Hawks Collapse Reveals Huge Issues

The NBA has always been a superstar league with superstar talent dominating playoff basketball with excellent performances in big moments when it matters the most. And so it was no surprise that a fading superstar, the once electric Deron Williams, reached back into his glorious past and dominated game 4 by putting his team on his back and carrying them across the finished line. His dominance in game 4 tied the series with the heavily favored Hawks and the Nets now have a puncher’s chance at winning the series as a #8 seed.

Forget that this would be one of the all-time great upsets if the Hawks were to choke this series away (they are already halfway there). Deron Williams has been maligned by other superstars and the media and Brooklyn/NJ fans and probably cats and dogs for his max contract that he can’t deliver on. But in game 4, he had 35 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. He had an incredible turn around jumper from 25 feet as the shot clock ran out. He was 7-11 on threes and his one and only C grade moment was missing an easy mid-range jumper that would have given the Nets the win in regulation.

For one more day Deron Williams can revel in his resurrection. And for one more day the Hawks will have to hear that they are a team that won 60 games and are on the verge of losing to a #8 seed. What everyone is whispering is: I told you so. You can’t win without a superstar.

One of two things are true. Either the Hawks are in the beginning stages of an epic collapse that will be talked about for decades or they are about to engage in a thrilling six or seven game series win and then play the Washington Wizards.

Apr 27, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer reacts during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at Barclays Center. Brooklyn Nets won 120-115 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

By nature of their record and 60 wins, the Hawks just have to win all of their home games to advance to the next round. But NBA champions just don’t advance. They dominate their opponent, they don’t let up when they have leads, they don’t have a shot clock violation on a game winning shot, they don’t get outscored in the 4^th quarter in every single game.

A NBA title seems farther and farther away, like a blurry light that is obscured by fog. The nice story of the gutty little team of unselfish players with big dreams is fading on the big stage.

The Nets have been the mentally tougher team in this series. The Hawks had a double digit lead in game 4 and could not hold it. The Hawks had a double digit lead in games 1 and 2 and could not hold it.

The Hawks could not stop Brook Lopez from 26 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Textbook things doomed the Hawks. They could not rotate to shooters quick enough, leaving open threes. They could not execute a game winning scenario, a play drawn up that would make sense, a back screen, a Teague dribble and dish, nothing. Sometimes you do need iso players.

Entering the playoffs, the Hawks were the only team that didn’t have to go through adversity. By the time the Hawks wrapped up the top seed in the conference in March, it was still early. Teams like the Nets were clawing and fighting for seeding and playoff position, testing themselves against themselves while the Hawks tried to get through the rest of the season as healthy as possible.

But there are some real issues with the Hawks team as revealed in their two losses in Brooklyn. Monday’s loss was the most devastating because they did nearly everything right. Their offense was on track. They had great ball movement and energy. They built a lead and for most of the game they were in control. But, to start the 4th quarter, in a game that was just as important for the Hawks psyche as for the Nets playoff hopes, they were terrible in executing their game plan.

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Dennis Schroder is not yet ready for 4^th quarter playoff basketball. Watching Schroder is like watching a young Russ Westbrook with one distinction. He’s not as talented as Russ even if he ends up making reckless plays that hurt the offense.

Paul Millsap was in the game during the start of the 4^th but that is particularly useless if he doesn’t touch the ball, if the ball hasn’t moved much. In all four games, Brooklyn made a lot of plays down the stretch and the Hawks have not. They have been outplayed and outcoached.

Apr 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) drives to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets 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

This is how it unraveled to start the 4^th

• Korver 3 point shot missed (11:42)
• Scott layup missed (11:39)
• Williams 3 point shot made ((11:11)
• Schroder 3 point shot missed (10:46)
• Schroder layup missed (10:18)
• Scott layup made (10:16)
• Bogdanovic 3 point shot made (10:04)
• Schroder offensive foul (9:52)
• Carroll layup missed (9:29)
• Anderson three point shot made ((9:16)

In two and a half minutes, an 8 point lead was erased, changing the course of the game and, perhaps the series. Afterwards, the players said what you would expect them to say. Coach Bud must have repeated the word “challenge” ten times but he never directly answered the question regarding the mood of the team. In their wildest dreams, this is not what the Hawks expected, struggling the way they have against a team that, frankly, didn’t belong in the playoffs.

Now it’s on to game 5 and the pressure is all on the Hawks. It is a must win game. No one saw that coming. No one.

Next: A Trip Down Memory Lane: How The Hawks Became a Juggernaut