The Atlanta Hawks took a 3-2 lead on the Washington Wizards with a 82-81 victory on Wednesday, with Al Horford making the game-winning layup off an offensive rebound. That play followed a Paul Pierce 3-pointer that had given the Wizards a one-point lead. It was yet another dramatic finish in a second round full of them. Oh, and that John Wall fellow was pretty effective despite five non-displaced fractures in his hand.
Here's what we learned in Game 5.
3. THE FOURTH QUARTER IS GENERALLY A BAD TIME TO STOP SCORING, BUT...
Before the final frame, the Hawks could have explained their 63 points in three quarters as mostly "we missed open shots we're capable of making." That's sort of been the story of the playoffs for them. At the start of the fourth, though, Atlanta got incredibly sloppy. We're talking turnovers, bad shots and a general sense of disorganization that you rarely saw from this team in the regular season. The Wizards' defense was stellar, as it has been all along, but they can't get all the credit for this sort of lull. Washington built a nine-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter.
The Hawks didn't make a field goal in the final frame until a 30-foot bomb from Kyle Korver with 4:56 on the clock. After that, though, Dennis Schröder started making all sorts of plays, including setting up Horford for a huge 3-pointer in the corner. The Hawks ended up going on a 14-0 run, with Washington suddenly providing all the misses and turnovers.
Neither team can be happy with its overall offensive execution, but that's what made the crazy finish possible. While "defensive battles" usually aren't compelling as some old-school folks would have you believe, this was a tense, wild watch.
Al Horford lays it in for the WIN in the #PlayoftheGame presented by @Playstation #GreatnessAwaits http://t.co/iLEeJbEGbd
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 20152. AL HORFORD IS A SUPERSTAR
The theoretical problem with the Hawks is that they don't have a traditional superstar. There are four All-Stars in their starting lineup, but there's nobody who, as Pierce says, really scares you in terms of taking over a game. This performance by Horford calls all of that into question.
Horford was everywhere defensively, covering all sorts of ground and protecting the basket. He had three scream-worthy blocks in the first quarter alone, and finished with a line of 23 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, five blocks and zero turnovers. He shot 10-for-18 from the field, scoring in the halfcourt, in transition, off the dribble and on jump shots. He did it all.
A few minutes before his game-winner, Horford made a huge jumper on one end and blocked Wall's layup attempt on the other. Don't let anybody tell you he can't will a team to victory. This was a herculean effort.
3. JOHN WALL'S BROKEN HAND > YOUR UNBROKEN HAND
You were probably shocked and possibly worried when you found out that Wall was going to be in the Wizards' starting lineup. Wall, however, appeared absolutely ready to go. He made highlight plays right from the start of the game, even throwing a blind, backwards pass. His presence totally transforms Washington offensively, and on the other end he pressured Jeff Teague into another disappointing night -- Atlanta's All-Star point guard had seven turnovers and wasn't even on the floor for most of the fourth quarter.
Wall's numbers weren't insane -- 15 points on 16 shots, four rebounds, seven assists, four steals, two blocks, six turnovers -- but his impact was impossible to ignore. Rather than force shots, he created lots of looks for teammates. Late in the game, he baited Schröder into a layup on a fast break and made the ridiculous block look easy. He also had a key assist to Marcin Gortat, and he fell on a loose ball with no regard for his injury. Wall deserves all the credit in the world for giving it a go and showing few ill effects. It almost, almost resulted in the biggest win of his career. Instead, he and the Wizards face elimination on Friday.
SERIES SCHEDULE, RESULTS
Game 1 - Sunday, May 3
Washington 104, Atlanta 98
Game 2 - Tuesday, May 5
Atlanta 106, Washington 90
Game 3 - Saturday, May 9
Washington 103, Atlanta 101
Game 4 - Monday, May 11
Atlanta 106, Washington 101
Game 5 - Wednesday, May 13
Atlanta 82, Washington 81 -- Washington leads series 3-2
Game 6 - Friday, May 15
Atlanta at Washington, 7 p.m ET (ESPN)
Game 7 * Monday, May 18
Washington at Atlanta, 8 p.m. (TNT) - If necessary
