As the Hawks moved to within one victory of eliminating the Boston Celtics in a playoff series — and I’ll just let that sit there for a minute. Still sitting. OK? Moving on now — coach Mike Budenholzer learned something.
Smaller is better.
Maybe it’s better because Al Horford is struggling. Maybe it’s better because the Paul Millsap-Mike Scott pairing is creating problems for the Celtics. Maybe it’s better because in that great and mysterious world of sports market corrections, something has to go right for the Hawks’ franchise in a postseason series against Boston at some point. Doesn’t it?
But the Hawks’ best moments in their best game of their first-round series Tuesday night came when Horford was on the bench.
“Yeah, it’s going on a couple of games now,” Budenholzer said Wednesday. “We found a comfort level and felt that was the best way to go. We still need to buy some minutes for Mike Muscala and Tim Hardaway. They may not get extended runs but maybe putting them out there a little different time in a little different spot and using the Mike Scott-Paul Millsap (combination) will be good for us.
“Players ultimately make the plays, and they’re the ones who make things happen. But any way a coach can help his team, maybe there’s a little more information that the players can take in and not lose that competitive edge.”
Brad Stevens has quickly evolved from one of college basketball’s greatest coaches into one of the NBA’s best, which is no easy feat. Ask Mr. Larry Bird Is Not Walking Through That Door himself, Rick Pitino. But Stevens had no answer for the Hawks’ smaller lineup.
He tried going big with Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger on the court at the same time. He tried going small with Jonas Jerepko in the middle. Nothing worked. Then again, when the Hawks are making 11 consecutive shots to turn a 29-19 deficit into a 45-35 lead, nothing is going to work, short of a butterfly net to block the shots. In one stretch, the Hawks also made five consecutive three-pointers and nine of 12.
“I don’t think they missed for an hour,” Boston’s Evan Turner said.
The Hawks will be hard-pressed to shoot as well in Thursday’s potential series-clinching game in Boston, but clearly they’ve found something that works.
Horford was listed on the injury report before Game 4 with a groin strain and has not had a good postseason. But Budenholzer insists Horford is fine physically.
He’s just not fine on the court. He was 2-for-11 in Game 5. He is shooting 38.6 percent (22-of-57) and averaging 12 points in the series. Horford’s regular-season averages: 50.5 percent shooting and 15.2 points per game. He also has missed five of 14 shots at the rim, has made only 1 of 7 from 10 to 15 feet and is 3-of-12 from 16 feet to beyond the arc. All represent significant drops from his regular-season averages.
Horford left Game 4 with the Hawks trailing 29-21 in the second quarter. Scott immediately made a three, and the Hawks went on a 26-10 run to lead at halftime 47-39. Horford left the game again in the third quarter with the Hawks leading by 11 (64-53). When he returned they led by 22 (80-58). Coincidence?
After the game, Horford credited Boston’s defense, but acknowledged: “I couldn’t hit the shots that I normally do. … I know I was rushing a little bit at the beginning.”
Budenholzer again: “I’m sure he feels like he can give us more, but I don’t think it’s health-related or anything like that.”
The Hawks now find themselves one win from closing out the Celtics as they go into Game 6 at TD Garden. The view is significantly better when they left Boston after two losses and they seemed out of answers.
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