Hawks Have No Room For Error

It’s too premature to label the playoffs a grotesque Atlanta Hawks failure just because the Hawks dropped two games on the road in Brooklyn. Nevertheless, the little secret no one talked about is finally out- the Hawks lack of brilliance on the road since March 1. Viewed from a distance, that piece of mediocrity is a prime example of how the Hawks have suddenly declined.

Including the last two playoff games, the Hawks have lost 10 of their last 15 road games. What used to be a comfortable environment has been an Atlanta Hawks challenge these past six weeks. For their part, the Hawks countered by saying they had injuries- they did- and they were trying to get everyone healthy- they were. But, excuses are lame right about now and the regular season suddenly feels light years away.

In their playoff series against the Nets, the Hawks have led for 118 minutes. And yet they only have a tied series to show for it. A big part of the problem is what happens to the Hawks when they arrive in the 4^th quarter. They act the same way tourists act once they get off the plane in a foreign land and muddle their way through customs. That is how the Hawks look when the 4^th quarter gets going, as if they are expecting the unexpected.

The Hawks have been outscored in every fourth quarter of the series. The Nets have been the more aggressive team in the paint, swinging the ball from side to side to create mismatches and open looks that, frankly, resemble more of the Hawks offense than the Nets. The Nets, seemingly have taken a page out of the Hawks playbook as they have scored 30 points in two separate fourth quarters.

Apr 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack (0) defends Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 96-91. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

4^th Quarter Percentages

• Game 1: 50% (Nets), 40% (Hawks)
• Game 2: 45% (Nets), 37% (Hawks)
• Game 3: 41% (Nets), 38% (Hawks)
• Game 4: 55% (Nets), 40% (Hawks)

The Hawks, who seemed so ahead of the curve with their nuanced offense of ball sharing, movement and vanishing egos, suddenly look out of place in the playoffs when you sometimes need a Mother of God performance by somebody. The high quality nature of how the Hawks played off their own chemistry is proving harder to keep in tact as opponents trap and clog up the middle and push shooters off their spots.

You hear the Hawks say this consistently. The Nets are physical. The Nets are physical. The Nets are physical. It means they are getting banged around.

4^th Quarter Player Stats (total)

• Jeff Teague: 61%, 24 points, 5 turnovers
• Paul Millsap: 50%, 17 points, 1 turnover
• DeMarre Carroll: 40%, 9 points, 0 turnovers
• Dennis Schroder: 37%, 6 points, 5 turnovers
• Al Horford: 22%, 4 points, 1 turnover
• Kyle Korver, 21%, 15 points, 1 turnover

It’s particularly hard to sustain any type of offensive rhythm when Al Horford and Kyle Korver aren’t making shots. What seemingly went through the hoop all year long for some reason is clanking off the rim.

4^th Quarter Scoring

• Game 1: Millsap, Horford, Korver 22%
• Game 2: Teague, Horford, Korver 22%
• Game 3: Schroder, Horford, Korver 10%
• Game 4: Schroder, Carroll, Korver 13%

All things being equal, the Hawks should be up 3-1 in this series, preparing for a close-out game but there is the matter of staying connected defensively and executing on the offensive end that creates fourth quarter excellence or fourth quarter scratches to the head which Coach Bud is suddenly an expert at. Certain pieces just don’t seem to fit anymore.

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Sir Charles In Charge

When Dennis Schroder is in the game he looks like he is playing by himself instead of part of the orchestration. Al Horford hasn’t appeared comfortable since he dislocated his finger even as he is trying to make the best of a situation that changes everything about his shooting. In other words, the Hawks rotation lacks any sense of balance.

In their better days, the Hawks offense was poetry, that was how it flowed from one side to the other, the ball touching the hands of all five. In the playoffs, it is junk science, something that is often painful to watch- and worse- a failed exercise in basketball principles. If it’s not the turnovers, the hurried shots, the lack of inside play, the missed layups- give Brook Lopez some credit for being seven feet tall but the Hawks players get no credit for their lack of head fakes and change of direction to get Lopez off his feet- or the turnovers. What is apparent is how strange all of it looks as if what happened in January and February was a puzzle someone accidentally threw in the trash.

Apr 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack (0) in action during the second quarter of game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

4^th Quarter Droughts

• Game 1: 7-0 Nets run (cut a 14 point lead in half)
• Game 2: 6-0 Nets run (cut the lead to one point)
• Game 3: 9-0 Nets run (a 5 point deficit became 14 points)
• Game 4: 11-3 Nets run (tied the score)

The imagery of the January Hawks and the late April Hawks are the same just through a different lens, one in which pressure and expectations and desperation hang over their heads so what was fun and exciting and earth shattering at the beginning of the year suddenly weighs like a ton of bricks. There are conversations now of what happens if the Hawks lose. Are the Hawks tainted with the same Atlanta curse that befell the Braves who could only manage one title with their Hall of Fame talent, and the Falcons with their great regular seasons and quality quarterback stinking up the playoffs.

What about the Hawks? What about game 5?

The Hawks have been two different things in two different worlds. In Atlanta, they were that surprising gift that no one expected but that everyone is now reveling in. For the rest of the NBA, there was the wait-and-see, the absence of a coronation just yet. Depending on what side of the aisle you are on, the groom’s side and panic, or the bride’s side and patience, determines how you view what happened in Brooklyn. Everyone is in agreement though that the fourth quarters have been very, very ugly.

No one is united in who to blame.

Coach Bud for his lack of adjustments and melancholy delivery that puts anyone to sleep who listens to him for more than 5 minutes. Dennis Schroder the second year player whose first year in the playoffs has been reckless at times and stunning at times, the reckless part winning the narrative as of late. Jeff Teague who has not dominated play the way he did against the Pacers last year but he does have to guard Deron Williams, and Deron Williams, the smart veteran with a physical style, has to guard Teague. Al Horford who looks like a ghost. Paul Millsap who has been the best player on both ends of the floor but had a brain freeze in the last second of regulation on Monday night. Kyle Korver who is struggling with his shot but every time he lets one go it looks good.

The easy favorites, the Atlanta Hawks, have a game 5 to play with so much on the line. Simply put, they have to win. It’s not an elimination game but their confidence is at stake as is their season. Earlier, when they won 19 games in a row the Hawks didn’t need to win 19 games in a row. Now they need to win one game in a row. Just one. They need a 4^th quarter to exercise their recent nightmares. History, says the home team has the advantage. It’s history the Hawks need. And a 4^th quarter for the ages.

Next: What Do First Round Struggles Mean for the Atlanta Hawks?