There wasn’t much in Game 5 that supported the argument that the Atlanta Hawks were ready to meet the moment. As the stakes exponentially increased, they appeared dazed. Minute after minute, they were careless with the basketball which resulted in turnovers. Horrible shooting, lazy defense, isolation offense marred all of their intentions.
As often happens in playoff games, a dramatic finish neutralizes a boat load of mistakes, swiping them away with a magical brush. Winning is what matters this time of year. How you get there is how you get there.
The final seconds of Game 5 was everything you want a game to be. It was stirring and it was sensational and it was chaotic and it was celebratory. It’s easy to sum it up by saying Al Horford grabbed a rebound and scored. But that isn’t the whole story. That abbreviated version minimizes exactly what happened on the last play.
14 seconds were left and the ball was in the point guard’s hands. Dennis Schroder dribbled, drove the lane and had his shot blocked. Horford was in the mid-post. Unsettled, he crashed the rim. He wrestled the ball away from Nene, gathered himself and dropped in a sweet put back for the game winner.
It was the biggest shot in Atlanta Hawks history. It was fitting that it was Al Horford who made it all happen. It was a cliché played out in real time: every possession matters.
Al Horford was tremendous all game long, 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists, 0 turnovers. If anyone has earned the privilege to bathe in the glory of hero then it is Al Horford. Horford has suffered through all of the Hawks playoff misery and failures over his seven years. Now he is one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals.
"Of the last play he said, “I was supposed to set a screen for Kyle. It was a hustle play. My first instinct was to put it back in.”"
May 13, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) celebrates their win over the Washington Wizards in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
For much of the game the Hawks instincts were to play absolutely lousy. Pressure does insane things to the body. Shots fall short. Passes become wide. The rim suddenly is small. All of that happened after a first quarter in which the Hawks seemed to grasp what was at stake.
John Wall had a valiant showing after three games off. His gutsy return was a reminder of the impact star players have. Wall orchestrated the offense, controlled the tempo, made plays on offense and defense and was efficient. He played 37 minutes, had 15 points, 7 assists, 2 blocks, 4 steals but 6 turnovers, two of them game changers that were a product of DeMarre Carroll picking him up full court in the 4th quarter.
As for the 4th quarter. The Hawks had a 1 point lead. And then they played like they were in the D-league.
- Schroder turnover (11:19)
- Horford miss (10:32)
- Teague miss (10:03)
- Teague turnover (9:37)
- Horford miss (9:08)
- Carroll miss (9:04)
- Millsap miss (8:29)
- Millsap turnover (8:25)
- Millsap turnover (8:09)
- Teague miss (7:33)
- Schroder miss (7:05)
The Hawks didn’t score a point in the 4th quarter until a Paul Millsap free throw. By then, 5 and half minutes had already elapsed. Seizing the moment, the Wizards built up an eight point lead and it looked particularly dreary for the Hawks to pull their collective asses out of the gutter and salvage the game only because their ball handling was so atrocious. The majority of their turnovers were unforced. There were missed lobs or passes to someone who wasn’t there or just stupid fumbles. The pressure of the moment seemed to affect the way they executed.
Forget looking like the team of the regular season. They didn’t look like the team that beat the Wizards on Monday.
At the five minute mark, Teague went out the game and never returned and Schroder’s speed increased the pace and the Hawks went on a run. They were down by nine.
- Horford free throws (5:32)
- Korver three (4:58)
- Horford three (4:24)
- Horford jumper (3:20)
The Hawks took a one point lead and then the game became a referendum on who could execute the best. The shooting had been horrible all night long, on both sides. The Wizards shot 38% and the Hawks shot 41%. With less than a minute left neither team had cracked 80 points. In the regular season, when that happened, a December game in Milwaukee, the Hawks lost.
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The game was tied with 50 seconds left, 78-78. Atlanta couldn’t score. Then the Wizards couldn’t score because Paul Pierce turned the ball over and of course complained about it while DeMarre Carroll raced down the court to score on a layup.
Ahead by two, the strategy was pretty simple. No three’s, no Paul Pierce celebrations. So, of course, Pierce made an open three on a Millsap mistake.
The Hawks trailed by one with 14 seconds left and as Horford mentioned, he set a screen for Kyle Korver. The same Kyle Korver who was miserable all game long until he hit and made his only shot, a 30-footer.
It wasn’t just Korver’s shooting that was agonizing. Missing 80% of the shots he took was bad enough. But, he had 3 turnovers. His decision making was erratic and he looked overmatched guarding Bradley Beal. To his credit, he had some key blocks and he led all players with 6 steals. His one three started the Hawks run.
Al Horford ended it. No matter how many times you look at the last play, the Schroder miss, the Horford crashing the boards and owning the moment, you come away with the same thought. The Hawks won a game in which they played pretty ugly. And they won it because they were desperate to have it.
It was Al Horford who put them in the position to go to Washington up 3-2. Just like it has been Al Horford all of these years of sad playoff results. But Horford has never changed. He is steady. Patient. Determined.
Game 6 can wrap up an Eastern Conference Finals berth for the Hawks. It will be their first ever. For the Hawks and their fans, history awaits.