. Mike Scott logged 13 minutes and finished with six points and two boards.

●Lou Williams split time between the point and shooting guard and finished with 10 points despite 1-7 shooting from the field. Williams was a team best 8-9 from the free throw line.

●Kyle Korver finished with 11 points, three boards, three assists and two steals in 20 minutes of action. He has shown in the first three preseason games that he is capable of doing more than just shoot the three but where will he fit in defensively?

●Damion James played 18 minutes against the Grizz and finished with five points and four boards but was a team best +12 in +/- for the game. James does the little things when on the floor and looks like a lock to make the final roster at this point.

●Josh Smith and Al Horford both came off the bench on Sunday. Horford finished with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds. Smith added eight points, six rebounds and three assists.

●DeShawn Stevenson sat out his second straight game with a sore knee. Devin Harris has missed all three preseason games also with a sore knee.

●Squeaky Johnson, James Anderson and Johan Petro were the other players that did not get into the game.

[Bravo95]

INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George had 20 points and eight reounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 102-98 preseason win over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

George hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first half to give the Pacers a 49-47 lead at halftime and Indiana led the rest of the way.

Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana (2-1) and David West scored 11 points while playing just one quarter.

Lou Williams scored 18 points to lead the Hawks (1-3). Anthony Tolliver added 14 points for the Hawks and Kyle Korver 13.

The Hawks pulled within two late in the fourth quarter, but George made two free throws with under a minute to play to gave the Pacers a four-point lead.

espn

Josh and Al didn't play in this one.

[Bravo95]

Mike Scott's preseason numbers: 17/34 FG (50%), 10-13 FT, 9.0 PPG, 3.6 REB, 18 mins/game.

[HowFit]

Mike Scott's preseason numbers: 17/34 FG (50%), 10-13 FT, 9.0 PPG, 3.6 REB, 18 mins/game.

Even it's preseason,not bad numbers. Hope it carries thru reg season...

[Bravo95]

^Yeah, he definitely has a place but Drew has struggled with rotations/minutes distribution.

[SB75]

Forecast: 2012-13 Eastern Conference Standings

RANK

TEAM

W

L

PCT

'12 W

'12 L

'12 PCT

1


Miami Heat

60

22

.732

46

20

.697



@JVanGlorious: I think the Heat getting 60 wins will be underachieving. I see them closer to 68 and skating right into the Finals this season.

@hoolersae: The Heat won 58 games without chemistry. Lewis, Allen, Haslem, Cole, Battier -- 63 wins at least.



2


Boston Celtics*

50

32

.610

39

27

.591



@cch1125: People who can't believe that Boston will be ranked No. 2 in the East aren't paying attention. Great team that reloaded this summer.

@Bksportsguru: Atlantic is a great division. That being said Celts get 53-55 wins. Knicks, Nets and 76ers all in 48-51 win range.




3


Indiana Pacers*

50

32

.610

42

24

.636



@jstilesiii: I agree with the Pacers' record, but I believe they'll top Boston for the second seed.

@JonFilet: Despite a new front office, the Pacers have the same starting 5, a more explosive bench. The biggest X Factor? Paul George.


4


Chicago Bulls*

46

36

.561

50

16

.758



@CarlosSolano1:Without Derrick Rose and all the pieces they lost during the summer, can't see the Bulls as a top-4 team.

@Geoffrey_M34: Why do people think the Bulls are going to be a playoff team without Rose? At best they finish 7th in the East.


5


Brooklyn Nets*

46

36

.561

22

44

.333



@uuords: Almost goes without saying, but Summer Forecast projects the Nets to have the biggest jump in winning percentage in the East.

@nicksims14: The #NBAPicks are so wrong! The Nets get Joe Johnson and all of a sudden they're a top-5 team?!?!?! No way!!!!

6


Philadelphia 76ers*

46

36

.561

35

31

.530



@notnaJeff: How could the Sixers not be in the top 4? They have the BEST center in the East, improved shooters and the secret weapon, DOUG C!

@stein411: The ESPN #NBApicks have the Sixers too low. How are the Celtics gonna stop Andrew Bynum down low?


7


New York Knicks

45

37

.549

36

30

.545



@BigL_17: No way the Knicks are going to finish seventh. They were one of the hottest teams in the league at the end of the year. Top 4.

@jrich1993: The Knicks will challenge the Heat this year in the East. Melo will be better than ever. No. 7 is just disrespect.

8


Atlanta Hawks

40

42

.488

40

26

.606



@TVFilmTalk: Does Danny Ferry want Hawks to be good to attract free agents or bad to get prime draft pick? Eighth in the East is worst of all worlds.

@AriFelsen: Atlanta may fall to the 7th or 8th seed in the East, but they will definitely finish with at least 45 wins.


9


Milwaukee Bucks

37

45

.451

31

35

.470



@mmm9731: I agree with Milwaukee being 9th. Jennings and Ellis are very good, but teams like Philly and Brooklyn managed to greatly improve this summer.

@Ravn524: The Bucks will be better than 9th in the East -- the Knicks are not better than Milwaukee. So sick of them being disrespected.

10

Cleveland Cavaliers

33

49

.402

21

45

.318



@Ry_FreeMinds: The Cavs are gonna be fighting for that 8th spot if Kyrie Irving stays healthy. I think 38-41 wins isn't out of the question.

@LoganReardon20: I think Cleveland is underrated this year in #NBApicks. With Kyrie leading the way and solid young talent around him, Cleveland should get 40 wins at least.

11

Toronto Raptors

32

50

.390

23

43

.348



@jayhwat: Toronto is my dark horse to squeeze into the 8th spot in the East. Bargnani, Lowry, Valanciunas, DeRozan is a solid young nucleus. #NBAPicks

@SkylerJGilbert: Toronto's a team that could threaten with the 8 spot. Addition of Lowry, Ross and Valanciunas adds much-needed defensive help.

12


Washington Wizards

31

51

.378

20

46

.303



@GreatPScott: I think the Wizards are ranked too low. A lot of young talent a formidable bench -- they have a chance to compete for the 8 spot.

@_andyhughes: With the addition of Trevor Ariza and Okafor to pair up with John Wall, Nene and Beal, NBA playoffs are coming to Washington.

13

Detroit Pistons

30

52

.366

25

41

.379



@dlh1231: Watch out for Knight and Monroe this year. Stuckey is also ready to break out after showing flashes.

@bigz4threee: No way the Pistons finish so low. Rodney Stuckey/Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond are ballin'!

14


Orlando Magic

21

61

.256

37

29

.561



@Hi_ImMecir: The Magic will finish this low only because the organization wants them to. Getting a top-2 pick is crucial for their future.

@SonnyJason2: I expect Orlando to be as bad as Cleveland was when LeBron left. It wouldn't surprise me if they end up dead last in the East.



15

Charlotte Bobcats

19

63

.232

7

59

.106



@QCsportscrave: I won't scuffle about the Bobcats finishing last in the East, but sorry, they're far better than 19 wins. #NBApicks

@dlh1231: They think the Bobcats will win 19 games? That's pretty bold.

Join the discussion »



* -- Teams tied in win total ordered by decimal rankings from our experts' predictions.

ESPN.com

[Bravo95]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Greg Monroe and rookie Brandon Knight each scored 16 points to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 104-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

It was the final exhibition game for both teams.

Louis Williams scored 17 points for the Hawks (3-4).

With starting power forward Jason Maxiell in foul trouble, Pistons rookie Andre Drummond got extended minutes with the starters and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The ninth overall pick in this year's draft also blocked two shots.

Tayshaun Prince added 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting for Detroit (4-4).

After finishing the preseason undefeated at home, Detroit will host Houston in its opener on Wednesday. The Rockets then travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks in their opener on Friday.

espn

Hawks 3-pt shooting has been solid throughout the preseason (as expected).

[HowFit]

Yes, this team will do well behind the arc...

[SB75]

http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings/_/year/2013/week/0

Hawks #13 in pre-season power rankings.

[SB75]

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/powerra...=iref:nbahpt6b

NBA.com has us 15th in it's pre-season power rankings.

[westside]

We are a jump shooting team, we need defense and power next year out of FA.

[Fly]

I will be at the game tomorrow. Not a big NBA fan by any means but needed something to do while I'm up in Atlanta. Should be fun.