Measuring how the Nets and Hawks match up across the board ahead of their first-round playoff series:
Point guard
Deron Williams vs. Jeff Teague
Williams’ scoring numbers dropped for a fourth straight season with the Nets, and finished the season shooting just 38.7 percent from the field and 43.2 percent on shots in the restricted area, the worst mark in the league among players who took at least 100 shots in that area of the court, according to NBA.com.
Teague perhaps has been the biggest beneficiary to coach Mike Budenholzer taking over, blossoming into a legitimate All-Star at the position. Teague uses his speed and quickness to help the push the tempo and run teams through one pick-and-roll after another, and has become a very effective maestro of Budenholzer’s offense.
Advantage: Hawks
Shooting guard
Markel Brown vs. Kyle Korver
After spending the first 50 games mostly watching from the sidelines, Brown stepped into a much bigger role after the All-Star break and has earned coach Lionel Hollins’ trust. He is shooting just 26.6 percent from 3-point range — something that needs to change for him to become a long-term starter — but has a good stroke that should lead to improvement there to go with his elite athleticism.
Korver is probably the NBA’s best shooter. No disrespect to Stephen Curry, but Korver is shooting an insane 49 percent from behind the arc on almost six attempts per game. If the Nets are to remain competitive in this series, they will need to have someone glued to him at all times.
Advantage: Hawks
Small forward
Joe Johnson vs. DeMarre Carroll
Johnson, who will turn 34 in June, returns to Atlanta, the team that signed him to a six-year max contract for more than $120 million in 2010, and where he spent seven years of his career. His scoring and shooting numbers are down this season but his assists were up, as he spent much of the season battling tendinitis issues.
Carroll might be the best value in the league, with Hawks GM Danny Ferry — currently on a leave of absence — having signed him to a two-year, $5 million contract in 2013. Since then, Carroll has turned himself into a prototypical role-playing wing, hitting almost 40 percent of his 3-pointers and playing excellent defense.
Advantage: Nets
Power forward
Thaddeus Young vs. Paul Millsap
The main reason the Nets are even in the playoffs is because of the trade that sent Kevin Garnett to a homecoming in Minnesota in exchange for Young, an athletic power forward who was planning on opting out of the final year of his contract this summer. Since then, Young — who seems likely to opt-in to play next season in Brooklyn — has seamlessly fit in with the Nets, allowing them to play small far more effectively while still being able to bang with bigger forwards.
Millsap was another outstanding value signing by Ferry last summer, signing a two-year, $19 million deal and giving the Hawks both 3-point shooting and rebounding from the power forward spot. He, like Carroll, will get a big raise this summer, with Millsap likely to command a max contract after All-Star appearances the past two years.
Advantage: Hawks
Center
Brook Lopez vs. Al Horford
Lopez has been outstanding since the All-Star break, averaging 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in that time and establishing himself once again as one of the NBA’s top scoring centers. He has formed an excellent partnership with Young, one that has helped unlock both his offensive potential and made him be more aggressive about hitting the boards.
Horford is arguably the most underrated player in the NBA, a terrific big man who can do everything you want from a big man on the court. His stock may have slipped by absentia over the past couple years, given he often was sidelined with torn pectoral muscles, but he was a morethan-deserving All-Star this season and borderline All-NBA candidate.
Advantage: Hawks
Bench
The Nets have gotten terrific production from Bojan Bogdanovic in recent weeks and Alan Anderson, before he went down with a sprained ankle a couple weeks ago, though he will be back for this series. They have struggled to get consistent production from Jarrett Jack and Mason Plumlee, however. One wild card could be Mirza Teletovic, who was cleared to return to basketball activities Friday and could give the Nets a big scoring boost off the bench.
Part of Atlanta’s success this season has come from their balance. Not only do they have a terrific starting five, they are supplemented by a bench group — 14 players averaged double-digit minutes this season. Second-year point guard Dennis Schroder is turning into an excellent player, and forwards Mike Scott and Pero Antic offer 3-point shooting. The loss of Thabo Sefolosha will hurt, however.
Advantage: Hawks
Coaching
Lionel Hollins vs. Mike Budenholzer
It’s been an up-and-down season for Hollins and the Nets, who struggled throughout the first half of the season before finally getting back on track after the All-Star break. Hollins deserves credit for helping the Nets downshift to a smaller, more athletic look down the stretch, including moving Markel Brown into the starting lineup, but also has leaned too much on combinations that don’t work at times, including Williams and Jack playing together.
Budenholzer is a virtual lock to finish in the top two in Coach of the Year voting, likely behind Golden State’s Steve Kerr. Budenholzer, a longtime Spurs assistant, has brought many of the principles San Antonio has utilized over the past several years to Atlanta, turning the Hawks into one of the league’s most enjoyable teams to watch.
Advantage: Hawks
Prediction
The Nets have been far better in recent weeks, and thanks to the presence of Lopez and several others capable of creating their own offense, potentially could win a couple games in this series.
But there is a reason the Hawks have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, and despite having their foot off the gas for the past two months, its hard to see this series as anything other than a tune-up for them before harder tests in future rounds.
Hawks in 5