Playoff Roundtable: Atlanta Hawks-Brooklyn Nets Preview
By Adam McGee
Which Brooklyn player do you feel Atlanta needs to be most wary of?
AMcG: Joe Johnson. He already dangled a lottery pick in front of the Hawks, why would anyone be surprised if he goes and has a couple of monster games too?
VM: Brook Lopez. He has size and a nice touch. He is bigger than anyone on the Hawks but he is a finesse player and most finesse players get out of rhythm when they have a body on them.
CR: Brook Lopez.
MMcE: Brook Lopez. He’s been playing terrific as of late.
NK: If the parameters for this question were expanded to include players past and present, I would have gone with Paul Pierce. Less than a week before the start of the playoffs, the Truth wasn’t being bashful when he threw most of his former Brooklyn teammates under the bus for their passivity during a year he desribed as “horrible.” I couldn’t help but think Hollins would use those words as kindle to fire up his squad.
But for the sake of answering correctly, I’ll pick a player currently under contract, and I’m going with Bojan Bogdanovich. The 25 year-old Yugoslavian “rookie” hasn’t been a big name outside of intimate basketball circles, but there is no denying his shooting impact of late.
Since he last played in Atlanta, the shooting guard has averaged 17.4 ppg, 55% fg, and 51% from three in his last seven contests. He has the ability to create huge momentum shifts in the game being a three-point threat like Kyle Korver, but to a lesser degree. He’s also proven to be adept at the rim on drives and on cuts, and if he finds himself open a lot, he has the potential to lay some harm on Atlanta.
Winning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in April is nothing to take lightly and the Hawks need to be wary of that.
Next: Does Atlanta's regular season finish mean anything?