Dissecting the NBA Title Contenders: Atlanta Hawks

The halfway point of the NBA regular season has come and pass, and yet we are still at a crossroads on many things.

The MVP plum is still up for grabs, with James Harden and Stephen Curry leading the fray. Both conference's playoff picture is not yet complete, as Oklahoma, Phoenix and New Orleans still fighting for the last playoff spot in the West, while Miami, Brooklyn, Detroit (surprise!), and Charlotte, contest for the last two spots in the East playoffs.

However, just one look in the playoff pictures show the upper echelon teams. These are the title contenders. These teams are in the playoffs because of skill, and have a legitimate shot at the Larry O' Brien trophy.

Grab your lab coats everyone, as we will dissect every team that qualifies as a title contender, starting with the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks.

The Spurs of the East?

Everyone who has been watching the NBA for at least 2 years is very well acquainted with the Spursian basketball technique. The ball-movement heavy offense that stretched defenses thin. This passing always leads to easy baskets, which in turn creates an insane shooting clip. The defense that gives up offensive rebounds to prevent transition baskets. The uber-unpredictable rotations that keep players fresh for the end-game.

Well, the Spurs brand of basketball has reached the East, in the form of Mike Budenholzer and the Atlanta Hawks, who have soared (pun intended) to the top spot of the said conference.

Budenholzer, who left San Antonio for a coaching gig in Atlanta in 2013, has introduced the Popovich-esque offense and defense for the Hawks, and has worked wonders since. After falling in seven games to the top-seeded Indiana Pacers in the 2014 Playoffs, the Hawks have catapulted to a 32-8 record after a so-so start (5-5).

As of writing time, Atlanta leads the league in Assist% with 67.9% of their shots being assisted. Their defense is not too shabby either, allowing only 99.7 points per 100 possessions, good for fifth in the league. Scoring-wise, they score 106.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranks sixth in the league.

No superstar? No problem!

One particular difference that can be seen for this Hawks squad is the lack of an alpha dog. The Chicago Bulls lean on Derrick Rose. Washington has John Wall. Kyle Lowry calls Toronto his home. The Dubs house Stephen Curry. 

Atlanta? They don't really have an alpha in their squad. Jeff Teague can be considered a leader for this squad, but the same can be said for center Al Horford. One can say the Kyle Korver definitely is the face of this squad, due to his Korver-like three-point shooting, but another could argue with the stat-stuffing big man in Paul Millsap.

While this might be a bane for other squads, this is perfectly fine for the Hawks. In fact, five different players score in double-digits every game (all four players mentioned, plus swingman DeMarre Carroll), which, coincidentally, is their starting lineup.

This unpredictability gives Atlanta the element of surprise. Except for Korver and his shooting (that can't be stopped, let's face it), opposing teams are left guessing who will break out this game. When ALL of the starting five catches fire, you better prepare for a blowout of epic proportions.

X-Factor: Paul Millsap

When we talk about Hawks basketball, the name Paul Millsap does not really come up, which may be caused by his teammates overshadowing his efforts. After all, who does not like watching Teague confuse his defenders with his nasty hesitations? Who does not like a lights-out shooting barrage from Korver? Who doesn't like watching Horford dominate the frontline or the perimeter?

However, Millsap truly stands out because of his energy and stat-stuffing games. MIllsap is second in the team on points per game, leads the Hawks in rebounding (despite having a dominant big man in Al Horford), steals (tied with Jeff Teague), and second on blocks. All of this while also pacing his team in minutes per game.

What makes this impressive, though, is that Millsap only has a 23.5 usage rate, which means that 23.5% of Atlanta's offensive plays run through him. This number is fourth on the team, with Dennis Schroeder (25.9), Teague (24.8), and Mike Scott (23.6) above him.

Without Millsap and his nightly efforts, Atlanta may not be high above the notoriously weak Eastern Conference.

[PBA PH CUP] Pringle-led GlobalPort dispatches Barako Bull

This time, there were no breakdowns.

GlobalPort, banking on the brillant quarterbacking of top rookie Stanley Pringle, made sure that no fourth-quarter meltdowns will occur, en route to a resounding 91-81 win during the 2014-15 PBA Philippine Cup.

Pringle, the first overall pick in the 2014 PBA Draft, showed everyone why he is the top rookie, compiling 19 points, 8 rebounds, four on the offensive end, and two assists. Alex Cabagnot led the Batang Pier with a near double-double of 21 points and nine boards, along with four assists. Yancy de Ocampo and Mark Isip, two newly acquired big men for the team, also contributed fairly, scoring 12 markers apiece.

With this win, Pido Jarencio of the Batang Pier may have another lease on his coaching life, after dropping a 101-96 heartbreaker against the NLEX Road Warriors, despite leading after the end of three quarters.

Meanwhile, Barako Bull falls to the cellar, after similarly losing a double-overtime contest against Meralco, 112-108, in their opening game. Burly guard Denok Miranda led the charge for the Energy with 16 points, while RR Garcia, who was with GlobalPort two conferences ago, and Dave Marcelo both had 12 points. (GS)

The scores:

GLOBALPORT 91 – Cabagnot 21, Pringle 19, Isip 12, De Ocampo 12, Romeo 9, Jensen 7, Bacalao 6, Semerad 5, Taha 0, Buenafe 0, Duncil 0, Ponferada 0, Nabong 0.

BARAKO BULL 81 – Miranda 16, Garcia 12, Marcelo 12, Fortuna 10, Intal 8, Lastimosa 6, Salva 5, Pascual 5, Lanete 5, Wilson 2, Salvador 0, Paredes 0, Pennisi 0.

Quarterscores: 25-21, 48-47, 74-67, 91-81

[VIDEO] Eric Bledsoe sends defender shaking to the stands

We know Eric Bledsoe of the Phoenix Suns can rattle defenders pretty well. We didn't know he could send them to the crowd.

On a preseason game at the Staples Center, the "mini-LeBron" of the Desert showed off his handles. After crossing over Jared Cunningham, Bledsoe immediately does a hesitation move, leaving poor Jared crashing to the cameraman. He, however missed the three-point attempt that followed.

Personally, I think Jared was extremely lucky that the camera-man was there, or else we would see him stumbling to the other side of America. Also, this is a PRE-SEASON GAME. Only a basketball-crazy fan will watch an offseason game, much less the second half of that game.(GS)

[INJURY] Ian Sangalang latest victim of the injury bug

Looks like Purefoods' title defense will get a little bit harder.

Purefoods' sophomore big man Ian Sangalang suffered a devastating injury in his right in the 73-93 Star Hotshot defeat against Alaska.

Sangalang awkwardly landed on his right foot after a rebounding battle against Sam Eman. After grimacing in pain on the floor for a few minutes, he got up, shot (and missed) both charities, and limped back on defense. He was substituted afterwards, and immediately went straight to the locker room to get checked on.

Initial readings of the big man's MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) showed two partial tears in the ACL, the same ligament that Derrick Rose tore in 2011, and the MCL, another crucial ligament of the knee .He would have to undergo surgery, and will be sidelined for five to eight months.

“Bad break. First game of the season and he’s out. I have to talk to coach Tim (Cone). Do we need to cut short Ping’s (Marc Pingris’) vacation now. Kung sa akin, ayoko. Ping deserves that vacation.” Purefoods' top official Rene Pardo stated.

With a Grand Slam under their belt, the Star Hotshots have a target behind them. And this latest injury seems to widen the bulls-eye on that target. (GS)

Blatche is the second highest scorer in World Cup

It may be over, but Andray Blatche continues to impress fans around the globe. And a few NBA scouts.

The naturalized big man was the second ranked scorer in the recently concluded FIBA World Cup.Blatche was tied with Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic with 21.2 points per game. Spain's Pau Gasol came at fourth with 20.0 points per outing. Rounding out the top 5 was Argentinian Luis Scola with 19.2 points.

But the leading scorer will surprise you. It's not France's Nicolas Batum, who torched Serbia and Lithuania in his last two games. It js also not tournament MVP Kyrie Irving, who waxed hot in the final game. And no, Jimmy Alapag is NOT the leading scorer.

The best scorer award goes to Puerto Rico's diminuitive point guard, Jose Juan Barea. The guy who broke many a Filipino's heart with 30 points. He normed 22.0 points in 5 games.

Below is the official infographic provided by the FIBA Facebook page.(GS)

Douthit allowed to play in Incheon

After facing contreversy, the Philippines will finally be able to field in a naturalized player.

The Incheon Asian Games Olympic Council has flashed the green light for Marcus Douthit to play at the Asian Games, after Iran and South Korea reportedly seeked to disqualify the said player.

During a technical meeting in Incheon, the decision was formalized. Before the meeting, the Olympic Council of Asia requested that the IAGOC allow Douthit to play.

The IAGOC's rules state that roster changes may be made in an event of an injury, as what happened with Jayson Castro. Since Douthit will come in due to eligibility issues with Andray Blatche, the two teams question the former's qualifications.

With Marcus now allowed to play, Gilas Pilinas will be able to field in a complete 12-man roster comprised of Jared Dillinger and Gary David of Meralco, Jeff Chan and Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine, Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel De Ocampo of Talk n' Text, LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra, June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel, Marc Pingris of Grand Slam champions San Mig Coffee, and Paul Lee, whose team is still unknown (GS)

He's back: Jimmy Alapag to play once more in Asian Games

Welcome back, Kapitan.

Jimmy Alapag, who has previously decided to retire from international duty, will once again lace his shoes for Team Pilipinas, as per Coach Chot Reyes' tweet

Just finished mtg w Jimmy Alamat, er @JAlapag3 . 2 words - "I'm in." pic.twitter.com/2lbRc2AEuc
— Chot Reyes (@coachot) September 11, 2014

The decision arose from numerous issues, namely, eligibility issues (Blatche, Norwood, and Dillinger), contract issues (Lee), and injuries (Lee again, Pingris, Castro).

The issue-plagued Asian Games start on September 20, though the Philippines will skip the preliminary round as a result of them placing second in the FIBA Asia Championships. They are seeded with continent rivals Iran at Group E. They play a TBA-team on September 23. (GS)