A Farewell to Brooklyn
May 1, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Jarrett Jack (0) and Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) and Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and Brooklyn Nets small forward Joe Johnson (7) during a time out against the Atlanta Hawks during the second quarter of game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
After a sluggish start to their eighth consecutive playoff appearance, many were questioning the talent of the Atlanta Hawks. Arguments previously regarded as irrelevant, such as the Hawks’ lack of a “go-to-guy” or superstar, began reappearing in opinions from both casual fans and professional analysts. But in this six game roller coaster, it was the 60-win Hawks that came out victorious.
From the start, the Hawks did not seem to be giving the Nets much respect or treating them like a real threat. Those actions can be justified somewhat, as the Hawks swept the season series with the Nets easily, boasting a +17 point differential average between the four games. Brooklyn did manage to squeak into the playoffs, however, and the playoffs tend to unlock an entirely different gear for most teams.
Atlanta failed to acknowledge Brooklyn’s playoff gear. They went on to drop two of their road games which knotted the series up at 2-2. The Hawks are lucky in some respects, as Deron Williams missed a potential game-winning baseline jump shot in Game 2. Had Williams drained that shot, the Hawks would be headed back to Atlanta for a gritty Game 7 in front of exceedingly nervous fans. Fortunately for both the Hawks and their trepidatious fans, the Hawks put the series away in six games.
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Brooklyn certainly didn’t hand the Hawks any easy games in any respects. It seemed as though each game featured a new Hawk annihilator. Thad Young kept the Hawks very busy in the paint, especially in Game 3, when he dropped in 18 points. Deron Williams rose from the grave in Game 4, scorching from deep and ending the game with 35 points.
Those aren’t the only two antagonists the Hawks faced. Brook Lopez was a relentless thorn in Atlanta’s side, averaging almost 20 points and 8 rebounds per game. Lopez gave Horford tons of trouble in the first four games, but the Hawks were able to minimize his impact in the final two games of the series. Jarrett Jack, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Alan Anderson also found themselves heating up and knocking down shots consistently throughout the series.
Former Hawk Joe Johnson played tons of minutes for the Nets throughout the series, and lit up the Hawks once or twice. Although not terribly efficient, Johnson scored in double digits in every single game. Met with unnecessary and unmerited boos from the Atlanta crowd, Joe Johnson was unfazed. It’s puzzling why a fan base would boo a player that worked hard for the franchise when no one else wanted to, but we’ll chalk it up to an influx of new fans and move on.
Despite the Nets effort and occasional unstoppable barrages of baskets, the Hawks showed their superiority when it came time. The victory is largely thanks to the play of Demarre Carroll, who shouldered a majority of the offensive burden when other players were struggling to find their touch or range. Carroll was the Hawks leading scorer over the course of the series, averaging 17 points and shooting 46 percent from behind the arc. Every Atlanta player had at least one game in the series where they were really struggling, Demarre just had the least of those.
When Game 6 came around, the last thing the Hawks wanted to do was give the Nets a chance to complete a first round upset on their home court. It was time for them to prove to Brooklyn and the rest of the NBA that they were the same team that strung together a 19 game win streak as well as a 60-win season. And they did just that.
Atlanta’s starters were excellent in their final contest with Brooklyn. Jeff Teague had a scoreless night, but might have had the largest impact on the game with his 13 assists. Coach Mike Budenholzer had praise for both Teague’s excellence as well as the rest of the starters’ contributions.
"“Jeff Teague, without scoring a point, I thought controlled the game. [He] made huge plays to start the third quarter, creating turnovers in transition, and then you go up and down the list of the other four starters. Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll in foul trouble and still having a huge contribution, and, of course, Kyle (Korver) and Al (Horford). So those five guys were great.”"
The Hawks dominant, team-oriented Game 6 victory was exactly what both players and fans needed to remind themselves of the basketball prowess that this team possesses.
And thus ends the tale of the 2014-15 Brooklyn Nets and their short-lived dreams of advancing to the semifinals. They gave the Hawks a good scare, but Atlanta proved that they are still title contenders despite an uninspired finish to the regular season. Now it’s time for the Hawks to accelerate to full throttle until they are hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy into the air in June.
Goodbye Brooklyn. Send the NYPD our regards.