The Three-Man Weave weighs in on the top two teams in the NBA after their clash. Team Hawks or Team Warriors? Are the Raptors shooting the 3-ball too much? Should the top 16 teams in the league, regardless of conference, make the NBA Playoffs? Hosts of TSN 1050's 1 On 1 With Will & Duane, Will Strickland and Duane Watson answer those questions and more with Hasan Elanam of Canada.com, as they also look towards NBA All-Star Weekend.

After the two best teams in the league in the Warriors and Hawks squared off on Friday night, with the Hawks emerging victorious, 124-116. Which team do you think has a better chance making the NBA Finals?

Strickland: Hawks. If fans could get seven games of what was observed last night, there would be thumbs up and ratings dollars all around for The Association. Playing in the East with a sizable lead in the standings will offer Atlanta a far more favourable route toward the Finals. The Warriors would have to run through the gauntlet of very good teams in the West! The assignment may prove be too daunting the task to defeat an eighth seed like the reigning world champion San Antonio Spurs or the always dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder, even in the first round of the playoffs.

Alanam: The Atlanta Hawks have a better chance than the Golden State Warriors. They have an easier path with the Eastern conference being so top heavy and they will likely get a below-.500 team in the opening round. The Warriors have it much tougher as they could face one of Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns or the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Watson: Warriors. The Hawks are playing fantastic basketball, and I’m not going to discredit the east, but the Cavaliers have found their mojo and will be tough to beat in a series. I’m also not of the belief they are playoff tested, while the Warriors are an elite team on both sides of the ball and far deeper.

Which NBA Team Is Suffering Most From The Dreaded Pre-All Star Game Swoon And Why?

Strickland: There are several choice candidates, in particular the Washington Wizards, losers of five straight games, and the Chicago Bulls, in the midst of chemistry, on-bench and front office drama. But the Los Angeles Clippers, currently on their eight-game Grammy road trip, are 2-4 on it with three straight losses and looking like they are on the verge of being cooked for good as presently comprised. There is real trouble in Tinseltown. The opportunity window closes swiftly.

Alanam: The Washington Wizards have been playing pretty bad basketball recently. They are the losers of their last five including two against teams atop of the Eastern conference standings. They’re not scoring the ball well, not taking care of the ball and not creating many second chance opportunities. They’re also not defending very well. GM Ernie Grunfeld might need to bring in another piece or two at the trade deadline.  

Watson: The dysfunction in Denver is reaching Mount Everest-like proportions, even with the return of players like Galinari and McGee from injury, they have lost eleven of their last twelve games. Every player on the roster is available in trade talks and head coach Brian Shaw, who’s likely the next in the NBA to be fired, has publicly has accused his players of not trying to win games. I hear George Karl is still interested in coaching in the NBA.

How Would You Improve All-Star Weekend?

Strickland: 2-Dribble 1-On-1 for a million dollars, a title belt that MUST be defended at the next All-Star Game and the pride of knowing you're the best One Man Gang in the NBA! Growing up playing in the park, 1-On-1 is the staple for earning stripes on the court and universal (read: neighbourhood) respect for your game early on before moving to team play. 2-Dribble allows the game to be executed on the merit of skill, not strength or size. So, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant has dropped the challenge for someone to play him 1-On-1 for his spot on the All-Star team. You got next?

Alanam: Offer a lot more prize money to attract star players to the dunk contest. There is no real incentive for the players to compete because they are risking injury and could embarrass themselves in front of everyone. Four contestants aren’t also enough for the event and that number should be increased to eight. Adding a one-on-one tournament where the snubs challenge the All-Stars would be interesting. Kevin Durant offered up his All-Star spot to anyone that can beat him one-on-one.

Watson: Silver has already done it. The Slam Dunk Contest’s return to its original format has rescued the marquee event. No more watching two minutes of failed dunk attempts, while also fielding some good competitors. Patriotism makes the Rising Stars Challenge more interesting and the 3-Point contest this year has an impressive line-up.

Are the Toronto Raptors becoming too reliant on the three-point shot?

Strickland: No. It is the sexy weapon of choice in today's game, but becoming dependent on it would be the bane of the Raptors existence. This is a Perception vs. Reality scenario. When a team is losing and missing those shots, be them solid shots, bailout bombs or horrid decision making, the sky is falling. When those shots are made, flow of the offence, Lou Williams' quarter-closing classics or bad shots made good, the roads are paved with gold. The Raptors are flawed and have serious issues to address before the playoffs. Three points shots ain't really one of them.

Alanam: The three-point shot is a good weapon to use when it’s dropping. When it’s not, you need higher percentage looks so you try get more shots at the rim. During the first two months of the season, when the Raptors had the third best record, they ranked 19th in shots attempted at the rim and eighth in three-point attempts (12th in three-point percentage). Since January, the team is taking fewer shots at the rim (27th), more three-point attempts (seventh), while dropping to 21st in three-point percentage. 

Watson: The statistics tell you they are seventh in the league in attempts from behind the arc (25.6) and 21st in the league in 3-pt FG percentage at .349, while a third of their field goal attempts are from downtown. The eye test tells you in games where the Raptors are shooting the ball poorly the key is knowing when to say when, example 7-27 from 3 vs. Milwaukee.

Commissioner Adam Silver is open to the idea of the top 16 teams in the league making the Playoffs, what does that spell for the Eastern Conference?

Strickland: Currently, it spells only six teams from the East making the playoffs and being dominated, at least in the seedings, by the West. There may be a conundrum created in destroying historical playoff structure as well as the financial and viewing ramifications that might arise should small market teams like Memphis and Oklahoma City make it to the NBA Finals. Conversely, the 1957 St. Louis Hawks, 1959 Minneapolis Lakers and 1981 Houston Rockets are the only teams in NBA history to make it to the Finals with a losing record. For fans of Eastern Conference teams with bad records who might want to file a complaint about potential culture shift, stand down; there is no case to be made for you.

Alanam: Eastern conference teams cannot be mediocre and then expect to make the playoffs like they used to. The proposed format will change the draft order resulting in better competitive balance between the two conferences. Under the current format, several teams in the West will miss out despite having better records than teams in the East that qualify. Oklahoma City Thunder would be on the outside looking in if the regular season ended today. 

Watson: The playoffs are a reward for teams that perform well throughout the season. There aren’t too many places in life that reward you for mediocrity. The best teams in, makes every series interesting and rife with possibilities, hat tip to Mr. Silver if he moves forward with this.

Follow them on twitter: Will Strickland @WallStrizzle1, Duane Watson @duanewatson and Hasan Elanam @hasanelanam