May 11, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) gesture after making a three point field goal against the Washington Wizards in the final minute of the fourth quarter in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Hawks won 106-101, and tied the series at 2-2. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Hawks managed to pull out one more game in crunch time, bringing the series with the Washington Wizards to a 2-2 tie. To advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, however, they must pick things up fast.
Atlanta lost Game 3 on a Paul Pierce game-winner, but should have never put themselves in that position. The Hawks were down by 17 points heading into the final quarter until their bench revived them. Coach Bud stuck with the bench until the end, rewarding their play with more minutes, but it wasn’t enough.
Moving forward, the Hawks starters have to be aggressive and ready to play hard. They played much better in Game 4 than Game 3, but they must sustain their play for the Hawks to win this series.
John Wall has missed the previous three games with five non-displaced fractures in his hand and wrist, and his playing status is still unknown for the remaining games. Ramon Sessions and Bradley Beal have stepped up in his absence, averaging 14 points and 23 points respectively since Wall’s injury.
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The real problem is the Hawks’ inconsistency. Atlanta will sometimes resemble the same team that steamrolled the league on a record-breaking win streak, but have also found themselves slipping into a few too many isolations and bad shots.
But it hasn’t been all bad play from the Hawks. Too many times the Hawks have found the open man for a clean, uncontested shot, only for them to miss the open jumper. Bradley Beal has done a great job at harassing Kyle Korver all over the court but when Korver could break free, he had trouble hitting his shots.
Korver isn’t the only one, either. Al Horford has missed an uncharacteristically high number of his mid-range jumpers. While a large portion of these misses can be attributed to his dislocated pinky, it still hurts to see Horford’s formerly punishing jumper unable to find the bottom of the net.
To win this series, the Hawks have to regain focus and play Hawks’ basketball. The Hawks looked like themselves at some points in Game 4, but they were still looking disjointed for some key parts of the game.
If the Hawks can find their shooting rhythm, it will do wonders for their offense. The amount of shots missed after finding the open man have been astounding and no one has expected the Hawks to keep missing like they have.
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Jeff Teague is also going to need to push the tempo. If John Wall fails to return for Game 5, Teague can run the game at his pace and force the Wizards into very uncomfortable transition situations.
The Atlanta bench found themselves leading a resurgence in Game 3, trying to pick up the pieces of the broken performance the starters managed. It was quite a relief to see a group that struggled for a large part of the postseason suddenly find themselves the catalyst for a comeback run. If the bench can keep this up, and the starters elevate their game back to their true talent level, the Hawks could finish the series without much trouble.
Atlanta has a chance to make the series 3-2 at Philips Arena in their most important game of the season. If the Hawks end up taking this series, it would be the furthest Atlanta has gone in the postseason since the franchise moved from St. Louis. This city is more than ready to see their hometown basketball team flourish into the postseason juggernaut they have waited decades to see.
Washington will make sure that the Hawks are challenged tomorrow. They are seeking their first Conference Finals berth in 36 years and would love nothing more to knock out the number one seed on the way to reviving past glory. Even if John Wall remains out, the Hawks won’t have it easy with Paul Pierce and Bradley Beal emerging as major thorns in Atlanta’s side.
The Hawks regained home-court advantage with the Game 4 win and only need to win at home to take the series. Atlanta is two wins away from history or two losses away from elimination. For the sake of Hawks fans everywhere, let’s hope its the former.