The Hawks got outscored 30-18 in the 4th quarter last night and it doomed them in the end. Al Horford got his act back together last night as he led the way for the Hawks with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. Marvin Williams also was solid for the Hawks last night with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Joe Johnson didn’t have his best game last night with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists before fouling out. Jamal Crawford must have thought the basket had a lid on it as he was 4 of 18 from the floor finishing with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. The Hawks are now down 3-2 in this series as it shifts to Milwaukee for Game #6.

SG/PG Jamal Crawford of the Hawks has won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. He played in 79 games (0 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 31.1 minutes, 18.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as he provided instant offense off the bench all year long. He shot pretty well from everywhere on the court this year as he hit 44.9% from the floor, 38.2% from three point range and he nailed 85.7% of his free throws. Crawford might not get a chance to win this award next season as I could see scenarios in which he could start at either guard spot next year for the Hawks.

The Hawks didn’t play any D last night as the Bucks shot 55.1% from the floor and it cost them on the scoreboard. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks in this game with 29 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists. Jamal Crawford pitched in with 21 points off the bench in 36 minutes. Josh Smith (20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals) and Mike Bibby (15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists) both also helped out the Hawks offensively last night. The Hawks and Bucks are now tied at 2 games apiece in this series.

The Bucks took it to the Hawks in game #3 as they shot 51.3% from the floor while holding the Hawks to 39.1% from the floor. Joe Johnson still had a good game for the Hawks with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Zaza Pachulia had a outstanding game off the bench for the Hawks in this game with 16 points and 3 rebounds in only 19 minutes on the floor as he shot 6 of 7 from the floor. Jamal Crawford (11 points) and Al Horford (10 points) didn’t have their best games of the year in this one. The Hawks are still up 2-1 in this series but they can’t afford to play any more games like this one.

The Hawks decided to stop Brandon Jennings at all cost last night as the was only 3 of 15 shooting with 9 points and it was a big reason for another relatively easy win for the Hawks. Joe Johnson led the way offensively for the Hawks last night with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocked shots. Josh Smith just missed a triple double as he had a monster night with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Al Horford was solid around the basket again with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots last night. The Hawks are now up 2-0 in this series as it shifts to Milwaukee over the weekend.

The Hawks shot 53.9% from the floor as a team which was pretty outstanding earlier today. The Bucks were an essentially one man gang with Brandon Jennings dumping 34 points on the Hawks. Other than Jennings the Bucks were very easy for the Hawks to contain. Joe Johnson led a well spread out offensive attack with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Mike Bibby had defensive issues but he finished up with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Bibby shot 8 of 9 from the floor and 3 from 3 from three point range as he was a deadeye shooter today. Jamal Crawford pitched in with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals off the bench. Al Horford was abusing Kurt Thomas most of the night with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Josh Smith stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocked shots in this game. Marvin Williams was also busy with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists tonight. The Hawks are now up 1-0 in this series.

The Milwaukee Bucks were a surprise team in the NBA this year while the Hawks improved their record for the sixth year in a row. Here’s a breakdown of the matchups in this series:

Point Guard: Brandon Jennings is definitely a fun player to watch even if he can’t shoot a lick. He played in all 82 games for the Bucks this season and he averaged 32.6 minutes, 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. If Jennings is cold shooting the ball and he continues to be selfish with the ball the Bucks will be done really early in this series. Still, Jennings is a physical mis-match for Michael Bibby based on his speed.

Mike Bibby is a battle tested warrior but he’s running on fumes right now. He played in 80 games (all starts) for the Hawks this year and he averaged 27.4 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Bibby probably has a few big shots left in him but I see Jamal Crawford playing more than him in this series to deal with Jennings.

EDGE: BUCKS

Shooting Guard: John Salmons was outstanding for the Bucks since coming over from the Bulls at the trade deadline. He played in 30 games (28 starts) for the Bucks this season and he averaged 37.6 minutes, 19.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Salmons will likely be the go to man for the Bucks in this series offensively.

Joe Johnson is as smooth as they get at shooting guard. He played in 76 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 21.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Johnson might shoot a little bit more than usual in this series with his free agency coming up this summer.

EDGE: HAWKS

Small Forward: Carlos Delfino came back from overseas and he had his best year of his career in the NBA. He played in 75 games (66 starts) for the Bucks in which he averaged 30.4 minutes, 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Bucks will likely need him to score a little more than usual in this series.

Marvin Williams is the team guy who does the dirty work for the Hawks. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Williams needs to be aggressive in this series both offensively and defensively.

EDGE: EVEN

Power Forward: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has taken over as the starting power forward for the Bucks. He has played in 73 games (62 starts) for the Bucks this season and he averaged 25.6 minutes, 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Mbah a Moute will need to hit the boards and play D for the Bucks because Josh Smith will be all over the place for the Hawks.

Josh Smith is the best stat sheet filler other than LeBron James in the NBA. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game. He plays all out, all of the time as he is often the best player on the court for the Hawks.

EDGE: HUGE FOR HAWKS

Center: When Andrew Bogut went down for the season due to injury the Bucks turned to veteran Kurt Thomas. Thomas will hit the boards and play defense for the Bucks in this series. It will be hard for him to maintain a high energy level against the much younger Al Horford of the Hawks. Thomas has played in 70 games (9 starts) for the Bucks this season and he averaged 15.0 minutes, 3.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

Al Horford really improved his game big time this season for the Hawks. Horford played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 35.1 minutes, 14.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Horford’s a little undersized for a center but that won’t be a problem against the Bucks.

EDGE: HAWKS

BENCH: The Bucks use their bench a lot as Luke Ridnour, Ersan Ilyasova, Jerry Stackhouse and Charlie Bell all averaged over 20 minutes a night this season. Ridnour (10.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists) and Ilyasova (10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists) are the leaders of the bench brigade. Ridnour could be really important in this series if Brandon Jennings struggles with his shot. Ilyasova will have to help out along the undermanned front line of the Bucks. Stackhouse and Bell come off the bench shooting the ball. Dan Gadzuric will give Kurt Thomas some relief in this series.

Jamal Crawford should be the sixth man of the year in the NBA. He played in 79 games (0 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 31.1 minutes, 18.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Crawford will likely get most of his playing time at the point in this series. Zaza Pachulia and Joe Smith will provide some muscle off the bench in this series while Maurice Evans will team with Marvin Williams at small forward.

EDGE: EVEN

COACH: Scott Skiles did a remarkable job with this team. He led them to a 46-36 record (56.1%) during the regular season despite not having the most talented roster around. Skiles is now 80-84 (48.8%) in his two years with the Bucks. He has some post season experience as his teams sport a 15-20 record (42.9%).

Mike Woodson led the Hawks to a 53-29 record (64.6%) this season. He has now coached six seasons with the Hawks compiling a 206-286 record (41.9%) but the team has improved it’s record in each year Woodson has been in Atlanta. Woodson has a 7-11 (38.9%) record in the post season with the Hawks.

EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION: This looks like a total mis-match on paper. I’m still going to give the Bucks a win at home but the Hawks will take this series in 5 games.

21-year old SG/PG Jeff Teague waited until the end of the year to show what he can do. Teague got the start last night against the Cleveland Cavaliers with the Hawks resting some players. All he did last night was play all 48 minutes for the Hawks in which he finished up with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 15 assists. Teague finished up his rookie season playing in 71 games (3 starts) in which he averaged 10.1 minutes, 3.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Hopefully Teague can give the Hawks some solid minutes in the playoffs if he is called upon.

The Hawks rested Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson and Al Horford last night and they still beat the LeBron and Shaq less Cavaliers. The Hawks shot a stunning 54.4% from the floor last night and they outrebounded the Cavs 42-35 which helps explain the ease of the win. Jeff Teague was outstanding last night as he finished up with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 15 assists while playing all 48 minutes in the game. Maurice Evans had one of his best games of the year also with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists last night. Zaza Pachulia got the start at center for the Hawks last night and he didn’t look too rusty as he finished up with 13 points and 7 rebounds. The Hawks finish the regular season with a 53-29 record and they play the Bucks this weekend in the NBA Playoffs.

The Hawks shot 52.7% from the floor and they outrebounded the Bucks 48-34 last night as they got a nice road win against a playoff bound team. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks last night with 31 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Marvin Williams also had a solid game with 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. Al Horford pitched in with 13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots in only 25 minutes on the court. Mike Bibby (13 points), Josh Smith (11 points) and Zaza Pachulia (10 points) all pitched in for the Hawks last night offensively. The Hawks are now 52-29 on the season.