Game 1: Atlanta Hawks Grades & Reactions vs. Washington Wizards

May 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer coaches against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Budenholzer, C

One good half, and one terrible half. The grade seems to fit the description. With the way the Hawks were putting up points he couldn’t do any wrong. But he had perplexing rotations all game long and when the Wizards decided to go smaller for the rest of the game to close out the three better, no adjustments were made.

Of course, you can’t be blamed when the looks are good and the shots are poor but the energy obviously digressed as the game wore on. He probably should have let Al play out his four fouls in a tie game instead of watching them go on a mini run and never look back. There were a lack of starter minutes and you can contribute that to the very little rest and an early morning flight from Brooklyn the morning before; tiredness crept up. I expect him to increase those minutes come Game 2.

Next: Second Half Offense Costs Hawks Game 1

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