Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic Preview
The Good Guys’ Lineup:
Who?: Atlanta Hawks (44 – 38) @ Orlando Magic (52 – 30)
What?: Hawks need one more game to “shock the world”. Hawks lead series (3-1).
When?: April 26th, 2011; 7:30 PM (Eastern Time)
Where?: Amway Center (Orlando, FL)
How?: SportSouth HD(TV), NBATV(TV) & 99X FM(97.9 radio)
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Injuries:
Orlando: Daniel Orton is out.
Atlanta: Everyone is expected to play.
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The closeout game is known to be the toughest game to win for the team that is up in the series. This game would have been hard to win in the first place since it’s in Orlando, but with Orlando now with their backs against the wall, this game will probably be the toughest game yet for the Hawks.
The Hawks need to treat it like a “do or die” or a “win or go home” type of game because that will be how the Magic will treat it. A good sign of maturity for a basketball team is the trait of never taking the foot of the gas pedal. In the regular season, the Hawks didn’t do a good job at doing that, letting teams back in games by letting up and thinking they are safe. Larry Drew expressed the same feelings I have about closing the series early rather than later:
"It’s very important. I think with this team particularly, I’m always talking about this team growing. To me, them positioning themselves as they are right now, to go into Orlando and to finish this thing off… that’s a huge step in our growth process."
Sure, even if the Hawks lose this game, they’ll still be in good position to win the series since Game 6 will be in Atlanta, but that’s not the type of mindset a mature and good team should have. The Hawks have shown this playoffs that they were able to flip the switch from the regular season to the playoffs, which shows maturity. Let’s hope the Hawks will show more of their maturity by winning this game or at least making it competitive.
What (or who) to watch out for:
Willstradamus (that’s the name I call myself since I’ve been on fire with my predictions) thinks Jamal Crawford will have this type of Joe Johnson night tonight….
Strong start and strong finish. The Hawks are usually the ones to come off the gates early and get the first punch, but after Game 4, but will that continue with Orlando’s back against the wall? Of course, just because you get the first hit, doesn’t mean you’ll win the game. It’s about finishing strong. Can either team do that?
The Orlando Magic perimeter shots. This is always something I need to highlight. The Magic have been struggling from the perimeter all series long, can they finally have a good game? Are they psychologically ruined for this series?
Some things you need (or would want) to know:
- Jamal Crawford’s 24 ppg in the playoffs is on pace to be the largest scoring average by a bench player in the last 15 years. Jamal ranks 9th in the entire NBA in ppg this playoffs. He is also 8th in 3pointFG% in the playoffs.
- Zaza Pachulia and Jason Richardson are back from suspension. Expect a large amount of boos for Zaza. Here’s what Zaza said about playing in Orlando tonight.
- Only 8 teams have come back from a 3-1 game deficit and won the series. The last team was the Phoenix Suns in 2006.
- Dwight Howard says that if they win one game, they’ll win the entire series (paraphrasing).
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Prediction: My (pre) post season prediction has been right so far: Hawks won Game 1. Magic won Game 2, Hawks won Game 3, and Hawks win Game 4. For Game 5, I predicted the Hawks to lose. However, I think I’ll change it to a win. I honestly think the Hawks will close it out this game. The team just seems so focused, judging from their play on the court and their pre/post game quotes every day. Hawks win in a competitive game and win series tonight. Book it.
PROVE JAMEER NELSON WRONG! #PROVEJAMEERWRONG