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Atlanta Hawks host league’s best in Golden State Warriors

By John Buhler

Feb 6, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kent Bazemore (24) attempts a shot against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the third quarter of their game at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kent Bazemore (24) attempts a shot against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the third quarter of their game at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Hawks will try to protect their house when the juggernaut Golden State Warriors come to town for a Monday night tipoff at Philips Arena.

Don’t expect an empty seat anywhere in Philips Arena Monday night, as the best team in the NBA comes to town for their lone trip to Atlanta this season. That’s right, the Western Conference leading and reigning NBA Champion Golden State Warriors will play at The Highlight Factory Monday night. Tipoff is at 8:00 PM ET and both Fox Sports Southeast and NBA TV will air the broadcast.

This time last season, many thought that the Atlanta Hawks and the Golden State Warriors were on a collision course for a meeting in the NBA Finals last June. While both teams would go on to win their respective conferences, it would be the Cleveland Cavaliers that would come up short against the Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals.

Golden State is in the midst of a historic season, one where breaking the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record 72 regular season wins are clearly on the table. To prove how dominant the Warriors have been this season, they enter play Monday night with a 49-5 record on the year and haven’t lost a game at Oracle Arena in Oakland this season.

The Atlanta Hawks will have more than their hands full trying to best Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the rest of Steve Kerr‘s outstanding basketball team in Golden State. Though the Atlanta Hawks have the fourth best defense in the NBA, defending the Stephen Curry/Draymond Green pick-and-roll is essentially impossible.

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Golden State can devastate even the most cohesive defense by stretching the floor beyond what was possible only a few seasons ago. When Golden State goes small with their lineup, it’s light out.

The good news for the Atlanta Hawks is that the Warriors will drop an occasional game away from Oracle Arena, as Golden State is 25-5 on the road this season. However, only two of those losses have come against the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately for the Atlanta Hawks, the team isn’t playing its best basketball at the moment. Atlanta has lost three straight games at home and four of their last five dating back to early February.

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While the Hawks battled valiantly in a double overtime contest against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, that was a game that Atlanta needed to win because almost no one beats the Golden State Warriors. Here’s to an improbable upset victory over the Warriors on Monday night. Let’s Go Hawks!

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