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The Blazers are in the building today for the rematch of the game the Hawks lost 108-98 in Portland back on February 20th. Every game is important from here on out, obviously, but I think this one stands out just a little bit for this team. Much like the Jazz on Wednesday, the Blazers are a team that has tormented the Hawks of late, winning 3 straight in the series and 6 straight at Philips Arena.
To get a win today, I think the Hawks need to just keep doin' what they're doin' of late - playing the kind of defense that got them out to a 6-0 start back in November.
This recent 4-0 stretch reminds me a lot of November - winning games against
quality opponents thanks to suffocating defense at one end leading to easy
buckets at the other one. If the Hawks can continue to ratchet it up on D, I
think there is absolutely a chance they can not only beat the Blazers today but
take a crack at an undefeated homestand.
Henry Abbott mentioned in his preview that he considers the Blazers to be
sort of the "Hawks of the West" with their youth and athleticism. Some may scoff
at that, given Portland's first place standing in the NBA's Northwest Division,
but if you look at their records, it's not much of a stretch. They are 28-6 at
home and 13-18 on the road - sound familiar?
Catch the action live on SportSouth at 1:00 ET, and let's see the Hawks get
to 5 in a row and get that Blazers' monkey off our backs.
