Los Hawquis

Exquisite timing for starting to write about the Hawks, huh? An excellent Knicks game, followed by two delectable inverse collapses. Tonight, as I write, the Hawks prepare to take on a hellacious dead-eyed buzz saw known as the Boston Celtics (gulp)*, still without their most experienced hands on the wing Hunter and Bogie (gulp), and Trae Young (worryingly loud gulp). Since my last post and before whatever happens with the Celtics, the Hawks lost two frustrating games back-to-back against the Pistons and the Bulls in semi-opposite ways. Conspiring to lose to the Pistons on the back of a horrid 1st quarter, while against the Bulls, they waited until the fourth quarter to fall apart. 

(Hawks 29 Celtics 31….end of first quarter, interesting)

When looking at your own team, it’s easy to get into the NPC analysis**. I was very impressed by Cade Cunningham in the game on Friday, and I think the Pistons might be on the verge of competency which deserves noting. HOWEVER, ultimately, we care about the Hawks. So, after two brutal collapses, is there hope for this season? The Hawks sit at 4-7 without having played a difficult schedule. Moments of brilliance have been drizzled in between the collapses, which leads one to believe that the Hawks might have the start of an exciting core and alluring future.

(Hawks 54 Celtics 65 (sigh) end of second quarter)

The Hawks are fielding a young team. Dyson, Risacher, Jalen, and OO are all young players. Young players usually have great moments but struggle to win games. Risacher probably encompasses this most obviously, with his breakout game against the Knicks surrounded by shooting struggles in most other games. However, even a player like Jalen came into the season very flat before turning on demon mode in the last week. But this experience and ride as a fan is FUN. Watching Risacher launch his first few threes in a game, we don’t know where the night will lead us. Will he go for 30 again or fight to 10 points? It gives each play more importance and can bring alive a random Tuesday night game. Getting to experience that swing from night to night is frustratingly awesome.

At its essence, enjoyment as a fan often correlates to results relative to expectations. A good team will be found from these players (do we find it this year?). So, I expect to enjoy competitive basketball and see player growth. If we get those things, this will be a good year. This sentiment seems to be shared by the actual HAWKS. Pulling a quote from an article by Jared Weiss: “Snyder and Fields both say they envision a long runway for the Hawks’ development. This season they want to build an identity more so than making a deep playoff run. And the players agree. This season isn’t so much about mastering a scheme as it is a mindset.”

(https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5910719/2024/11/11/hawks-rebuilding-trae-young/)

I can dig it. We ruined our last rebuild with the Murray trade; let’s not make the same mistake again, rushing towards a .500 record at the expense of something greater.

(Hawks 84 Celtics 91 end of third…very interesting)

(watching actual basketball)

(HAWKS WIN 117-116 the NBA CUP IS GREAT AND WE ARE WINNING THE WHOLE THING)

Phew, what a game. I’m finishing all this after the fact, but that was awesome. I won’t say HEY, LOOK, THIS YEAR WILL BE FUN LIKE I WROTE A FEW HUNDRED WORDS AGO because I’ve edited this whole thing after the fact so that the end might have given birth to the beginning of this column. There will be great and awful moments this season, but tonight the HAWKS just absolutely brute-forced the Celtics into a loss on their home court, which freaking rules.

100 shots to Celtic’s 75 shots was enough to overcome, making eight fewer threes and taking 14 fewer free throws. As a Hawks fan, the best part of a win against a big team like this is that you know that the national media will have to turn its lens on the Hawks, and we will get sweet, delicious content.

What’s that you say. The National Media is suggesting that Trae is the problem again? They want the Hawks to trade him to the Lakers for barely NBA level players? Oh god no, not this attention. Please do not turn this into a referendum on Trae. Plz talk about Dyson destroying souls. Thanks.

Until next week (looks nervously ahead to the Hawks cursed bane, the wizpigs).

*Their monotonous greatness perhaps a topic for another day.

**IE discounting whatever the other team does by focusing solely on your own player

The Knicks game was an excellent and jubilant affair for our beloved Hawks, dear reader. After surviving the bitter pill of consecutive losses to the hated wizpigs, we received a dose of much-needed hope and optimism. A monster performance by “le petit prince,” Zaccharie Risacher, whose beautiful shot finally chose to fall, another dominant performance from Jalen Johnson, and, of course, Gary Bird’s pogo stick three-point shots were all critical parts of the affair. However, the backcourt’s delectable yin and yang, with the great Trae Young and Dyson Daniels. Today’s focus is on Dyson. 

Like many Hawks fans, my first experience watching Dyson came in preseason, and it was borderline existential for a long-time sufferer of Hawks perimeter defense. A series of half-thought mumblings crumbled out of my chip-stuffed mouth:

“you are allowed to fight through screens?”

“Why is the man with the ball passing?”

“Is this love?”

Wowza. It left this embittered old chap excited. Dyson’s sliding with the ball, his physicality protecting the paint on drives, and his ability to swipe at the ball constantly without losing his balance was fantastic. These strengths make him a great foil for Trae. His ability to take the premium on ball assignment has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the team. Risch/Hunter get to match up more favorably and hide Trae on the weaker wing. In addition, he serves as a perfect handicap for teams that are physical to Trae.

Dyson helps us match teams’ physicality on lead ball handlers in a way that left us constantly disadvantaged in the past. Often, the scenario would play out as such:

1. Ref allows physical play
2. Trae gets pushed around with no-foul calls
3. Hunter can’t quite stay in front of the other teams lead ball handler and gets two quick fouls
4. Pain
5. Loss
6. Inevitable Decay

However, as Jalen Brunson experienced to great effect with Dyson we now get the following:

1. Ref allows physical play
2. Trae gets pushed around
3. DYSON can stay in front of his man and bosses their lead ball handler physically.
4. Joy
5. Love
6. Spiritual Renaissance

Thus, when the refs allow physicality on the perimeter, we are no longer doomed to an automatic disadvantage. Thanks to Mr. Dyson Daniels.

Fin