Hawks come through when it matters most

This was the night where nothing seemed like other nights. This was the night when the Hawks may have wobbled at times, but, in the end, it was going to be remembered for doing so much right, certainly when it mattered most.

With the Hawks trailing 81-8o, Dennis Schroder, the backup point guard who was playing so well down the stretch that Jeff Teague opted not to re-enter the game with three minutes left, had a shot blocked by Washington’s John “One Hand” Wall.

But before an Atlanta sports fan could slap his forehead and say, “Not again,” Al Horford was there for a rebound. He muscled it away from the Wizards’ Nene, went up for the put-back with 1.9 seconds left and the Hawks won 83-82 Wednesday night.

Again, the Hawks won. Sometimes, with so much ugly history as a backdrop, the special moments are worth repeating.

“Coach just told me, ‘Try to lay it up and if you miss it or John Wall blocks it, our big man is going to rebound it and lay it up,” Schroder said.

Mike Budenholzer: The magic fortune cookie.

The win gave the Hawks a 3-2 series lead. One more win, potentially Friday night in Washington, and they will advance to Round Three, the Eastern Conference finals, for the first time in Atlanta history.

“Every win is big for us in this series, but just the way this one ended, because of how Washington’s been crashing the boards against us, was huge,” Teague said. “Al was a monster for us.”

Horford, the senior member of this team. led the way with 23 points, 11 rebounds, five blocked shots and two assists. When it was over, Horford he hugged Paul Millsap, high-fived everybody around him and then moved around the Philips Arena court, imploring fans to stand and cheer. (They already were.)

“We all get to celebrate and it’s about our team,” Horford said. “I was just put in that position and I just made a play. I’m just excited that were a 3-2 now. We took care of home (court) and, as a team, we have a chance to go up to D.C. and wrap the series up.”

Was this an unofficial playoff arrival for the Hawks, who had been relatively schizophrenic to this point? We’ll find out in Game 6 on Friday in Washington. Note: NBA teams that take a 3-2 series lead have won 147 of 180 series (81.7 percent).

The Hawks trailed 71-63 after a horrendous start to the fourth quarter that saw them miss their first eight shots and commit four turnovers. It was looking, well, every year all over again.

Then something strange happened. Things went right.

Korver, scoreless all night, hit a three-point shot. Horford hit a trey and the Hawks were on a 14-0 run to take a 78-73 lead. The Wizards rallied to tie on shots by Paul Pierce (three-pointer) and Marcin Gortat. But a steal by Korver against Pierce started a fastbreak with Horford and DeMarre Carroll, with the latter finishing for an 80-78 lead with 14.9 seconds left.

Of course, Pierce wouldn’t allow it to end easy. He hit a three-pointer in the corner to give the Wizards the lead with 8.3 seconds left, then punctuated the moment by turning to the Hawks’ bench and saying, “Series.”

Oops.

On the Hawks’ ensuing possession, Schroder had a shot blocked by Wall, but Horford got the rebound and put home the winner.

Ted Turner was in the house, which he built. Jon Hamm was in attendance, presumably still on his way back to Manhattan. There was a rumor that Scarlett Johansson was at the game, which I could never confirm, but I was determined to type her name, anyway.

Also John Wall: His presence could be confirmed.

There was a little bit of drama in the pre-game. The Wizards said in the morning that Wall’s status would be a game-time decision after he missed the previous three games with multiple fractures in his left hand.

Then they announced he would be active but did not divulge their starting lineup. Then they posted their starting lineup on a board but included only four players. Was Washington stealing a page from coach Norman Dale in “Hoosiers”? (Dale to referee: “My team’s on the floor!”)

But about 30 minutes before tip-off, Wall was announced as a starter and it didn’t take long before everybody realized his hand — and his legs — were just fine. He played the entire first quarter (six points, two assists, one steal).