How to beat… The Atlanta Hawks

This has the potential to not be much fun. The Atlanta Hawks are 8-2 and in a virtual tie atop the East. They have three regulars with PER’s higher than 20. They are, to sum it up succinctly, very good.

Here’s how the not-as-good Celtics can beat the Atlanta Hawks tonight.

1: Protect the damn ball

Yeah, seems pretty obvious, right? Teams do better when they don’t turn the ball over. But it’s really going to be important tonight because not only are the Celtics tied for 7th in turnover ratio, the Hawks are second in opponents turnover ratio (the Celtics, by the way, are first). A turnover-prone team taking on a team that forces a lot of turnovers can get messy.

2: Force the long 2

This is where the Hawks like to shoot

The best place to push them is to the middle of the floor… around the top of the key. The Celtics sag on pick-and-rolls (also known as ice) which is designed to do exactly that. Here’s a look at how the Hawks shoot:

I have faith the Celtics can run Atlanta off the 3… but if they are getting into the lane after that, Boston is cooked.

3: ATTACK THE BASKET!

The Hawks have the lowest opponent free throw rate in the league. They don’t foul. So the Celtics have to force the issue and make them foul. This is a good defensive team… so the Celtics really have to figure out ways to attack and get free points… and get into that Hawks bench.

4: Play the matchups

Paul Millsap is a big problem. The Celtics might want to consider a little bit of a lineup shift (depending on health). If Avery Bradley goes tonight, the Celtics might want to consider starting Evan Turner instead of Jared Sullinger to have the following matchups:

Marcus Smart – Jeff Teague
Avery Bradley – Kyle Korver
Evan Turner – Kent Bazemore
Jae Crowder – Paul Millsap
Amir Johnson – Al Horford

Just a thought. If the Celtics are going to slow Atlanta down, I think Crowder bodying Millsap is a good place to start. I love Sully right now, but I like this defensive lineup to start.

This is not going to be an easy game. The Hawks are good and the Celtics are, well, not that good yet. But they can win. And this is how they can do it.