Orlando vs. Atlanta

[nazsquad]

Do any of you feel any better knowing that Orlando is blowing out Atlanta at halftime.
Yes we got swept, but I think we gave Orlando a decent series. We frustrated them and played good defense. Too bad we didn't win Game 3, because I truly believe the series would have been totally different.
I hope we make some improvements in the off-season, but we will be back!

[ziggy]

I think Atlanta is in even a worse situation than the cats were against the Hawks, because they don't have the horde of large bodies to throw against Dwight Howard.

I expect him to go off this series.

[nazsquad]

I agree. Orlando is just a good team, they have a lot of weapons. Dwight basically already is having a better series against ATL than he did all 4 games against us haha.

Its amazing that we limited him all 4 games. That shows a lot of on our part.

[110oldeast]

Orlando is a pick your poison team. That's what happens when you can roll out a bunch of wing shooters to surround a legit post man or penetrating guard.

The reason we limited Dwight was b/c we did 2 things:

1) We doubled him when he had the ball on offense

2) We got him in foul trouble

If we had played him straight up and limited everything from the perimeter, I think you have a better chance of beating them. He would've gotten 30-40, but I think we could have had a better chance.

It also really makes me hate that we didn't get over the hump to get the Hawks in the first around. They're one of the few teams with perimeter shooting as weak as ours. They're athletic, but athleticism without perimeter shooting doesn't last the deeper you get in the playoffs. It's not enough to have pgs who can knock down the 3s. You need some pure knockdown, kickout shooters on the wing to plug in the deeper you get in the playoffs.

That's what makes teams like Orlando so hard to defend. It's why Boston when healthy is tough. When we get free cap space, as much as a post presence, we need some wing shooting.

Otherwise you become a consistent RUNNING team. You don't have athletes and so so shooting and play predominantly halfcourt ball. Either you get more shooters or you run.

I agree. Orlando is just a good team, they have a lot of weapons. Dwight basically already is having a better series against ATL than he did all 4 games against us haha.

Its amazing that we limited him all 4 games. That shows a lot of on our part.

[nazsquad]

Orlando is just one of those teams that we don't play well against. Obviously the Hawks would have been an ideal match-up. We are basically the same team, but I believe we have a little more fire power than the Hawks.

With that being said. We had a good chance to win in 3 of the playoff games but didn't finish well. We will have more experience next year.

[Orlando Juice]

I have no doubt Charlotte would've beaten Atlanta had they matched up. The Hawks have a ton of talent, but haven't been able to put it together for whatever reason. It's likely Woodson, given that the Hawks iso on every other possession.

I mentioned earlier that the Charlotte series was tremendously beneficial to both the Bobcats and the Magic. We won't face a defense like that til probably next year when we match up

[jdsingar]

LOL well it looks like we can say we did better than the Hawks. As of this writing, the Hawks are up 87-47. I have never seen anything like that. That is embarassing, especially for a semifinal game. Talk about a statement from Orlando.

[110oldeast]

No doubt. It's why I hate all the idiotic kneejerk reactions, scapegoating, and video game GM'ing that has taken place since we lost.

Exactly who does Atlanta scapegoat and get rid of with their performance?

Orlando is just a tough matchup for everyone. It's funny, b/c in spite of the 4-0 series, it was more competitive than some would realize.

Orlando is just one of those teams that we don't play well against. Obviously the Hawks would have been an ideal match-up. We are basically the same team, but I believe we have a little more fire power than the Hawks.

With that being said. We had a good chance to win in 3 of the playoff games but didn't finish well. We will have more experience next year.

[BRNC]

The Hawks (IMO) are one of the most athletically gifted-lowBBIQ teams ever assembled...I give Kudos to Woody for getting them this far...

[BETCATS]

We may not have been able to stop the Orlando juggernaut, but at least we could contain it. It really adds some value to what our guys did in the first round. We would not allow this to happen to us. I am embarrased for all Hawk fans right now.