The Hawks have a track record in overtime games.
It’s not good.
The Hawks have lost nine straight overtime over the past two seasons. They are winless in six attempts this season, including Sunday night’s 104-95 loss to the Celtics in Game 4 of their playoff series. The best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 Tuesday night in Atlanta. The Hawks failed at a chance to take a commanding lead in the series after they couldn’t hold a 16-point third-quarter lead, failed to get off a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation and were drubbed in the decisive extra period.
“We need to be better,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said Monday. “It starts with me. I can be better. I think our execution needs to be better if we are not honest with each other, if we are not critical of ourselves. In all aspects, offensively, defensively, game management, we’ve got to be better.
“I think we’ve said as the season was winding down. I think there were times when we finished games or won some closer games. But last night was something that we’ve seen in the past and we need to be better in those situations.”
The Hawks’ last overtime win came two seasons ago with a home victory over the Raptors on March 18, 2014. The nine straight overtime losses including three postseason contests.
In the nine losses, the Hawks have been outscored by a combined score of 141-93. Sunday’s Game 4 loss came after a lopsided 12-3 score in the extra five minutes. The Hawks shot 1 of 11 from the field in the period. The Celtics were 4 of 5.
“At the end of games, we have to be better,” Kyle Korver said. “We have to be able to get a good shot off at the end and we’ve got to be able to execute. I believe we have the people to do it. We just have to go out there and get it done.”
An argument can be made as to whether the Hawks can’t handle the pressure, really need a go-to scorer or simply ran out of stamina.
Sunday’s game went into overtime after the Hawks failed to get off a shot at the end of regulation. Jeff Teague dribbled out nearly all the 15 seconds remaining on the clock until he finally made a move with less than three seconds remaining. The ball slipped from his hands and he gathered it mid-air and threw up an attempt that never had a chance.
Korver came to set a fake screen on the play but the Celtics didn’t take the bait. A driving lane did not materialize. After too much time had expired, Isaiah Thomas, who was defending Teague, knew driving to the basket was no longer an option. Teague had to shoot. That left Teague alone to make a play with the instruction not to leave any time left on the clock.
Budenholzer stressed the difficulty of getting off a quality shot while trying to leave no time on the clock. He cited the likes of superstars Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan having limited success at trying to do both.
The overtime record could be an issue again in the postseason for the Hawks. They needed six games to dispose of the eighth-seeded Nets last season after Deron Williams had a 35-point game in Game 4. After losing the first two games of the conference finals at home to the Cavaliers, the Hawks had a chance to get back in the series but dropped Game 3 in Cleveland in extra time. The series ended in a sweep the next game. This battle between the four and five seeds will likely continue to be close fought. Successful execution down the stretch or in overtime may decide another game.
“It’s a concern but you don’t want to become something in your mind like ‘Oh no, it’s overtime, we are going to lose,’” Korver said. “You can’t let that happen. You learn. We watch film and we try to get better and focus better. You can’t dwell on that. You can have bad seeds planted.”
Here’s a look at the Hawks’ recent lack of success in overtime games:
* - Playoff game
