Are the Rising Hawks a THREAT to the Celtics? | Big 3 NBA Podcast - video Dailymotion

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A. Sherrod Blakely is joined by Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Constitution-Journal to discuss the Atlanta Hawks and their recent surge in the Eastern Conference. As they prepare for their NBA Cup matchup, do they really have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs? Could they defeat Boston in a seven-game series?   CLNS Media is Powered by:  💰 Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!  🎫 Gametime - https://gametime.co Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Terms apply. What time is it? Gametime!  💳Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to joinbilt.com/GARDEN. Make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you: joinbilt.com/GARDEN, to start earning points on your rent payments today!  Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.  Nutrafol! Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off any purchase and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code GARDENGIFT!   #celtics #NBA #BostonCeltics The CLNS Media Network is the leading provider for video/audio content. CLNS is a fully credentialed member of the media with access to all NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams & venues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  CLNS' rebuilt their YouTube community in less than 12 months, during a pandemic that attacked sports. Wondering how? Find out here (and support our channel) - https://www.tubebuddy.com/clnsmedia  Visit the Official Home of CLNS Sports Coverage -  https://clnsmedia.com  Twitter - https://twitter.com/CLNSMedia Celtics - https://twitter.com/celticsclns Patriots - https://twitter.com/patriotsclns Bruins - https://twitter.com/bruinsclns Red Sox - https://twitter.com/redsoxclns Non-Sports - https://twitter.com/northstation Facebook - http://facebook.com/clnsmedia INSTA - http://Instagram.com/clnsmedia INSTA Celtics - http://Instagram.com/celticsclns INSTA History - http://Instagram.com/nbahistoryclns

Transcript

00:00Welcome to another edition of the Big 3 NBA Podcast.

00:28I'm Ashrod Blakely, and I'm joined by the one, the only Lauren Williams of the Atlanta

00:34Journal-Constitution.

00:35How you doing, Lauren?

00:36I'm doing well.

00:38I'm doing well.

00:39Still recovering from that Hawks overtime win on Friday night.

00:43Yes.

00:44Yes.

00:45The mighty Atlanta Hawks.

00:46Words that most folks wouldn't quite put together in one sentence, but they are playing some

00:53really great basketball.

00:54Without question.

00:55We'll get into that.

00:56But before we do that, I just want to let our audience know that this episode of the

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01:32first purchase.

01:33Terms apply.

01:34And when you talk about teams to watch, games to catch, the Atlanta Hawks, they're starting

01:39to catch a little steam, catch a little rhythm.

01:42Folks are starting to kind of feel the Hawks a little bit.

01:45Big win over the Lakers, Trey Young, big shot.

01:49Lauren, take us through just some of the key takeaways from that game from the Atlanta

01:53Hawks perspective.

01:54Yeah.

01:56I think the biggest thing is, yes, Trey Young hit that big shot, but I think the thing that

02:02led up to it is just that the Hawks depth absolutely ran circles around the Lakers.

02:08You look at the bench scoring, they outscored the Lakers 65-17.

02:13They're really what kept the Hawks in the game.

02:16And especially as, you know, like LeBron James and AD, Anthony Davis kind of got, you know,

02:22a little bit worn down toward the end of the game.

02:24And it was that young bench that really kept things going.

02:27And then it was DeAndre Hunter, who's been coming off the bench, who recognized that

02:32Anthony Davis and Gabe Vincent sagged off Trey Young and left him wide open for that

02:37big shot.

02:38And he flicked it back over to him and found him.

02:41So I think the big takeaways for me is just that the Hawks absolutely late game just made

02:48the right decisions.

02:49They executed the right plays, whether they were simple, whether they maybe were a little

02:53bit more elaborate.

02:55And the bench just really showed up.

02:56The bench has been really showing up as of late.

02:59And it'll be interesting now that this Hawks team is really healthy to see how far they

03:05can really lean on that bench going forward.

03:08Yeah.

03:09And the thing about Trey Young in that game, for those who did not watch it, you look at

03:14the box score and no, it is not a misprint.

03:17He actually had 20 assists.

03:19Oh, 20 assists on, I mean, he had 25 attempts.

03:24I know a lot of people were talking about that as well.

03:26No, the number that jumped out to me, I mean that, you know, 20 assists, the team as a

03:32whole had 40.

03:33He had half of the team's total assists total.

03:36But the thing about Trey Young is that this is a guy, when you look at his career numbers,

03:42there seems to be a disconnect and I would, some would call it a disconnect.

03:46I would like to call it Trey hate, where you look at the numbers that this guy puts up

03:52consistently, they're very similar to another undersized shooter with incredibly ridiculous

03:58range who is beloved by anyone and everyone.

04:03And yet Trey, who's very similar on so many respects other than the championship dynamic,

04:08obviously, there's a complete, it's like a 180 as far as how he's seen.

04:12And why do you think there's so much Trey hate in the world?

04:16You know, I honestly think it goes back to the idea that Trey is a selfish player.

04:23I think when you watch, when you take his career as a whole and watch some of the games

04:29that he's played, there have been moments where it looks like he's tried to shoulder

04:36too much and whether that's a, he thinks he can do it on his own.

04:41I don't think it's necessarily that.

04:42I think it's just more so he's finally learning to trust people around him and particularly

04:48this season, the Hawks locker room, the vibes have been, as the kids say, immaculate.

04:55There's just so much positivity and they're having so much fun.

05:01Which I think is when you look at some of these championship winning teams, regardless

05:06of wins or losses, they're always having fun.

05:10And it's not to say that they don't take the game seriously, but I think the big thing

05:15is that they're just enjoying each other's company and they're picking each other up

05:20after those tough moments.

05:21And at the forefront of that is Trey Young.

05:24And particularly this season, when you look at him on the floor, you see him going up

05:28to a guy like Jalen Johnson after a bad play.

05:31And he's one of the first people to talk to him.

05:33You look at him go up to a guy like DeAndre Hunter, who I mentioned earlier, if he misses

05:37a shot, he's one of the first people to tell him, keep shooting.

05:41So I think we're seeing Trey really start to mature and grow into himself as a leader.

05:48And I think it's honestly being reflected in the play of the people around him.

05:54And I think a lot of people forget that when Trey came into the league, he really was 19,

05:59literally just turned 20 within the first month of being in the league.

06:05And for a point guard, that's a lot of weight to take on.

06:11You look at some of the Hawks' locker room before this season, and you can wonder about

06:16some of the veteran leadership that they had in the locker room.

06:19You had Vince Carter, who can try his best to teach a guy the right way to play, right

06:25way to be a leader, right way to handle business, but in a way they play different positions.

06:30So it's kind of hard to, in some ways, relate to it.

06:33The next leader he's had is a guy like Rajon Rondo, Lew Will, some controversial figures

06:40in their own ways.

06:43And you kind of wonder, was he learning from some of the right people of how to be a championship

06:51type leader in a locker room?

06:54But I think the big thing with the addition of Larry Nance Jr. to the Hawks' locker room

06:59this year, I think the big thing is that Trey is just really starting to trust his

07:03voice and that he has something to say.

07:07And I think it's resonating with the rest of the locker room.

07:12Trey has always said that assists are his favorite stats, but I think now we're really

07:17starting to see him live and die by it, as opposed to just saying it.

07:22Yeah, yeah.

07:23Because, I mean, it sounds good, living your lips, but what do we, is it something that

07:27you're applying on a day-in-day-out basis?

07:30And your point about leadership is interesting, because leadership is one of those things

07:35that it's kind of like playing the game, that it's great to listen and watch, but the biggest

07:41teacher is by actually doing it, just like playing the game.

07:44And I think Trey, just watching him now, it seems that he's finally figured out the type

07:50of leader that he has to be, as opposed to the type of leader that others believe he

07:55should be.

07:56And your point about his age, I think is a really big one, because, I mean, he's 26 years

08:02old.

08:03Yes.

08:04He's still very young.

08:05Yeah.

08:06Yes.

08:07And that's the thing about his whole situation, that for those of us on the outside looking

08:10in, we wondered whether he was ever going to get to the point where he would be mature

08:15enough, where we could make a, I think, a true assessment of where he is as a leader.

08:20Because up until this point, you always had the default that, well, he's not doing this

08:25right or that right, but he's only 23.

08:27He's doing this, this, but he's only 24.

08:29At 26, that's kind of where you make that pivot, where you either get it or you don't.

08:37And it seems that he clearly has figured out what he has to do to be an effective leader.

08:43For sure.

08:44And whether that's, you know, him having come to Jesus moments with people in the front

08:49office or Quinn Snyder, you know, who knows what it was that was the catalyst for it.

08:56But I think the big thing is that the Hawks have really stressed as an organization that

09:01they want to play team basketball, that they want to be an unselfish team.

09:06And if those are the words that you're putting out there, you can't have the face of your

09:10franchise completely undermining that, right?

09:13And so I think, you know, the fact that the Hawks really are being a team that plays for

09:20each other and trusts each other, you know, it starts with Trae Young.

09:26And he's, again, like I said, living and dying by those words.

09:30Yeah.

09:31And it shows in their success.

09:33But obviously, you know, as a guy who has proclaimed that he loves assists and you look

09:38at his numbers, he's averaging better than 12 per game, along with 21, 22 points, something

09:42like that.

09:43Yeah.

09:44Scoring wise, you need other guys to make some plays, too.

09:49Yes.

09:50You need guys to finish.

09:51And I guess the thing that brought a lot of questions, at least from the outside, again,

09:55from the outside looking in, was when you had a guy like Jonathan Murray, who was a

10:01really good scorer, for whatever reason, it just didn't work.

10:05Now that he's gone, what's the assessment as to what types of players does Trae need

10:12to be surrounded with to be successful?

10:14Because it's pretty clear that the group that he's working around now is an ideal fit for

10:21him.

10:22What makes this group around him now such a unique or an effective pairing for Trae

10:27Young's skill set?

10:28I think the key thing is that they have so many long, athletic wings.

10:36You look at a guy like Jalen Johnson, he can help take some of the pressure off of Trae

10:42as a scorer, because you never know if he's going to try and attack the basket, or, and

10:46this season in particular, he's really starting to become a three-point threat.

10:51You look at their rookie, Zachary Resache, who moved into the starting lineup when DeAndre

10:57Hunter went down with an injury, and since he's been back, the Hawks have been bringing

11:00Hunter off the bench, which has been probably one of the best decisions that they've made

11:05so far this season, of course.

11:07But you look at the rookie, and he's really poised.

11:11He has, and one of the other Hawks reporters that, you know, regularly covers the team,

11:19he kind of summed it up pretty well that, and excuse my language, Zachary Resache has

11:25a I-D-G-A-F attitude.

11:28I don't want to say the full word, but basically, he doesn't really care.

11:33He says he's going to score, he's going to get his baskets, but he's just really interested

11:38in making sure that this team wins.

11:39He's not going to be starstruck.

11:41He's going to play A-plus defense for a 19-year-old and consistently do so, and again, that takes

11:48some of the pressure off of Trae Young.

11:50Then you have Dyson Daniels, who can create plays, but you still want to see that part

11:55of his game grow a little bit more.

11:58You still want to see him be a much more confident shooter, but they have confidence in him to

12:03take those shots because he was hitting some big ones on Friday night down the stretch,

12:08but he takes a lot of the pressure off because he can generate plays, the Hawks, because

12:13of his ability to steal the ball.

12:16And so if he's creating more opportunities for this team to go out and score, that's

12:21going to open up more opportunities for a guy like Trae Young to either hit those shots

12:25from deep or find other people to do it.

12:29And then, of course, you've got Bogdan Bogdanovich.

12:32Clint Capella has been playing some of his best basketball.

12:36Onyeko Okonkwo has been steadily growing into a solid big off the bench.

12:42I still have question marks about whether or not I think he could be a starting center

12:47in the NBA, but he's been great for this team off of the bench.

12:51And so I think the big thing is that they've just stacked so much athleticism around him

12:57and guys who are confident in shooting the ball.

13:00And they have a coach like Quinn Snyder who has emboldened them to take those shots.

13:05I mean, the Hawks have had this mentality and again, excuse my language, but they used

13:10an acronym LTFF, which basically means let that fly.

13:17And so when you have a coach kind of giving you the green light, no matter who you are

13:22up and down the lineup to take those shots, I think that's going to generate a lot of

13:27confidence in these guys.

13:28And I think it's generated a lot of confidence in DeAndre Hunter, who prior to this season,

13:34it seemed like he really needed to have the ball in his hands, but he's thriving off of

13:39not necessarily being the guy that does so.

13:42And I think because they're playing the pass more again, going back to that unselfishness,

13:48it's really helped to grow the confidence of the people around Trey.

13:52And that has led to him trusting them a lot more to take those shots.

13:57Absolutely. Absolutely.

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15:11We are going to run right into the next topic of conversation.

15:15You touched on a person I wanted to get into a little bit, and that's head coach Quinn

15:19Snyder.

15:20Quinn, a lot of coaches are being thrown around as having a great season.

15:26We've heard about Steve Kerr, although his team has really struggled lately.

15:29The job that Ken Atkinson is doing in Cleveland certainly is notable.

15:34You start looking, I mean, the hottest team in the East right now is looking like it's

15:39the Quinn Snyder's Elena Hawks.

15:41What is he doing from an, maybe not necessarily X's and O's, but just what is he doing in

15:46a broad sense that has allowed this team to be as impactful as they've been lately?

15:52I think the big thing is that he's using this team's youth to their advantage.

15:58And it's as simple as telling them to run, to run, get out and run.

16:03There's no reason that if a play in transition happens, everybody shouldn't be running.

16:11If you turn over the ball, there's no reason that they shouldn't be running to get back

16:15and try to make an impact on the defensive in that way.

16:20Running to get to their spot, spacing the floor, making sure that they're continuing

16:24to build on each game and the habits that they've started.

16:29And I think the big thing is, is just that, you know, he just wants them to play hard.

16:34But I think what really stuck out to me so far this season is just how much he's transformed

16:40them into more of a defensive team.

16:42And I think of course that starts with Dyson Daniels, but he's really got everyone from

16:48Bogdan Bogdanovich, who had five steals against the Milwaukee Bucks, which is a career high

16:52for bogey.

16:53And he wasn't necessarily known as a defensive player.

16:55Oh, he's not.

16:56Yeah.

16:58I've seen that scouting report on him and defense is not anywhere in the top five.

17:03Exactly.

17:04And you've got a guy like him buying in and really impacting plays in just so many different

17:11ways.

17:12Whether he's getting into passing lanes and deflecting the ball up, he's not afraid to

17:15play physically at 31 or 32 years old.

17:18I know that's not supposed to be old.

17:20I'm 32 and I don't feel old, but by NBA standards, we know once you're over 30, it's you're on

17:26the other side of your career, carrying an AARP card or something.

17:31Exactly.

17:32But bogey has not been afraid to get into the bodies of people and really try to disrupt

17:38the dribble.

17:39And that's huge for the Hawks.

17:40Of course, DeAndre Hunter, who has always been a guy that's been known for his defensive

17:45skills has continued to thrive with Dyson in the lineup because again, it takes the pressure

17:50off of him to guard the best player because the Hawks can put Dyson on the ball.

17:57Hunter can handle off the ball duties and we know that he's more of an elite off the

18:01ball defender.

18:02I think the big thing is that he's just playing to everyone's strengths and he's putting them

18:08in positions that will make them successful.

18:11And so I think because he knows that this team is young, he's telling them to run the

18:15ball.

18:16He's using their athleticism to their advantage.

18:19And I think that's a big key.

18:21He's also putting a guy like Jalen Johnson in a position to really impact plays as a

18:25playmaker, creating shots for others.

18:29So yeah, I think he's doing quite a few different things.

18:32I'm not a huge schematic nerd, but it just seems like his idea of them trying to play

18:40the pass more, take advantage of the guys who can make plays for each other.

18:46He's using that to their advantage because defenses will never know who is the person

18:50that's going to make the play.

18:52And I think if they can continue to do that, keep defenses off balance, I think that's

18:57going to continue playing to their advantage on the offensive side of the ball.

19:01But them really stepping up their level on the defense has really been what's generated

19:07a lot more of those opportunities for them.

19:10Yeah, and I've known Quinn going all the way back to when he was a Dukie and he's always

19:15been a really intense guy, a really smart guy.

19:18And so I figured at some point they were going to figure this thing out.

19:23At a minimum, they would be a very consistently competitive team at an absolute minimum.

19:29But it just seems that just watching the Hawks play now, it seems like they finally figured

19:33out how to utilize the strengths of all the players to not just impact games, but to complement

19:41each other, which in turn impacts games.

19:44You don't feel like there's any replication or duplication of guys' skill sets.

19:49You mentioned Daniels, who I think had like four steals against the Lakers.

19:53What he's been able to bring from a defensive standpoint has been you.

19:57And Johnson and his versatility.

20:01To be completely transparent, Johnson is playing the way I thought DeAndre would play.

20:07And the idea, when I look at DeAndre coming off the bench now, I'm wondering if this might

20:13be something that Quinn decides to make a more consistent thing, even as DeAndre gets

20:19back.

20:20Because I think he played his normal minutes last game against the Lakers.

20:24I think he played like 30, 35 minutes, something like that.

20:28Him coming off the bench could be a problem for teams.

20:30I agree.

20:31And I honestly think that, again, it goes back to Quinn putting guys in positions to

20:39succeed.

20:41And Hunter has gone on the record about talking about coming off of the bench really having

20:47such a positive impact on his game.

20:50And it's one thing, we said it before, for them to say it, but we're actually seeing

20:54it.

20:55And he's mentioned how much coming off of the bench has allowed him to really observe

21:01sort of the cadence of the game.

21:04And then he's able to then put himself in, okay, this is how I can impact things now.

21:09And then he goes out and does it.

21:12And so I think this is a thing moving forward, because if there's no reason to switch it

21:17up, you've got, again, you've got the rookie Zachary Resache starting.

21:23And it's not exactly a negative all of the time.

21:29In a lot of ways, it's been a positive impact on the Hawks.

21:32I mean, you look at that first game against Cleveland in Cleveland, of course, the Cavs

21:39were keeping it close.

21:40The Hawks were keeping it close.

21:42And then coming out of the locker room at halftime, Zach goes off and scores like, what,

21:4710, 11 points in the first five minutes of that second half.

21:53And so, especially when Zach figures it out, he's only played, he hasn't even played half

22:01the teams in the league yet.

22:06And I asked him about this at shoot around before the Lakers game, how he has that ability

22:12to not starstruck.

22:13He's gone up against guys like Donovan Mitchell.

22:16He's played against the big like Trey Lyles.

22:19Not that I'm saying Trey Lyles is a star, but he's a pretty impactful player for the

22:24Kings.

22:25You know, DeMar DeRozan, and he handled some of those minutes fairly well.

22:30And I mean, DeMar is going to get anybody anytime, no matter how experienced they are.

22:36And he's just remained poised in each of those moments.

22:39And he's never shied away from any defensive assignment.

22:43If he gets switched onto a star, he's like, all right, well, I guess I'm going to handle

22:47it.

22:48And there was a moment in Friday night's game where it seemed like LeBron hunted the switch

22:55onto him.

22:56And, you know, Risa Shay was just like, okay, I guess we're doing this.

23:00And he just battled it out, went toe to toe with LeBron to the point where LeBron kind

23:05of backs him up to the basket.

23:07And he knows that he's in and to use the word that we were talking about before untenable

23:12situation and he just allows him to stop the shot.

23:16And so, yes, obviously, you never want somebody to foul LeBron because he's a bucket at the

23:22free throw line.

23:24But is it better for him to try and go up and get that shot?

23:28Or is it better to just make the foul and maybe hope that he misses one of those free

23:33throws or both of those free throws?

23:36And I mean, it was a good foul.

23:39And he's like, you're not going to score on me.

23:41I don't care who you are.

23:42So at 19, I don't see any reason with how he's been playing so far to switch things

23:50up.

23:51And so to go back to the point of Hunter coming off the bench, complimenting bogey skills,

23:58I think that's huge for the Hawks.

24:00I think the big thing for them moving forward is just some of that ball movement when Trey

24:06goes to the bench, because there are some times in the game when Trey goes for his rest,

24:12where it's like everything just kind of stops and they can't.

24:16No matter what they do, they just can't generate any kind of plays.

24:20And then the defense falls apart.

24:22And so, of course, you want to see a guy like rookie or sorry, not a rookie anymore.

24:27Sophomore guard Kobe Buff can kind of take up some of that.

24:31He's kind of figuring out, you know, especially after missing so much time in his rookie year.

24:36But again, it's who's going to be that person that that is the so-called backup point guard?

24:44Because you do you do need one of those as much as you want to have a ball handler by

24:48committee.

24:50It's just not working consistently.

24:52And so I think that's the big challenge for the Hawks moving forward is what their plan

24:56is to do with that.

24:58Yeah.

24:59Yeah, absolutely.

25:00And then the one thing for sure that this Hawks team that we're seeing now is a better

25:04version of what we saw a year ago and what happens when teams get better.

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26:22What time is it?

26:24Game time.

26:25And around here, it's also time to talk a little bit about this NBA cup thing that from

26:33the group that the Atlanta Hawks came out of, I think it's fair to say that it was a

26:39bit of a surprise that the Hawks emerged as their group winner, which included the

26:45defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

26:48First of all, we're going to talk about the Celtics in a minute, but I want to talk about

26:51just them getting to this point in the whole NBA Cup process.

26:58What does that mean to this this organization or specifically this team this year to get

27:03out of that group group play?

27:05For sure.

27:06I think, you know, when the season started to them winning that first game in Boston,

27:13it's obviously they looked at the NBA Cup as an opportunity for a young team to compete.

27:19I think that's the one thing that a lot of people tend to forget about is just how young

27:25the Hawks are.

27:26They really only have three players over the age of 30.

27:30Everyone else is 27 and under.

27:34It's crazy.

27:35I mean, DeAndre Hunter is their oldest vet out of the three guys that I mentioned, Bogdan

27:40Bogdanovich, Clint Capella, who's 31, and then or he just turned 30, actually.

27:46And then Larry Nance, who's 31.

27:48Everybody else is 27 and under, which is wild.

27:53Three of their starting five is 22 and under.

27:57Jalen turns 23 on December 18th.

28:00So the fact that the Hawks, who are as young as they are, has pulled this off, I think

28:08just shows how hard that they've been playing and that being competitive every single night

28:14is at the forefront of their minds.

28:18And so it's meant a lot because they know and we've seen across the league coaches talking

28:22about the importance of having this sort of secondary opportunity for, you know, high-level

28:30basketball for young teams.

28:33You saw it last year with the Indiana Pacers and how far they were able to take it.

28:39They were what?

28:40The Eastern Conference, like, semifinalists, went to the finals, and then they took it

28:47all the way to the playoffs.

28:49And so, I mean, heck, the Eastern Conference finals.

28:53So I think it's kind of like a sort of place setting for some of these younger teams to

28:59kind of set them up for what playoff basketball sort of looks like.

29:05I mean, again, you look at this Hawks roster, and I think just Trey, just Bogey, and just

29:15actually Hunter.

29:16But he was hurt, actually, now that I think about it.

29:21And Trey, they were the only ones that were major contributors in that Eastern Conference

29:26finals run.

29:28Everybody else, you know, is kind of new.

29:31So to have this opportunity to set them up for what competing at a high level in a high-stakes

29:37situation could mean, I think it's huge for this team.

29:43And they've certainly taken the mantle, taken the challenge of showing up every night, especially

29:49on those cup nights.

29:50Except, you know, of course that loss to the Bulls, but that was also at the end of a weird

29:56West Coast trip, where I think that's a big thing moving forward.

30:02Not to segue from this topic to a different one, but the NBA has to figure out how they're

30:07setting up the tournament, because having a team, and I'm sure several teams have dealt

30:12with this, but having a team play on the West Coast for three games and then end up

30:17in the central time zone, it's just too much.

30:24And I'm sure West Coast teams have sort of had that situation, where they're playing

30:28on the East Coast and then have to get back West for a cup matchup.

30:32It's just, I get what the league was trying to do with the cup nights, but I don't know.

30:37I feel like there could be something better out there, whether it's having the group play

30:41with just within a two-week, three-week span, and then going on to, I don't know.

30:48There's a solution here.

30:50I'm glad it's not my job to figure it out, but I think, I don't think this is working.

30:55There are definitely some things they could certainly tweak, but for the Hawks specifically,

31:00you know, you look at their season, you look at their place in the cup, not only did they

31:06beat the Celtics, but they beat the Celtics without Trae Young, which was, I'm not sure

31:10which of those two things was the bigger eyebrow raiser, the fact that they won the

31:15game or that they won the game without Trae.

31:17What did that do for the confidence of this team?

31:20Because obviously, you know, the premise is that as the Hawks go, goes Trae.

31:25But with Trae doing the same thing you and I were doing over that game, which is watching,

31:30and they still were able to win.

31:32How much of a confidence boost does something like that give this team?

31:36Oh, I honestly think it was a huge confidence builder for them because it showed them that

31:41they're way deeper than they thought that they were.

31:44And I think it showed us as media members that they were deeper than they were.

31:49So I think, again, it goes back to that idea of Quinn Snyder and this Hawks coaching staff

31:56really emboldening these players and putting them in positions to succeed.

32:00I think a big catalyst, you look again, Dyson Daniels, he had a huge game, put up a career

32:05high 28 points.

32:08I can't remember how many steals he had that game, actually.

32:13It was a lot.

32:16But then also you look at Jalen Johnson, and he was a huge catalyst for some of that playmaking.

32:21And so, again, I think this team, that really was a building block for them as far as kind

32:28of shooting them into the direction that we're seeing them in now.

32:31Because since that Celtics game, let me look at the record again.

32:39Since the Celtics game, the losses went down, and I think they won like 10?

32:46Yeah, they've been one of the best teams in Eastern Conference since then, yeah.

32:49For sure.

32:52Since that Celtics game, they've won, they're like fourth in the East now, fourth or fifth

33:04in the East.

33:05They're fifth in the East after Milwaukee lost to the Celtics on Friday.

33:09So they won their Wizards game after that.

33:11They had that weird loss to the Trailblazers.

33:17But they've won, you know, six out of the last 10 games.

33:22So they're six and four in their last 10 games, which is huge.

33:24So I think you can call that a huge confidence builder when you're taking out the reigning

33:30NBA champions without your top player.

33:35And so I really do think it just sort of showed them that they're much deeper than they are,

33:41and that they were just sort of biding their time until they could get healthy.

33:46And then they got healthy.

33:48They got Dre Hunter back, they got Bogdan Bogdanovich back, Kobe Bufkin came back and

33:54injected another set of life into them as that secondary ball handler with the second

33:59unit.

34:00Granted, again, he still has room to grow, but it still made a difference when your rotation

34:05is finally healthy again, you've got your guys back, you have your depth back.

34:10Now you've got all that going for you, you've won five, six in a row, you're feeling good

34:15about yourself, you're moving up in the standings.

34:17And now comes the money question.

34:21Where does this Atlanta Hawks team stack up to the Celtics, to the top teams in Eastern

34:27Conference?

34:28Right now they're fifth.

34:29Are they a top four, top five team in Eastern Conference?

34:32And how much closer do you see them being to knocking off the Celtics?

34:36Because they're the champs, they're the team that you're trying to get past.

34:42How much closer do you think they are to that?

34:45And also within that, what do you see them stacking up in the Eastern Conference at this

34:49point?

34:50You know, in the Eastern Conference, I could see them being within the, I could see them

35:00being a top four team based on how this sort of six game win streak has sort of gone.

35:08Again, we talked about them knocking off the Celtics in that first NBA group A cup game.

35:16It's just, it's hard for me to envision them knocking a team like the Celtics off in a

35:24seven game series.

35:25I mean, we've seen the Hawks be really competitive against the Celtics, taking them to six games

35:30last or two years ago in the playoffs.

35:34So it's not out of the realm of possibility.

35:38I don't think it's going to be a clean sweep if we're seeing a seven game series, but it's

35:42hard for me to see them.

35:43If we get to that seventh game, the Hawks actually pulling it off just because of their

35:48youth.

35:49They don't have that post season experience.

35:54It's kind of the same thing with the Cavaliers, where it's just really hard for me to see

36:00them.

36:01Again, it's going to be a competitive series, but we know what it takes for teams to pull

36:08out that last win in game seven when everything's on the line.

36:13You can't melt down.

36:14You can't bark at the officials.

36:17You just have to stay poised.

36:20There's still moments throughout the season where, not to pick on Trae Young, but he doesn't

36:28get a call his way and he's still barking at the referee and everybody else is running

36:32to get back to the other end to compete in transition.

36:36And then you put your team in a four on five situation and somebody else scores.

36:41Or last night, Friday night, for example, Hunter hit what could have been a game winning

36:52three with like 26 seconds to go.

36:56On the other end, LeBron's dribbling in, a pass gets deflected.

37:02In that moment, a Hawks player should be there to try and get that loose ball.

37:11But instead, LeBron gets the pass back and goes up for a layup that ties the game.

37:17So it's just little things like that where it's keeping your head right in those crunch

37:24time moments that I think this team still sort of needs to grow toward.

37:30But I think they're on the right trajectory.

37:32And when the season began, I didn't think that this Hawks team would necessarily be

37:38a good team, but I thought that they would be fun.

37:42And we're seeing a lot of fun out of them and they're also a good team.

37:46So it'll be interesting to see how they continue to grow moving forward.

37:52Again, when I think about sort of those seven game series and just thinking about those

37:56little things that are what make a championship team, I still think the Hawks need to grow

38:03in some of those moments.

38:05But I do think you're going to get competitive matchups out of them night in and night out.

38:09Yeah, absolutely.

38:10And you know that people forget that, you know, two or three years ago, those little

38:14things were the things that cost the Celtics chances to move on and win a championship.

38:20And it does.

38:21It's that's where the experience factor of going through the, you know, the disappointment

38:25of defeat and not going as far as you want to comes into play for sure.

38:30For sure.

38:31Yeah.

38:32Lorne Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

38:34This has been great.

38:35I got I got my fill of the Hawks and hopefully we'll be having conversations in April and

38:41May if there's a playoff series between these two.

38:44I'd certainly.

38:45Yeah.

38:46Everyone knows how I love me some Atlanta.

38:47So I'm all for a Trey Young, Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, second round conference finals

38:57matchup.

38:58I'm all for it.

38:59I think it's in the books.

39:00I honestly, the Hawks this season have really exceeded sort of my expectations.

39:06You know, just one, obviously, with how they've handled this NBA Cup, being a team that's

39:12in contention for the NBA Cup championship and maybe raising a banner, God forbid, and

39:23then obviously making it into the top five at this point of the season when, you know,

39:28they started the season off, what, like four and seven in those first 11 games.

39:33Yeah.

39:34I think the big thing is that they just have to continue building on it and kind of fixing

39:39those little things, those little end of game things that can be the tipping point

39:45in a six or seven game series against a playoff team.

39:51But I think they're on the right track.

39:53So I think we'll keep having fun watching this team, especially now that they're healthy,

39:59especially with how we didn't even talk about Jalen Johnson.

40:01I'm sorry, we have to talk more about Jalen Johnson and just how he has continued to build

40:09off of his explosive year that he had last year, and he's averaging 20 point something

40:13points per game.

40:15And he's done so very quietly.

40:18I think that I think Friday night was probably his worst game in a very long time in over

40:25a month.

40:26You know, when the at the beginning of the season, when he was figuring out how defenses

40:29were attacking him.

40:32But just the playmaking that he's been able to do the dunks.

40:37If he is not, you know, top of the list for a most improved candidate, I don't know what

40:45people are looking for when they're voting.

40:47Yeah, he's definitely in that conversation based upon not just his own individual growth,

40:56but just the team's growth and just the role that he's played in it.

40:59There's no question he should be a very, very strong contender for that.

41:05Lauren Williams, the Atlantic Constitution.

41:07This has been great.

41:08This has been great.

41:09I feel I have been hawkified today in a way that I needed to.

41:15This has been really, really good.

41:18Before we get out of here, just want to do one more shout out to our two prize picks,

41:21the exclusive Daily Fantasy partner of CLNS Media Network, and also our good friends at

41:25Game Time, which takes the guesswork out of buying last minute tickets to your favorite

41:29sporting events.

41:30Just download the Game Time app, create an account and use code CLNS for $20 off your

41:34first purchase.

41:35Terms apply.

41:36Again, download the app, create an account and use the code CLNS for $20 off your first

41:41purchase.

41:42Terms apply.

41:43Lauren, this has been awesome.

41:46We're going to have to do it again.

41:47We're going to have to do it again.

41:49And maybe we'll bring Kwanee Lunas on next time.

41:52Yes.

41:53If we can get an audience with Kwanee Lunas, she's incredibly busy these days, as you probably

41:58know.

41:59But Lauren, this was really good.

42:02And again, thanks for coming in for the Big Three NBA podcast.

42:05Again, Sherrod Blakely for Lauren Williams.

42:08Thanks for tuning in, folks.

42:10Have a wonderful day.

42:11Thank you, guys.

Are the Rising Hawks a THREAT to the Celtics? | Big 3 NBA Podcast

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