Hawks vs Magic Odds 2011 NBA Playoff Picks Game 2: Will the (1-0) Atlanta Hawks [+8½] be able to stun the NBA Odds favorite (0-1) Orlando Magic [-8½] once again on Tuesday night, for Game 2 of the first-round NBA seven-game playoff series? After the Hawks defeated Orlando 103-93 on Saturday night, the Magic were left to pick up the pieces.
They must now figure out what went wrong to try and even out the series. Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy is aware they have a lot to work on but has an idea as to what really went wrong.
“Even the (Hawks’) 51 percent (field goal percentage) was deceptive, because going into the fourth (quarter) they were at 58 percent and that’s when the game was decided,” Van Gundy said. “So they really had their way with us. And we’ve got to be a lot better defensively, no matter what we do offensively.”
Atlanta made 48 percent of their shots from 16-23 feet, not giving much to do to big-man Dwight Howard. Of their 103 points, 36 came from the paint. This loss comes just one year after the Magic defeated the Hawks in Game 1 and swept Atlanta by a record on 101 points.
The Sports Betting Odds underdog Hawks came into the postseason after having lost six straight games, but came out shooting and executing, as well as being able to keep turnovers to a minimum.
In order for Orlando to make an impact on the Hawks, Van Gundy believes his guards should be putting pressure on Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, and Kirk Hinrich. The only problem is that these Hawks are taller than the Magic defenders on the task.
