Given the oddity that Kyle Korver was the only Hawk to miss a free throw in a game where Atlanta made 21 of 22, it seemed strange to look at him as the shooting star after Sunday’s 99-92 Game 1 victory against the Brooklyn Nets.
It would be tough to argue after he made 5 of 11 3-pointers on the way to a game-high 21 points that the shooting guard made a difference. Without him, the Hawks made 5 of 19 long balls. The Nets made 5 of 20.
Brooklyn tilted its defense toward Atlanta’s pick-and-roll game, and that help limited Al Horford and Paul Millsap to a combined 16 points on a combined 7-of-23 shooting.
Korver helped make up for that.
He hadn’t scored more than 20 points in 22 contests since the All-Star break, but he was in rhythm from the jump Sunday in Philips Arena.
His first shot, a 3-pointer, was good for a 3-2 Atlanta lead and the Hawks never trailed nor were tied from there.
“They probably were really focusing on Al and Paul and Jeff [Teague], and I was able to get a few looks,” Korver said after making 6 of 12 shots overall. “I feel like they’ve guarded me tough all year.”
Perhaps since the Hawks won all four regular-season games against Brooklyn in a winning streak that Sunday hit six consecutive games, Nets coach Lionel Hollins changed his plan.
Horford (17.9 points on 60.7 percent shooting) and Millsap (17.8 on 50 percent despite missing half the last game against Brooklyn), after all, rolled against the Nets before Sunday. By contrast, although Korver made 61.9 percent of his 3-pointers against Brooklyn, he averaged a more modest 10.8 points.
Hollins wasn’t admitting anything.
“Korver is a great shooter, but we have to stop their team,” the Brooklyn coach said. “It’s about how we stop the Atlanta Hawks.”
Korver hit 3-pointers to open the scoring for Atlanta in the first, second and fourth quarters, and his biggest splash came when he connected from the left corner with 3:29 left in the game after the Nets had closed to within 88-83 on two Joe Johnson free throws. Teague and Korver each scored eight points in the last period.
After pitching in seven rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot, Korver istn’t counting on anything.
“It did feel like we hadn’t played a meaningful game in awhile,” he said. “I’ve been in so many series where whoever won Game 1 did not win the series. I think as a team we need to understand that.”
