The Man in the Mask is no more.
Kyle Korver simply had enough. After two missed 3-pointers and it was time for the protective mask, guarding a broken nose, to end its tenure at 5-1/2 quarters.
“I don’t want to make a big deal out of it but I don’t like wearing a mask,” Korver said after the Hawks come-from-behind 95-83 victory over the Magic Wednesday. “I’m grateful for it. It helped me. I needed it to play. But I’ve been drinking all my milk and trying to strengthen my bones and get this nose back together. I keep on bumping it every morning to see if it feels a little better today and today it felt a little better.”
The original plan was for Korver to wear the mask for two to three weeks. He underwent a surgical procedure and missed three games after he broke his nose against the Lakers on March 15.
In his first game back, Korver made both 3-point attempts in a loss to the Spurs Sunday. He made two of his first three long-range attempts Wednesday against the Magic. However, when he missed two 3-pointers in a span of four seconds, he retired the mask following a timeout in the second quarter.
“I missed a couple shots and as a shooter you try to blame something,” Korver said. I decided to blame it on the mask – even though I’m grateful for the mask. It was well made. It’s a great mask. But I like wearing a sleeve on my arm and tall socks. That’s it.”
It was the third time Korver suffered a broken nose during a basketball game – once in college and twice as a professional.
Korver finished with 13 points, including going 3 of 9 from 3-point range, Wednesday. He hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that ignited the Hawks’ game-winning 22-2 run.
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