Following each Hawks playoff game, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will examine a strategic element that affected the outcome of the contest.
The strategy: Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer went with the hot hand and played reserve Shelvin Mack the entire fourth quarter of Monday's 107-97 Game 5 win at the Pacers.
The impact: Even Budenholzer couldn't imagine the spark he would get from his bench Monday. Mike Scott (17 points) and Mack (13) combined for 30 points in the decisive second quarter. The two easily outscored the Pacers as the Hawks won the period 41-19.
Mack played all 12 minutes of the second quarter. The Hawks would lead by as many as 30 points in the third quarter. The Pacers started a rally at the end of the period and by the fourth quarter had trimmed their deficit to eight points.
Budenholzer countered the Pacers’ run with speed and Mack played a big role in the strategy. The guard played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter. He made a pair of free throws with 28.3 seconds remaining for the game’s final points.
In all, Mack played 25:20. He finished with a team-high 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. He also made 8 of 10 free throws. Mack rounded out his impressive stat line with five assists, three rebounds and two steals against just one turnover.
What they said: "I thought in the second quarter we played with great pace. We had fresh legs. Me, Lou (Williams), Mike (Scott) were able to get up and down the court and push the pace and get a lot of good shots. … Throughout the game we were able to take advantage of our speed and get a lot of fast-break opportunities." — Mack
“Shelvin obviously played well. I think having multiple ballhandlers out there helped us. Obviously, as well as he played, he deserved to be on the court and help us take it home.” — Budenholzer
“I said before the series that a couple of our bench guys needed to have big series for us to win this thing. … They’ve been huge for us all season. They’ve been professionals the whole season. You couldn’t expect anything but the best, and I’m happy for each of them.” — DeMarre Carroll
