What is up with Detroit (possibly the Spurs as well) and Atlanta?

[Pandaemonaeon]

Detroit is currently trailing by 4 against the Hawks... a team that beat them a couple of weeks ago. I know it's still early but a 42-9 team shouldn't be trailing to a shitty team TWICE. SA lost once and trailed by a bunch before rallying for the win in the first game against the Hawks as well. I think they hammered us last year too when Walker was still around.

What's the deal with Atlanta? What makes them a difficult match-up for championship teams/contenders?

[boutons_]

DET, like PHX last season, often plays a close game, then blows it open in 3rd or 4th qtr.

That's why you need to watch the entire game.

[milkyway21]

Marvin Williams is mad bec he was left out in the Rookie-Soph game?

Josh Smith made 8 rbds (game high), to reassure the fans that he can still jump and forget his dunk contest fiasco?

[Solid D]

Get back to us in the 4th quarter.

[Pistons < Spurs]

At one point in the first quarter, we were up 20-5. We then brought in the bench, and they got out hustled. Atlanta's athleticism was way too much for them. Since then we've done alright. Harrington is looking good as usual. Marvin Williams and Childress have also don well for them.

We're not shooting all that well yet. We need to get RIP involved more.

I'm not too worried though. We usually get a nice surge in the 3rd qtr.

[spurschick]

When you've got nothing to lose, you play like it's your last game. Atlanta is just playing balls out.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Pistons made their typical 2nd half run.

Final

Det:97
Atl: 87


Billups:

19 pts 15 asts 3 stls 1 to

Big Ben:

9 pts 17 rbs 6 blks 5 stls 4 asts almost had a 5x5!

[bdubya]

When you've got nothing to lose, you play like it's your last game. Atlanta is just playing balls out.

Zackly. They're athletic, they've got talent, and if they're motivated (like if they're playing the front-runners, or the reigning champs), they're real pesky.

[ABDENOUR POWER]

Pistons made their typical 2nd half run.
Det:97
Atl: 87

The game was not as close as the score, though. I love these games where Billups has loads of assists .... he should have had more too but people kept blowing it.

[Dunc]

Acker finally got some floortime. 0-2. Didn't see the game, had to listen to NBA Audio. Dunno if they were bricks. Ben was a stud.

[FreshPrince22]

It's the endless energy and athletecism of those guys. They just hustle to every loose ball, and out leap you. Eventually though, the transition stuff slows down and the shots stop falling. Atlanta does that to a lot of teams.

[FreshPrince22]

Acker finally got some floortime. 0-2. Didn't see the game, had to listen to NBA Audio. Dunno if they were bricks. Ben was a stud.

1 was a nice looking shot in the lane. Just barely rimmed out. The other was a forced brick at the end of the shotclock.

[JamStone]

With five minutes left in the game, Pistons were up 92-74. In the closing minutes, the obligatory "losing team makes a bunch of lay-ups to pad their stats and make the game look respectable" finish.

Hawks got some crazy athletes. I swear Josh Smith has a five foot vertical, serioiusly. Athleticism can sometimes keep a young team in games. The mental part of the game and experience and lack of consistency to bring it night in and night out is what holds back a team as physically talented as the Hawks back. They are actually a pretty good team.

[callo1]

The weaker teams will always circle the games against the best the league has to offer...it is their way to validate themselves as players and thus salvage a bad year.

Since the Spurs and Pistons are the leagues best, they take every teams best shot.

[Kori Ellis]

The Hawks are sometimes a tough matchup because they are full of guys that are about the same size, so you have to figure out how to defend them. But in the end, they aren't talented enough to win regularly.

[jochhejaam]

As if these lesser teams need any more incentive than playing a back to back NBA Finalist team they now are playing a team that had 4 players on the All-Star team.
It makes their season if they can beat a top caliber team. Atlanta may have a bad record but they give their fans a good show.

[Joepa]

Wonder if Joe Johnson wishes he'd stayed in PHX?

[1Parker1]

Does anyone else think that the biggest key to stopping the Pistons is simply trying to shut down Billups and have him give up the ball early?

[Darrin]

Detroit is currently trailing by 4 against the Hawks... a team that beat them a couple of weeks ago. I know it's still early but a 42-9 team shouldn't be trailing to a shitty team TWICE. SA lost once and trailed by a bunch before rallying for the win in the first game against the Hawks as well. I think they hammered us last year too when Walker was still around.

What's the deal with Atlanta? What makes them a difficult match-up for championship teams/contenders?

I don't think it's just contenders. Starting with that win over Detroit, they had won 5 of their last 8 games. Since starting 1-15, they have played close to .500 (14-16). They pressure is off of them, they are very long at every position, they play with agressive energy at both ends of the court. Josh Smith looks a good 20 lbs heavier from last season, Joe Johnson looks worth his contract, Zaza Pachulia (who got an elbow to the adam's apple in this one) looks like the steal of last year's offseason. They have a coach who was beside Larry Brown in Philadelphia and Detroit, and a GM who put together the Memphis Grizzlies roster (Stromile Swift, swinging Pau Gasol and Lorenzen Wright for for SAR, Shane Battier, Earl Watson). The only knock on Billy Knight's moves - his point guards. In the span of his career, he has passed on Jamaal Tinsley (in the trade for Pau), Mike Bibby (traded him to Sacramento for Jason Williams), and the worst of all, passing on Chris Paul (for Marvin Williams). The guy needs to hire a PG scout, and listen to him when he says "this is the guy." Other than that, he's the best-kept secret in the league when evaluating GMs.

Atlanta is building something special. They get some veteran leadership and a point guard, who knows what can happen? I'm keeping a very close eye on that team - they remind me a lot of that Miami team before Shaq (without the big contracts of Brian Grant and Eddie Jones).

[bdubya]

Does anyone else think that the biggest key to stopping the Pistons is simply trying to shut down Billups and have him give up the ball early?

Probably not.

When Chauncey's giving up the ball early, that's usually a sign the offense is clicking. (We just dumped a PG who almost NEVER gave up the ball early.) You'd get better results denying the pass and inviting him to go 1-on-1. (But keep that under your hat.)