[Game 1] Hawks @ Magic Preview, Game Notes, & Prediction

Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic Preview

The Good Guys’ Lineup:

The Bad Guys’ Lineup:

Who?: Atlanta Hawks (44 – 38) @ Orlando Magidc (52 – 30)

What?: Series is tied 0-0

When?: April 16th, 2011; 7:00 PM (Eastern Time)

Where?: Amway Center (Orlando, FL)

How?: SportSouth HD(TV), ESPN(TV) & 99X FM(97.9 radio)

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Injuries:
Orlando: JJ Redick will play.
Atlanta: Everyone is expected to play.

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What (or who) to watch out for:

Dwight Howard. How will he do? Can Jason Collins slow him down? Can Zaza? What about Al? Will Dwight get easy looks or will he have to work for everything he gets? Will Dwight be in foul trouble?
The Orlando Magic’s perimeter game. The Hawks need to limit the amount of open jumpers the Orlando Magic shooters get. If they get hot from the field, Hawks are in trouble.
Joe Johnson. Will he struggle in the playoffs once again or can he step up?
Josh Smith. Will
The Hawks’ rotation. The Hawks played a bunch of bench players at the end of the regular season and a lot of them played well. Who will be rewarded with playing time? Will Teague be getting more minutes? What about Damien?
Effort. It will be interesting to see who wants this game more. Who will dive out of bounds to save the ball from going out of bounds? Who will get the 50-50 balls? Who will fight for the rebounds?

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Prediction: I have a feeling Hawks will win this one and try to make a statement. This is an important game and I think the Hawks will treat it that way. Hawks win by…… not sure by how much but they will (I think). Please don’t prove me wrong. YOU CAN DO IT!