The Atlanta Hawks couldn’t match the physicality of the Washington Wizards in Game 1 of their playoff series. Was this a sign of things to come?
The Atlanta Hawks learned early just what type of series they are in for with the Washington Wizards. Just 17 seconds into the game, Markieff Morris fouled Paul Millsap on his drive to the basket, keeping him from finishing at the rim. The fouls wouldn’t stop there.
Washington made it clear that they were going establish themselves as the tougher team in this series. The Wizards weren’t afraid to push the Hawks around. They weren’t afraid to rack up fouls. The foul disparity wasn’t that severe, Washington had 25 fouls to Atlanta’s 22, but there was a clear difference between the way the two teams played defense.
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Washington shut down Atlanta’s shots at the rim at all costs, even if that meant committing a foul and sending a Hawk to the free-throw line.
The Hawks shot 39 free-throws, while the Wizards shot just 17.
What we don’t know is whether this was a clear strategy by the Wizards or if it was just how things shook out in the natural flow of the game. Sometimes games get chippy even if the intention isn’t there by either team. This felt different. This felt like a strategy.
The strategy worked. Despite mediocre shooting performances by both teams, the Wizards took a 114-107 win in Game 1. Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortant, Washington’s tone setters inside, played extremely well.
Morris made life difficult for Paul Millsap all game. Millsap had no answer defensively for Morris. Morris finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on 8-for-19 shooting and 2-for-6 from outside.
Morris and Millsap are similar players; tough defenders, good passers, decent outside shooters, and undersized power forwards that can score in a variety of ways. It’s almost like looking in a mirror for Millsap. Perhaps that’s why Morris gives Millsap trouble.
Millsap still had a relatively good game on the offensive end. He finished with 19 points, two rebounds, and an assist. Still, Morris’ performance on offense cancelled him out, and Morris’ defense kept Millsap from for exploding for 30 to 40 points. He’s easily Atlanta’s best player, if you can put him in a box and limit his scoring, that severely hamstrings Atlanta’s offense.
Millsap didn’t like the physical edge Washington played with. He expressed that to the media after the game, quote from Ohm Youngmisuk’s report on ESPN.com.
"“The difference in the game was we were playing basketball and they were playing MMA,” Millsap told reporters, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They were physical. When the game is like that, we have to match their physicality. But again, we’ve got to go get some moves and bring them back to the court.”"
Millsap also knows that he can’t let Morris score like that if the Hawks are going to be competitive in this series, according to quotes published by Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"“It’s tough, he’s a good player,” Paul Millsap said of Wall. “We’ll have to figure something out. He’s going to get his, that’s the problem, so we can’t have guys like (Markieff) Morris with 20.”"
A few of the skirmishes on the court Sunday afternoon had an MMA vibe. It was a physical game. Millsap isn’t wrong. He also knows that the Hawks have to find a way to match that toughness going forward. It’s not an impossible mission. The Hawks don’t exactly have a “soft” front-line.
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Marcin Gortat did make things tough on Dwight Howard in Game 1. Howard was limited to 29 minutes on Sunday, scoring just 7 points and grabbing 14 rebounds on 2-for-6 shooting. Gortat answered with 14 points and 10 boards on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting.
Gortat and Morris combined to finish plus 39 on the game. Their physical game-plan paid off. Of course, the Wizards don’t win this game without John Wall going full supernova.
Wall scored 32 points and dished out 14 assists on 12-for-24 shooting. He’s ridiculous and I’m not sure Atlanta has an answer for him. Might we see Thabo Sefolosha inserted back into the rotation? Time will tell.
The play of Washington’s big men was still important and will continue to be for the duration of this series. Morris seems to know that this is going to be a rough, hard-fought series. The following quotes come from Jerry Brewer’s recap of Game 1 in the Washington Post.
"Morris and Millsap had a heated exchange after a jump ball in the first half. When asked about the play, Millsap said, “Just two guys playing hard. Just two guys playing hard.”Said Morris: “It is what it is. If we’re going to jostle the whole series, then that’s what it’s going to be.”"
John Wall also commented on the importance of Morris.
"“When he’s playing as well as he did today for us, we’re unstoppable,” Wall said of Morris."
It’s been just one game, but it’s become apparent that this series is going to be a battle. The storylines will continue to pile up as this series progresses.
Will the Hawks ever have an answer for John Wall. Can Atlanta’s big men match the toughness of Washington’s? Will the Wizards’ lackluster bench ever cause them problems against the Hawks’ depth?
Next: Sefolosha Back In The Rotation?
Fans deserve this intriguing series to last seven games. Let’s see what the basketball gods can deliver.