Hawks vs. Wizards
Game 1 – Sunday, May 3: Washington at Atlanta, 1 p.m., ABC
Game 2 – Tuesday, May 5: Washington at Atlanta, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Saturday, May 9: Atlanta at Washington, 5 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 – Monday, May 11: Atlanta at Washington, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 5* – Wednesday, May 13: Washington at Atlanta, TBD, TNT
Game 6* – Friday, May 15: Atlanta at Washington, TBD, ESPN
Game 7* – Monday, May 18: Washington at Atlanta, 8 p.m., TNT
* If necessary
That was more like it.
Those were the Hawks that tore through the Eastern Conference en route to 60-win regular season. Those were not the Hawks that had been largely off their game during the postseason.
The Hawks came back with a vengeance as they dismantled the Nets, 111-87, to clinch their quarterfinal playoff series Friday night at Barclays Center. The Hawks won Game 6 to take the series, 4-2. They now face the Wizards in the conference semifinals, which starts Sunday at Philips Arena.
Yes, this was the game Atlanta was waiting for from the No. 1 Hawks against the No. 8 Nets. They put losses in Games 3 and 4 far behind them.
“I don’t think we played well the first three games,” Kyle Korver said. “I don’t think we had our edge. I think coming here and losing two, woke us up. I think we can still play better. I think we came out of this series playing better than we started.”
The Hawks started the third quarter on a 23-3 run – in a span of 5:21 – to put the game away. They led by 26 points, 74-48, after the stretch that featured the patented Hawks’ ball movement, fast pace and accurate shooting.
Game over.
Series over.
The Hawks outscored the Nets 41-21 in the third quarter and their advantage would grow to as many as 28 points. The Nets lone lead was 2-0 when they scored the opening basket.
“This is good,” DeMarre Carroll said. “Adversity hit and we took advantage of it. When adversity hits, you always have to take advantage of it. That just shows the character of our team and our coaches. We believe when we are playing the right way, as you saw tonight, we can beat anybody.”
Jeff Teague had a remarkable game to lead the Hawks – all without scoring a point. The point guard finished with 13 assists, two steals and a block. Six of his assists came in the third quarter. His defense at the point of attack frustrated the Nets and led to the one turnover after another. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter. He simply wasn’t needed after his effort.
“I think it started with Jeff,” Korver said. “I think his pressure on the ball was amazing. He got some steals and we got to get out and run. I don’t think Jeff scored a point tonight but his presence and his fingerprints were all over the game. I think this was one of the best games I’ve ever seen Jeff play. His focus and energy really fueled that third quarter.”
Paul Millsap had a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks. Carroll and Korver (six 3-pointers) had 20 points apiece. Al Horford finished with 18 points.
“I thought the MVP of the series was DeMarre Carroll,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. “If we were to pick a second MVP it would be Paul Millsap. Those two guys burned us every way, defense, scoring, driving, passing, rebounding. I commend them.”
The Nets were led by Brook Lopez with 19 points.
The Hawks couldn’t have played much better in the first quarter and much worse in the second quarter. The Hawks led by 13 points, 36-23, after one quarter by shooting 72.2 percent (13 of 18) from the field. The point total was the most in any quarter of the series. The Hawks led by only six points, 51-45, after two quarters by shooting 31.6 percent (6 of 19).
The Nets got back into the game with a 14-4 run to start the second quarter. They trimmed a 15-point deficit to just three, 40-37. They made in close as the Hawks got into second-quarter foul trouble. Carroll and Pero Antic both picked up their third fouls in the period. Carroll, the defensive stopper, picked up his third foul at the 9:55 mark and sat the rest of the quarter.
The second-quarter issue was a moot point as the Hawks buried the Nets in the third. Remember that series high 36-point quarter in the first? The Hawks eclipsed that with a 41-point quarter in the third.
Now, the Wizards await in the second round. The Wizards have been off for a week after sweeping the Raptors in their first-round matchup. The Hawks were 3-1 against the Wizards in the regular season.
As the Hawks learned in this series, the playoffs are different.
“The offense comes and goes and that happens in a game, in a series, but we can continue to focus on our defense and be good there,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
