Led by a 35-point performance from Deron Williams, the Brooklyn Nets were able to win their second-straight game versus the Atlanta Hawks with a 120-115 overtime victory.
Suddenly, we have a series between the Hawks and the Nets. Those who have been saying all along that the Hawks style of play will doom them come playoff time are beginning to salivate at the possibility of being right…but lets not get too excited yet. Brooklyn did what they were supposed to do, they won at home. Now the series heads back to Atlanta, but no need to panic just yet Hawks fans, you have the Nets right where you want them. At home.
There were a few weird things that occurred during in Game 4 that probably will not happen again, and one thing in particular that is not necessary.
For starters, Deron Williams scored 35 points; there is a good chance that will not happen again. Kudos to Williams though for showing us why he is always considered among the best point guards in the league. He shot the ball, was even 7-for-11 from the three-point line (perhaps that was a Beyonce tribute, who knows?). While Williams played great and Brook Lopez chipped in with 26 points of his own, this probably will not happen again.
Another thing that was weird was the amount of uncontested shots the Hawks missed. According to the guys on ESPN’s First Take, Atlanta shot 30 percent on uncontested shots. This will not happen in Atlanta unless they shoot with their eyes closed. Also, if this is Brooklyn’s new defensive strategy, it’s not going to work.
Another strange event which was proven to be unnecessary in Games 1 and 2, was that Atlanta considerably out-rebounded the Nets. The Hawks accumulated 55 rebounds while Brooklyn tallied 41. Atlanta has proven they don’t need to out-rebound the Nets to beat them.
What we can expect in Game 5 is for Brooklyn to think they have a chance against Atlanta now that they’re on a winning streak of sorts. We can also expect Atlanta to play better because they will be at home; this means they won’t miss all those open shots they missed in Brooklyn. Also, do not be surprised if the defense is better from both teams as well.
I’m sure something else weird will happen but one thing’s for sure, we have a series now.