Jameer Nelson didn’t get to face Derrick Rose in Round 2 after all, but he at least had the opportunity to watch the Hawks do so for Game 1. Before the Hawks-Magic match-up in Round 1 of the playoffs, Jameer Nelson made the side comment to Derrick Rose “I’ll catch you in Round 2,” indicating that the Magic would easily do away with the Hawks in the first round.

Well, the Hawks got their comeuppance this time, and they made sure Jameer remembered. Prior to Game 1 against the Bulls, Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche left two tickets in the 300 level for Nelson. Triche got the idea from former Falcons coach Jerry Glanville who used to leave tickets for Elvis.

“Things that make me happy about this job,” Triche said on Twitter. “Taking a page out of Jerry Glanville’s book, I think I’ll follow through on Jameer’s request to catch Derrick Rose in the 2nd round.”

To Triche’s knowledge, Nelson didn’t use the tickets, but he might leave more for Game 3 in Atlanta. Nelson’s comment was yet another example of the Hawks being underestimated. Josh Smith noted:

“They never give us a chance. They never talk about the Hawks. They talk about Orlando, Chicago, Boston and Miami. We’re always sneaking under the radar.”

Let’s hope the Hawks can sneak under the radar yet again and leave tickets for Jameer in Miami or Boston as well.

The Hawks find themselves in a near must-win situation for Game 6 after being crushed by Orlando 101-76 in Game 5. Atlanta will need to step up its game tomorrow night at Philips Arena if it wants to avoid a Game 7 in Orlando. I am itching for a Hawks-Bulls Round 2 match-up. What will the Hawks need to do in order to close out this series and move on?

1. Remember the other four players not named Dwight on the court: As much as everyone knows how Dwight being Dwight can completely dominate and influence a game’s outcome– and no one knows it more than Howard himself– containing the Magic’s big man won’t necessarily make or break the Hawks’ success in Game 6. Howard averaged 32 points and17 rebounds in Magic losses, and only 20.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in Magic wins. Bottom line: the Magic can still win when Dwight has an off night, and lose when Dwight plays like Superman. What will be even more important for the Hawks is defending perimeter shots from JJ and staying aggressive on the boards to keep Richardson, Nelson and Turkoglu at bay.

2. Consistency at the line: It’s just fundamental basketball. Make your free throws. The Hawks went 22-for-32 (69%) at the line in Game 5, unacceptable for a team trying to make a run in the playoffs. Drive inside and draw the fouls. Get to the line, and make your free throws.

3. Jamal Crawford: The Hawks’ 6th man played a huge role in their first three wins. Crawford averaged 24 points of the bench in the first four games, but managed only eight in last night’s blowout. When he’s on, you can sense that every time he throws up a shot, he knows it’s going to go in. And the Hawks will need him to be on in Game 6.

Jamal Crawford

4. Follow the leader: Point guard Kirk Hinrich appears to be the only player that maintains a consistently high energy level on the court. He brings everyone’s defensive game up a notch– when the rest of the team follows his lead. In Game 5, the Hawks were out-rebounded, out-blocked and just out-hustled by the Magic. They lacked the kind of drive and effort on the defensive end of the court necessary to win in the playoffs, and don’t think the Orlando won’t take ready to take advantage of it if Atlanta gets lazy again.

It’s time for home court advantage. Game 6 Thursday night at 7:30 EST. Let’s close this thing out. Go Hawks!

Game 1 started out in a similar fashion to Game 2. Too bad for the Hawks that it didn’t end the same way as the Magic edged out a 88-82 victory, evening the series at 1-1. Neither team started off well, and just like Game 1, it was the Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson show for the Magic. The duo combined for 46 points (33 from Howard alone) while the rest of Orlando’s starters managed only 26. But this time, the Hawks couldn’t rely on their sharp shooting that had worked so well for them in Saturday’s game.

Before the series started, Hawks coach Larry Drew said it would all come down to defense. And that was certainly the case tonight– the Hawks just never seemed to be able to really turn it on. Neither team shot well–the Hawks shot 39.5% from the field while the Magic were at 34.6%, well below both teams’ season averages. But, the real difference came off the boards as Orlando out-rebounded Atlanta 52 to 39.

And, in keeping with the theme of unbalanced free throws that seems to be running throughout these playoffs (Bulls’ 32 to Pacers’ 17 FTA in Game 1; Heat 39, Sixers 15), the Magic went 29-for-36 (81%) from the line while the Hawks were only 11-for-17 (65%).

The Magic also seemed to be playing with a little more urgency and led the Hawks in fast break points, 14 to 7.

It was encouraging, however, that the Hawks didn’t default to their regular season defeatist attitude and managed to make a run for it late in the game. After being down by as much as 12 at the 6-minute mark in the fourth, the Hawks managed to come within 2 points with 2:43 left. But Orlando quickly shut the door thanks to a quick three-pointer by Jason Richardson and closed the game away.

Another encouraging sign for the Hawks was that Josh Smith’s sprained elbow did not seem to have a significant effect as the Hawks’ forward managed 17 points, second only to Jamal Crawford’s 25 points on the night.

The Hawks will return to Philips Arena for Game 3 on Friday night at 8 PM EST.

We all need a little motivation from outside sources sometimes, whether it comes in the form of positive reinforcement or a defiant “I-will-prove-you-wrong!” reaction to negative criticism. Things that push an argument into new directions, force people to consider different options, and elevate athletes to greater heights.

Josh Smith, for one, is definitely a player that needs a little fire from others to get his butt into gear and go from lazy jump shots and kick it into awe-inspiring-dunk mode. Jameer Nelson’s comment to Derrick Rose about seeing them in Round 2– a backhanded dismissal of the Hawks– didn’t hurt:

“A lot of their players are already claiming they are already going to make the second round, so that gives us a little added motivation. If that doesn’t get you geared up, I don’t know what does.” ~Josh Smith

Writing is no different. As picturesque as the image of the pensive writer sitting under a tree contemplating the meaning of life is, let’s face it, what really fires me up are others’ comments. So humor me:

“He had a plan throughout. Maybe at times, some people, or even us, didn’t understand it. But there’s a method to his madness.” ~Jamal Crawford on LD

Ok, I’m sorry. You can plan all you like, but if your own team doesn’t understand the plan, it doesn’t really do much good, does it? Crawford was referring to a point during Game 1 in which LD saw guys deviating from the game plan, called a time out and redirected his team. It is sad that an instance in which there are repercussions from a coach for player improvisation is the exception rather than the rule. But I guess it’s encouraging nonetheless that he is starting to grow some cojones and lay down the law. Having a slightly miscalculated game plan that you stick to and that your players can follow with conviction is better than a haphazard and misguided display of instincts and talent.

I am going to allow myself this one “Take that!” to all the naysayers who quickly brushed aside the Hawks and presumed an automatic Magic-Bulls match-up in Round 2. Atlanta defeated Orlando 103-93 and claimed the first road win of the 2011 playoffs.

Things didn’t exactly go according to plan for Larry Drew, but somehow, it worked. The strategy was supposed to be to contain Dwight Howard; he set an Orlando playoff record with 31 points in the first half. Prior to the game, LD talked about the importance of running, attacking, and ball movement; the Hawks were out-rebounded 40 to 29 and still defaulted to lazy jump shots.

But the “lazy jump shots”– err, “sharp shooting” was enough, and the Hawks’ defense managed to limit the remaining Orlando starters to 37 points, 27 of which came from Jameer Nelson.

Both teams started off slowly in the first quarter, shooting only 36% and 33% for the Hawks and Magic, respectively. But Atlanta shot 78% and outscored Orlando 38-29 in the second quarter led by its guard trio of Hinrich, Crawford and Johnson. Orlando, a team that tends to rely on its outside game went only 2-for-9 from three-point range in the first half and got killed by turnovers in the second.

The game was a classic display of Dwight being Dwight: 46 points, 19 boards, 8 turnovers and a technical. But a there’s no “I” in “success” (unless you’re LeBron with the Cavs), and this time around, the Hawks’ well-balanced shooting was too much for the Magic.

The win was a huge one for the Hawks, especially on the road, and it will hopefully give them momentum and a confidence boost going into the rest of the series. Game 2 in Orlando on Tuesday at 7:30 PM EST!

Preemptive predictions, good-natured trash taking, gross over-analysis and exaggerations! Ahh, the playoffs are in the air. And the Hawks-Magic series is no exception.

“I’ll catch you in the second round,” Orlando guard, Jameer Nelson, said under his breath to Bulls point guard, Derrick Rose, implying that taking care of the Hawks in Round 1 was practically already in the bag.

Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Jameer. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The Hawks may find themselves struggling of late, but they won’t exactly be pushovers in the playoffs. In fact, the Hawks have won the season series against the Magic, 3-1 including the last three games. And, in Atlanta’s recent win against the Magic, coach Stan Van Gundy praised Jason Collins’s defense on Dwight, saying it was the best he’d seen all year on the Orlando All-Star center.

But if ever there was a time to start talking big and getting cocky, it would be right about now. And the Hawks could use a little fuel to their fire– something to get defiant about and a reason to prove naysayers wrong.

T-minus four days  to Game 1 of the 2011 Playoffs. Get excited.