Paul Millsap is a two-way player.
Good thing because the offensive game of the Hawks’ All-Star power forward has been largely missing during the first-round playoff series against the Celtics.
Still, the Hawks lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 with their leading scorer off the mark. Millsap is shooting 30.4 percent (7-of-23), with a total of 18 points and 14 rebounds. Those numbers are far from his team-leading regular-season averages of 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds.
“Not my best shooting games, but it’s not about just one person,” Millsap said after a four-point performance in Game 2 on Tuesday. “It’s about this whole team and what everybody brings to the table.”
The Celtics appear to have made slowing Millsap a priority, putting a crowd around him when he has the ball. Millsap averaged 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in four regular-season games this season. That included his 31-point, 14-rebound game in the final week of the season.
“Every time I catch the ball I’m seeing a lot of bodies,” Millsap said. “The key for me is not to force. Take what they give me. Other guys are doing a great job. … If I have to struggle for our team to win, so be it.”
Millsap was 1-of-12 from the field in Game 2 for four points, seven rebounds and one assist.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer credited the individual defense of the Celtics, including smaller players who got caught in a switch on Millsap. However, he believes sooner or later Millsap is going to make his shots.
“They’ve got some good individual defenders … just the strength and the physicality of their wings sometimes Paul may end up in a switch against one of their perimeter guys, and those guys have done a good job of lots of times guarding one-on-one and being physical and making it tough,” Budenholzer said.
“Paul had some shots and some opportunities that we feel great that given the course of a series he’s going to make his fair share. Give their bigs credit. Amir Johnson is where it starts, but I think their wings when they’ve switched on to him have done a good job. Then I think, Paul’s got some looks if he keeps taking over the course of the series and over the course of time, it’s going to balance out and he’s going to have some good games and be more efficient and better offensively.”
Budenholzer and Millsap’s teammates brushed off the recent woes on offense. That’s because of what the forward brings on defense. The Celtics’ big men have been largely ineffective, and Millsap has seven blocks.
Has the effort expended by Millsap on defense affected his play on offense?
“If I was an excuse guy, I would say yeah. But no,” Millsap said.
Al Horford went as far as to say Millsap’s defense has been the difference-maker in the series to this point.
“A player like Paul brings so much to the table, not just the offense,” Horford said. “His defense has been key. His ability to switch their guards and guard in the perimeter and block shots and get steals, that’s really what is making us different. And it’s being the difference right now for us a group. I’m not worried about his offense. I know he’ll get that together at any point, but defensively he is giving us a lot.”
The series switches to Boston for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday.
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