Jeff Teague and Al Horford Refuse to Lose Game 5
At this point, it is ridiculous to expect something simple. The Nets will continue to be a thorn in the Hawks side. It will be a struggle. Double digit leads will not hold up over time. The Hawks cannot make the Nets quit. The games may change narratives and locations but the passion and chaotic drama will linger as different heroes are anointed for their excellence.
Game 5 in the Hawks/Nets series was absent of rage but there was plenty of aggression which is common for games like this when so much is on the line. The Hawks seemed to accept the position they were put in by their failures in Brooklyn. They started off like someone was on fire. Their fevered pace was infectious as they shared the ball the way the Hawks do, addicted to their own generosity. It was enough to make DeMarre Carroll the leading scorer at halftime with 19 points on 70% shooting.
Playoff games have a way of dividing themselves into blocks. In the first block the Hawks were brilliant. In the second block they were lazy and casual. In the third block they recovered enough to control the pace and add more gasoline on the kindling. And in the fourth block all hell broke loose. Suddenly, a double digit lead was erased and it was a familiar gasp in the arena: why do they keep doing this to us?
The Hawks had a 17 point lead to end the first quarter. There is a cliché here about the game itself, that teams go on runs. Yes. And no. The Nets can be beaten into submission if you take away their hope. A Kobe Bryant quote seems appropriate here: rip out their heart.
Apr 29, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) dunks the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Nets 107-97. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
But the Hawks become a victim of their own selflessness, no one takes over, not really. So when poor shooting feeds off itself and then lackluster defense is punctuated by mindless turnovers- and this is the killer- Alan Anderson turning into Ray Allen- the Nets are back in the game, their confidence restored to the point that they believe something about themselves that is not really true: they can win.
The Hawks scored 20 points in the second quarter after scoring 33 points in the first quarter. At halftime they led the Nets by 9.
Then in the 4th quarter the Hawks had a 12 point lead. But nothing in this series is as far away as it seems. The Nets have Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack, not superstars, but proven offensive players who can shake off weariness and suddenly hit shots left and right. Which is what started to happen.
The Nets cut the lead to two.
There was a part of me that enjoyed this little chaotic melodrama. If the Hawks are going to do anything in these playoffs they have to not blink. They have to be pushed into a well of disbelief to discover if they have it, the magical intangible that wins close games with pressure nearly ready to choke away their breath.
With four minutes left, it was a one point lead and then Jeff Teague, who had a sprained ankle that was taped, drained a three to give the Hawks some breathing room. He was expressionless as he scored and then when Joe Johnson answered with a deep three on the left wing, Teague distributed the ball to Al Horford.
On Wednesday, Horford had his patented shot back, a smooth whispery jumper that barely rustled the rim. Horford hit a mid-range jumper to up the lead to 5.
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Patient as always, Joe Johnson made another three to cut the lead to two. At the two minute mark, a one possession game that could go either way was so many things at the same time. It was anxious and tense and anticipatory and painless and it was also controlled. Horford answered with another mid-range swish. And then another open shot to extend the lead to four but his shot making is not what stood out, what stood out was that Horford was here in the playoffs, he was here doing this, he was here leading his team after so many injury disappointments.
Rarely acknowledged on a national level for his skill, Jeff Teague followed up Horford’s excellence with a driving layup and then a runner in the lane. It sealed the game, and perhaps, the series.
Vince Lombardi famously said, “I am not remotely interested in being good.” It was excellence he was chasing and it was excellence that the Hawks displayed for much of the regular season and what had been a distant memory the last two games in Brooklyn where they were underwhelming during long stretches of the two games played in New York.
In the last four minutes of the game on Wednesday night the Hawks were exceptional, championship worthy. They were physical and determined and focused, they were calm and restrained. They didn’t overthink the moment and they didn’t underestimate it either. Lose and the Hawks would have erased every good thing about this season. Win and they were one step away from the second round.
A lot of talk is wasted about what the Hawks do not have which is totally fair but not enough attention is focused on what they do have and how it works together and how they operate off of one another in a particularly organic way as if this is what they know how to do better than anyone else. In the regular season they beat teams by an average of 5 points so they are aware when it gets close like this how to slow down and execute.
It is simple, after all. Put the ball in the hands of your best players. And calmly wait for the results.