The Atlanta Hawks Red Hot Start:
As the NBA season moves forward so do The Atlanta Hawks as they remain red hot at 30-8 this season, and have the best record in The Eastern Conference. The main reason behind their success is their defense. Since starting off the season 7-6, Atlanta has gone 23-2 while making the right decisions on offense with the excellent ball movement on the defensive end they’re ranked 5th in the league.
Each night it seems like a new player stepping up on offense for Atlanta as Jeff Teague (who did not play last night) has played a huge part in The Hawks success early on, but each night it’s a different player contributing to the win. Last night’s victory over Philadelphia Al Horford had a triple double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, the other player to step up to the plate Kent Bazemore with 17 points off the bench. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer has this team on the same page and this team shows no sign of stopping.
One thing to watch for as the season progresses is what they will do against teams with a record above .500 they have a league leading 13 wins against teams with a record above .500. Atlanta is red hot and here to stay.
Mo Williams Scores 52 Points, To Beat Pacers:
Mo Williams looked unstoppable last night scoring a franchise,season, and career high 52 points on 19/33 from the field and 6/11 from the field. In Minnesota the team is still so young and filled with potential we knew they’d have their growing pains, but Williams presence has been felt there as one of the guys stepping up in the absence of Ricky Rubio. His last ten games Williams is averaging 16 points per game, and averaging 12 points per game and 6 assists his production has taken the scoring load off Andrew Wiggins who is showing us why he was drafted #1 overall this season. Here’s a quick look at Williams’ hot shooting night.
Now The Timberwolves are one of the NBA’s more intriguing teams to watch even if their record doesn’t show it. The reason for that would be Andrew Wiggins he’s averaging 20 points per game on 48% shooting from the field. He’s displayed his play making ability we knew he had, but I’ve seen his patience on offense grow. The scary part is he’s only going to get better.
Should We Be Worried About Cleveland’s Slow Start?
Cleveland had one of the most outstanding off seasons we’ve seen come together since The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics Big Three came together, but that’s only on paper. The Cavaliers as everyone knows have started off the season at 19-20, and some nights we’ve seen them play where they look lucky to be at that record. Cleveland on Sunday evening got dismantled by a Sacramento Kings team that looked hungry from the start and put the pedal to the metal from the moment of tip-off until the final buzzer beating The Cavaliers 103-84.
To be fair Cleveland has been without LeBron James, but there’s no excuse losing to teams like Philadelphia, Sacramento, and Milwaukee who we’ve seen Cleveland have some of their worst losses to this season. The big question is why is this team struggling so much? The answer is heart and leadership. Right now this Cavaliers team is playing without any heart or a sense of urgency. In the locker room you’re hearing guys talk about how they’ll figure it out which they very well could do, but when will that be? LeBron has been injured and may have been playing injured, but we’ve seen him in “chill mode” during huddles which isn’t something as a teammate wouldn’t be the most uplifting or motivating experience.
I think this rough stretch though will be their last, the team showed signs of life together since acquiring J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov. Even though they lost James took over at the end which has been an issue all season. Can Cleveland turn things around though I’d say yes as long as we start to see progress from this point on. If Cleveland is in March and April where we are discussing some of these issues we’ve seen they may have a problem on their hands.
Nate Robinson Traded to The Boston Celtics:
Yesterday afternoon The Denver Nuggets traded Nate Robinson to The Boston Celtics sending Point Guard Jameer Nelson to Denver. Nate Robinson thanked the fans in Denver and Head Coach Brian Shaw, but how long will he be in Boston for? It’s obvious with the trade of Jeff Green this past week the team is in fire sale mode could they buyout Robinson? Some team interest is there if he is in fact bought out.
Games To Watch Tonight:
A game I’m excited to watch tonight is The Chicago Bulls vs. The Washington Wizards which I’m hoping Derrick Rose obviously plays in making this match up even more intriguing. Washington is 2nd in The Eastern Conference and Chicago is 4th. That game will be on at 8 O’Clock on ESPN.
Another game we get to see a excellent Point Guard showdown is The Los Angeles Clippers vs. The Portland Trailblazers that game starts at 10:30.
LeBron Pushes David Blatt?
Ok the title sounds a lot worse then the situation itself, but I can assure you this will be all over NBA coverage on Wednesday or Sports talk for the day. During The Cavaliers game in Phoenix Tuesday night David Blatt did not agree with a call made at all and that’s where this is seen.
Not a huge deal, but I can see this turning into the drama surrounded by the shoulder check he gave Coach Spoelstra in Miami. I see it as LeBron getting Blatt out of the situation without a technical.
