Pistons at Hawks 3.07.09

Matchup: Detroit Pistons (31-29) at Atlanta Hawks (34-28)
Spread: Hawks -2.5
My Pick: Pistons by 5

Three reasons the Pistons will win:

1. Perimeter Defense. The first time these teams met this season, Mike Bibby dropped 27 points on Allen Iverson. In their second matchup, Flip Murray took a turn torching AI and dropped 23. Without Iverson, the Pistons should defend the Hawk guards much more successfully.
2. Mad Max. Maxiell was awesome last night. The Hawks thin bench should have no answer for Maxiell. In the first meeting between these two teams, Maxiell had an inexplicable DNP. That will not be the case tonight.
3. Saturday. While the Pistons have struggled on Sundays, they have been much better the other half of the weekend. The Pistons are 4-2 in Saturday games. They should enjoy this opportunity because they play on Sunday each of the next four weekends.

Three reasons the Pistons will lose:

1. Joe Johnson. Johnson is a great, if somewhat overrated, player. The Pistons have no one who can match up with the 6’8 guard.
2. Hawks at Home. Atlanta is 20-7 at home compared to just 14-21 away from Phillips Arena.
3. Young Athletes. The Hawks are far more athletic than the Pistons, especially along the frontline. Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Al Horford will all have quickness advantages at their respective positions.

Update:
Final Score: Detroit 83, Atlanta 87
Notes:

• Kwame Brown killed the Piston's momentum in the first half. Once again, why is he playing ahead of Amir Johnson? Brown offers nothing offensively and is a poor rebounder for his position. In order to deserve minutes as a defensive specialist, a player needs to either be competent offensively (Shane Battier, Bruce Bowen) or strong on the glass (Ben Wallace, Dikembe Mutumbo). Brown is neither.
• The Hawks put the clamps on defensively in the second half.
• Al Horford merits the clichéd description of "player every team would love to have."
• The Piston guards (Stuckey, Hamilton, Bynum, Afflalo) all played well. The frontcourt players played fine, but missed far too many makeable shots and finished 13-41 from the field.