There was Dennis Schroder, not Jeff Teague, as the option for a final drive to the basket.
There was Paul Millsap, not Al Horford, near the basket to clean up should the game-winning attempt go awry.
One of the biggest plays in Hawks’ playoff history was something out of the ordinary.
The Hawks won Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Wizards, 82-81, in dramatic fashion on a rebound and put-back by Horford with 1.9 seconds remaining Wednesday. The victory gave the Hawks a 3-2 series lead. They can close out the series and advance to their first-ever Eastern Conference finals with a win in Game 6 in Washington, D.C. Friday or Game 7 in Atlanta Monday.
Schroder was on the court after the starter Teague elected not to go back in for the final minutes with the reserve playing so well down the stretch. The final play was designed to have Schroder drive to the basket. If he couldn’t score, Millsap was to be in position for a rebound and a second attempt. Horford was to set a pick on the outside for Kyle Korver should Schroder’s path to the basket be blocked.
Schroder made it to the basket but his attempt at the rim was blocked by the Wizards’ John Wall. Horford raced into the play, grabbed the rebound and put back the game-winner.
Cue the celebration.
“It’s huge for him to understand the moment and what we needed,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Horford in a conference call Thursday. “How to go and make something happen, make a play, make a winning play. Not to stand and watch. We talk about participating. We need all five guys participating. As Al said, he wasn’t, per se, part of the play, but he made himself part of it. He made something happen. He did it the majority of the night. He was all over the place, blocking shots and rebounding, running the court. You need players like that and Al stepped up in a big-time moment, in a big-time way.”
Schroder had hit two big baskets in the fourth quarter after the Hawks fell behind by nine points with 6:34 remaining. Most plays run by the Hawks have reads and options. The final play of Game 5 did as well. But the first option was all Schroder.
“Dennis just has a knack for getting to the basket,” Budenholzer said. “I think on a go-and-catch or a quick drive is something we’ve done with Jeff throughout the year. At times, they are so locked up with shooters that a big may try to come and help, there are opportunities on the board. At times, there are different defensive strategies end of game. We went with that – his quickness, his ability to get to the paint, get in on the board, on the glass whether he makes or misses.”
Horford said the team trusts Schroder. Teague said you don’t mess up a good thing when it’s going strong, like the second unit that erased a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit in a loss at the buzzer in Game 3. Schroder said he saw Teague walk back from the scorer’s table after he made a pull-up jumper in the rally and knew exactly what it meant. Teague had tossed the keys to the youngster and said ‘Bring it home.’
Budenholzer bristled at the notion that Teague stepping aside for Schroder at the key moment was nothing but an unselfish move by player more interested in winning. For Teague to ask out was not a question about his competitive desire.
“Jeff has done amazing things for us in this series, this entire playoffs, this entire season,” Budenholzer said. “He’s been an unbelievable finisher. He wants to be in. We made several plays, including Dennis. I think it’s one of the most unselfish things. I think it’s a big-time sign of character, a big-time sign that he is a part of something bigger than himself. He wants to be in. He’s been an amazing finisher. … He will be in there 99 percent of the time. He wasn’t. I think if you are more concerned about winning than yourself than you better understand that.”
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