Stephen Curry

atljwilson

Want to be an NBA player like Jeff Teague? 

Okay, go and find your biggest friend, preferably someone muscular and sweaty who weighs around 250 lbs (If that task poses some difficulty, using two smaller friends isn't great, but it's an acceptable approximation).

Now stand that friend (or friends) in a wide doorway of your home, get them into a balanced stance, and tell them not to let you past.

Take a deep breath, and take a shot at running through the door.

That's more or less the job Teague is asked to do many times each game, and Teague's level of proficiency at dodging big men has made the leap from good to great this season.

An NBA rule change took away hand checking in 2004, and since that point, teams have used the pick-and-roll to initiate their offense with ever-rising frequency. Consequently, the ability of a point guard to defend his counterpart in pick and rolls has become one of the key ingredients to a successful defense.

When people think of great defensive plays, they may think of a swingman jumping a passing lane for a steal, or a center rising up to swat a shot away from the rim, but the job a point guard does when fighting around a screen can be just as important, even if the unglamorous task doesn't always catch the eye on first glance.

"Sometimes it's hard for all of us, even me. I have to go back and watch film (to) see his effort and things he's doing," head coach Mike Budenholzer noted.

Teammate Al Horford, who often defends pick-and-roll plays with Teague, credits the continuity that comes from being in Budenholzer's system for another season. 

"I just think he's more engaged," Horford said. "He's understanding what Coach (Budenholzer) wants from him. Now that he has a better understanding, I feel like it makes everything easier, and that's why our defense is that much better."

Last season, players guarded by Teague made 43.6% of their field goal attempts, including a 51.6% success rate on their two-point shots. 

This season, Teague's opponents have connected on just 38.4% of their shots overall, and just 42.8% of their two-point attempts.

Those numbers from 2014-15 compare favorably with his fellow Eastern Conference All-Star point guards. 

Field Goal Percentage of Opponent When Specified Player is Defending (through All-Star break):

Jeff Teague: 38.4%John Wall: 42.4%Kyle Lowry: 43.2%Kyrie Irving: 44.7%

John Wall, in particular, noted that fighting through multiple hundreds of screens can add up over the course of a season.

"It's definitely tiring, especially when you get quick guards that know how to use them," he said. "It's tiring, but that's the most fun part. If you do your job pretty early, you don't have to worry about fighting (through screens) too much. As the years get older, you figure out how to fight over the top."

With the help of the play-type data that has been added to NBA.com/Stats, we can specifically target how well Teague has defended the pick and roll. Of the 224 pick-and-roll possessions guarded by Teague that have ended with a shot, foul, or turnover, the ballhandler guarded by Jeff has scored 0.69 points per possession, a mark that puts Teague ahead of about 75% of defenders.

Rethink that number for a moment though. The vast majority of NBA players aren't point guards, meaning that they also aren't having to defend point guards. 

If we limit the list of players to those who have defended 175 or more pick-and-rolls (a list that consists almost exclusively of point guards), Teague's relative standing looks much better. There are 40 players on the list. Teague ties for the second-best mark -- just a notch behind Irving (0.66 points per possession) and equal with Brandon Knight and Stephen Curry (0.69). 

Effort in the pick-and-roll is only one factor of a point guard's defense, even if it is a crucial one. Golden State guard Shaun Livingston, who has posted a top-tier 0.72 points per possession mark in the same situations, suggests a couple of other strategies for slowing opposing point guards.

"You know, just try and throw his rhythm. Once a point guard is in his flow, in his rhythm, he's just trying to play at his own pace. And then go at him (by trying to score on him) on the defensive end."

For his part, Teague himself summed up his defensive improvements succinctly and without any self-congratulation.

Fortunately for Teague, the effort is working, and it's a huge reason why the Hawks have 43 wins at the All-Star break.

Story by KL ChouinardTwitter: @AnaheimAmigos

believe-it-jeff-teague-is-one-of-the-best-defensive-point-guards-in-basketball

Believe It: Jeff Teague Is One of the Best Defensive Point Guards In Basketball

a-dozen-reasons-why-hawks-vs-warriors-will-be-the-best-game-of-the-nba-season

A Dozen Reasons Why Hawks vs. Warriors Will Be the Best Game of the NBA Season

The 40-win Hawks face their most challenging week of the season, including three consecutive games against teams with 30 or more wins. Sandwiched in the middle of those three is the long awaited game between the NBA's two top teams.

MINI-POWER RANKINGS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK

New Orleans (Monday | 8:00 PM | Smoothie King Center | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game)

Washington (Wednesday | 7:30 PM | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets) 

Golden State (Friday | 7:30 PM | Philips Arena | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game | Get Tickets) 

Memphis (Sunday | 6:00 PM | FedExForum | SportSouth, 92.9 The Game) 

1. Atlanta: If the season ended today, the Hawks' winning percentage of 0.833 would be the fifth-best mark in NBA history. The team is on pace for a previously unthinkable 68 wins.

2. Golden State: The Warriors lead the NBA in net rating, outscoring opponents by an astounding 12.6 points per 100 possessions. The Hawks rank second with a net rating of 7.8.

3. Memphis: This game is the trap game for the Hawks, even if the streak ends earlier in the week. Two days after the biggest game of the season, the Hawks hit the road again for a game with the 35-12 Grizz. Memphis, a physical, defensive-minded team, has won 9 of 10 games since acquiring Jeff Green from the Celtics.

4. Washington: On Dec. 29, the Hawks and Wizards were tied for the Southeast Division lead with identical 22-8 records. Since then, the Hawks have built up a 9-game lead and Washington has played 0.500 basketball (9-9).

5. New Orleans: Somehow the bottom team in the mini-rankings has the player who is arguably best player in the NBA. Anthony Davis is leading the NBA in blocks (2.9 per game) for the second consecutive season, while averaging 24.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. The 6'10" power forward missed the Pelicans' most recent game Friday with a left abductor strain after being listed as 'questionable'.

Stephen Curry vs. Jeff Teague. Until this season, the lowest three-point percentage compiled by Steph Curry in a single season had been 42.4%. This season, he's at 39.5%. On the other hand, Curry is playing the best defense of his career and the Warriors have a 37-8 record. 

For his part, Teague keeps reiterating the primacy of winning. "We just want to wiiin," he said recently, delightfully dragging out the vowel sound for emphasis. "I don't think anyone cares (about the stats). As long as we win, that's all that matters. Winning is the whole thing. Points and assists and stuff like that, we really don't care. We just want the 'W'." For the record, if the season ended today, Teague's averages of 16.8 points and 7.5 assists per game would be career highs.

Kent Bazemore stuck with Wes Matthews before the catch and held himself down on the pump fake. Then he smothered the shot off Matthews' face AND collected a reflexive rebound. Perhaps the best part is Coach Budenholzer wasting no time as he urged Bazemore to the other end of the court.

"Yeah. You can thank Kent Bazemore for that. He brought that to us. His energy from the bench, when he gets into a game, he brings a whole different attitude to our team. And we needed that. He livens up the whole locker room."

-- Jeff Teague, when asked about the high enthusiasm level of the players on the Hawks bench

IT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOES...

If the Hawks win in New Orleans, their 20-game winning streak would tie the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks for the fourth-longest single-season winning streak in NBA history. Only the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33 games), the 2012-13 Miami Heat (27 games), and the 2007-2008 Houston Rockets (22 games) had longer streaks. 

IT MIGHT HAPPEN, BUT WE HOPE IT DOESN'T...

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has earned 4 or more assists in 8 of his last 9 games. For a center, he is an extremely gifted passer, and the Hawks will have their hands full trying to deny Gasol in the low post while scrambling to the correct defensive assignments after he passes the ball.

Thabo Sefolosha is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks as he recovers from a right calf strain. DeMarre Carroll (left Achilles strain) and Shelvin Mack (left calf strain) also missed the games from this past weekend. 

Coach Bud sounded optimistic about DeMarre Saturday, saying, "I think we're hoping it's fairly short term, but we'll continue to evaluate him each day."

Al Horford has a strong case for the Eastern Conference Player of the Month Award: 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. Horford shot 58.8% from the field, and the Hawks became the first NBA team to earn 17 or more wins in a month without a loss.

The ten most recent Hawks opponents are 1-9 in games immediately following their loss to the Hawks (excepting the 76ers, who haven't played another game yet). The Hawks aren't just winning. They're leaving a mark.

Story by KL ChouinardTwitter:  @AnaheimAmigos

Stephen Curry

Believe It: Jeff Teague Is One of the Best Defensive Point Guards In Basketball

A Dozen Reasons Why Hawks vs. Warriors Will Be the Best Game of the NBA Season

Hawks Face Most Challenging Week To Date