Game 4: Losing Is Not An Option For Hawks
Re-energized after a heartbreaking loss, the Atlanta Hawks are hopeful of a bounce back. In a sign of normality, Paul Millsap will return to the starting lineup but it still can’t erase what happened on Saturday night against the Washington Wizards. The memory of game 3 still lingers in the consciousness, not just the Paul Pierce fadeaway buzzer beater that drove the Hawks to defeat but the rest of it, the sleep walking psychosis the Hawks leaned upon for three quarters until Coach Budenholzer had enough and put his bench in.
Everyone loves a hero but the fourth quarter effort of the bench didn’t erase the previous three quarters of broken basketball Hawks fans had to suffer through. Fact: the Hawks did not come ready to play in game 3. It went sideways from the start.
In game 3, Paul Millsap was scratched from the starting lineup because of illness, an obvious jolt to the team and one they never recovered from. But it makes you wonder about the Hawks internal makeup. Are they a fragile group of players instead of a determined bunch of players? Without Millsap, and without Mike Muscala as a replacement, the Hawks never got into the fight, they retreated, and only made their fourth quarter rally because (a) John Wall couldn’t control the tempo and pace from the bench, and (b), the Wizards relaxed after a 21 point lead.
Game 4 will determine if this series goes seven games or will Atlanta, once again, be attached to and defined by failure.
It seems a little peculiar that the Hawks are in this position in the first place especially when you look at the team numbers. The Hawks average more points (102), more assists (27), more steals (8) and more blocks (5) than the Wizards. Defined by the team ethic, everything is pretty similar to the regular season. Except the playoffs are a referendum on individual accomplishments.
- Paul Millsap: 30% from three
- Jeff Teague: 12% from three
- Pero Antic: 27% from three
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When Kent Bazemore is the most efficient offensive player on the Hawks, shooting 70%, trouble is lurking. Bazemore only plays 18 minutes. The players who log thirty minutes or more- Korver, Carroll, Teague- are underperforming. They have yet to find any kind of rhythm with their three point offense which is a huge part of their structure. The Hawks are only hitting 33% of their three point shots. In the regular season the Hawks three point shooting excellence (38%) came in second to the Golden State Warriors.
May 9, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) blocks the shot of Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) in the second quarter in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
This was always the question mark about the Hawks offense. What happens when they can’t make outside shots? They don’t have the size inside to dominate big men and so where do they go? The size inequality means the Hawks are constantly in defensive scramble mode which leaves the perimeter wide open. The Wizards are shooting 41% on their threes in this series. During the regular season they shot 36%, a better average than what the Hawks are shooting now.
The playoffs require an attention to discipline and the Wizards are feeding their big men then waiting for the rotations and then passing it out to their scorers.
Otto Porter averaged 6 points in the regular season. His minutes have skyrocketed against the Hawks. He is one more scorer who can drain a jump shot, something the Hawks have had a hard time of containing. Porter’s work on the boards has validated his selection as the 3rd pick in the 2013 draft. To put it in simpler terms, Otto Porter is out performing Kyle Korver.
- Otto Porter: 35 minutes, 14 points, 9 rebounds, 43% from three
- Kyle Korver: 38 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 34% from three
Losing breeds contempt as coaches fail in their adjustments. Players fail in their on-court assignments and the pressure sometimes make their legs feel like lead. Mistakes are made all around, that is expected. The question is can you overcome your mistakes? The Hawks almost did that in Game 3. The bench was terrific but 14 seconds changed everything and the first two hours made it so a hole had to be dug out of.
It has been repeated a thousand times and now the Hawks are living it: the playoffs and the regular season are different beasts. Give a coach a week to take away everything you do and if he is worth anything he will have you in scramble mode. That is what Randy Wittman has proven in three games. He has taken away everything the Hawks want to do. He took away their heart in Game 3.
Do the Hawks have anything left?