Atlanta Hawks: Lou Williams should not play until after the half
The Atlanta Hawks have an incredible resource in Lou Williams. He is “instant offense” when he hits the floor, except he has struggled prior to halftime. In the series, Williams is shooting the ball at 41.3 percent from the floor, averaging 3.3 points per game in the first half.
Williams has only made two shots from deep in the first halves, both in the first game. He has only made it to the line four times, all in Game 4. The problem is that the Philadelphia 76ers have gone on large runs during the first half which has put the Hawks under pressure.
Fortunately for the franchise, the Hawks have come back from two out of three of these large deficits which have led to them winning those two games. In fact, Williams was a big part of the 26 point comeback in Game 5 which silenced the 76ers crowd.
The Atlanta Hawks need fourth-quarter Lou Williams.
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Williams plays so much better in the second half of games, well the fourth quarter anyway. In the second half, his shooting improves to 45 percent from the floor, and he averages 4.3 points per game in this series. While this looks to be a minor uptick, as we all know it is the fourth quarter where Williams shines.
He has averaged 3.6 points in this period alone in the 76ers series, shooting at 57.1 percent from the floor. His fourth-quarter heroics this season have become a thing of legend, but he has done this throughout his career. He seems to lock in at the end of games.
His two biggest performances were when the Hawks were down double-digits against the 76ers. Williams had five points on 2-of-3 shooting in the Game 4 come-from-behind victory. Then, in Game 5 where they came back from 26 points down, Williams had 13 fourth-quarter points on 6-of-8 shooting.
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With luck, the Hawks will not find themselves down by as many in Game 7 so Williams is not needed to help be a catalyst for a huge run. However, if the Hawks keep Williams for the second half, he will be at his most dangerous and locked in. He is only averaging 12.8 minutes per game in these playoffs anyway. Might as well all be in the fourth quarter.