Hawks Eye View Episode 1: Hardaway, Rookies, And More

Feb 4, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) and forward Kent Bazemore (24) show emotion against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 113-86. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) and forward Kent Bazemore (24) show emotion against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 113-86. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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On the first episode of the Hawks Eye View Podcast, Andrew Snyder and Justin Hodges discuss a variety of Atlanta Hawks related topics.

Welcome to the first edition of the Hawks Eye View Podcast, a new weekly podcast here at Soaring Down South. This podcast is, of course, yet another place for us to discuss any and all Atlanta Hawks related subjects.

On the first episode site expert Andrew Snyder (that’s me!) and contributor Justin Hodges sat down to talk about a whole host of Hawks topics. The discussion started with Atlanta’s recent road trip.

The road trip was a microcosm of their entire season. They lost to a team they were better than, but followed that up by beating one of the best teams in the NBA. Their inconsistency is what makes them so frustrating and exciting for fans. You never know which team is going show up night in and night out.

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Discussion then moved to the exciting comeback against the Houston Rockets. The Hawks erased a 20-point fourth quarter deficit on the way to a win. Tim Hardaway Jr.’s performance stood out the most. His 23 fourth quarter points were enormous in securing the win for the Hawks. Justin and I are both impressed by his progress this season.

Another talking point was DeAndre’ Bembry‘s defense on James Harden. Bembry held Harden to just six points in the fourth quarter. Bembry hasn’t gotten much playing time this season, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance. He and Taurean Prince both are exciting prospects, despite their lack of playing time this season.

Finally, we talked about the trade rumors that surrounded the team in early January. At one point, it looked like the Hawks were going to begin a full-scale rebuild. Kyle Korver was traded and it appeared like Paul Millsap, Thabo Sefolosha, and Tim Hardaway Jr. would be soon to follow. As we all know, that didn’t happen.

The Hawks started winning and the trade rumors stopped in their tracks. Atlanta now seems focused on winning this season and making a run deep into the playoffs. Given the weakness in the middle of the Eastern Conference, that’s not as far fetched as it sounded one month ago.

If everything breaks right the Hawks could conceivably make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. It may be unlikely, but other than the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have the potential to beat any team in the East.

We wrapped things up by making some Super Bowl predictions. Both Justin and I predicted that the Atlanta Falcons would bring a championship to the city of Atlanta by knocking off the New England Patriots. That prediction proved to be incorrect.

Next: Takeaways From Win Over Orlando Magic

That covers the first episode of the Hawks Eye View Podcast. Check back next week for the next episode and more information about the future of the podcast. Feel free to send me a message on Twitter at @acsnyde or @SoaringDwnSouth if there’s anything you think we should discuss on the next episode.