This was supposed to be the tune-up series for an Atlanta Hawks team that didn't exactly limp into the playoffs but they weren't the buzzsaw we witnessed night in and night out before the All-Star break. The Brooklyn Nets did limp into the playoffs, almost making the postseason by default as the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat couldn't capitalize on very easy situations to make the playoffs. So far in this series, the Hawks haven't put their stamp on the Nets and the Nets have actually shown quite a bit of resistance.
It happened again in Game 3 as the Hawks no longer had a new home crowd to feed off of when the times got tough. The Nets have been bad at the Barclays Center all season, but they looked like they had a bit of a home court advantage as the Hawks seemed rattled with missed shots and fumbled passes around the basket. The Nets took advantage and used a 19-0 run in the second half to take control of the game for good. They won 91-83 and have managed to avoid the assumed sweep.
Now can they make things harder for the Hawks throughout the rest of this series?
Here are three things to take away from Nets-Hawks Game 3:
1. NETS DEFENSE WAS INCREDIBLE IN THIS GAME, CLIPPED THE HAWKS' WINGS
You don't see the 3-point line taken away from the Hawks like this often. The perfect example of how well the Nets defended in this game is finding the possessions in which the Hawks killed ticks on the clock trying to find an open Kyle Korver. It just wasn't allowed and so when Korver did catch the ball without much space, he'd either have to pass off without much threat of creating anything or he'd rush a jumper off-balance, which you almost never see. Joe Johnson, Bojan Bodganovic, and Alan Anderson tracked Korver like a celebrity stalker, waiting for him to let his guard down so they could pounce.
Usually when a team takes away the Hawks' best shooter, it opens up space for the rest of the team. That didn't happen much today. Despite his horrendous series on offense, Deron Williams' defense has been really good by taking away a lot of the driving angles and passing lanes typically there for Jeff Teague. When Teague can't get into the lower tiers of the defense and make the opponent collapse, it takes away the scramble that this Hawks' offense often forces for opposing defenses.
DeMarre Carroll was able to feast off of the attention spread everywhere else, but Teague (12 points, 4-of-13 shooting, six assists) wasn't able to get going. Neither could Al Horford (seven points, 3-of-12 shooting, five assists) nor the bench (22 points on 8-of-27 shooting). We don't see this offense struggle like this often.
2. WHERE IS THE VAUNTED HAWKS OFFENSE WE SAW DURING THE FIRST 3.5 MONTHS?
The Hawks started out this game with a 16-point quarter, which is a rarity for them. They've record a 16-point quarter or worse just 20 times this season and only six times have they done that in the first period. The Nets clamped down on them in the first quarter in Game 3 and took away any chance at an extended rhythm throughout the game. This type of quarter is usually bad news for even this incredible Hawks engine. When they score 16 points or less in a quarter this season, they're just 9-11 in those 20 games.
The Nets' defense of the 3-point line was also quite good. They rushed the Hawks out of rhythm on so many looks and made them press a bit in finding shots to bury Brooklyn. It was just the 11th time this season that the Hawks made six 3-pointers or fewer in a game, but this typically hasn't been a knockout punch against Atlanta. They were 8-2 in those games coming into Game 3. This was also the fourth time this season the Hawks shot 20.0 percent or worse from the 3-point line, moving them to 1-3 in those contests.
And the Hawks just couldn't make shots period. For the second straight game, the Nets held the Hawks to under 40.0 percent from the field. Atlanta made just 35.6 percent of their shots in Game 3, getting almost zero rhythm from anywhere on the floor. This was only the second time this season the Hawks shot 35.6 percent from the field or worse and only the ninth time they've been under 40.0 percent from the field. The Nets made the game ugly for the Hawks and that just rarely happens.
3. THIS IS THE BROOK LOPEZ THE NETS RE-SIGNED IN 2012
For years, we've wondered what it would be like for this Nets team if Brook Lopez could just be consistently healthy. And for years, we've been disappointed with his body failing him. Lionel Hollins managed to unlock that inner beast with Lopez halfway through the season and we've seen a much more aggressive Lopez to go with that incredible array of basketball skills on the offensive end of the floor. We've seen him try to bully the smaller defenders in Horford and Pero Antic in this series.
He led the way with 22 points (7-of-18 shooting), 13 rebounds (four offensive), and 12 free throw attempts (making eight of them) in Game 3. He took a couple of questionable shots down the stretch as he seemingly tried to throw that dagger into the Hawks, but they weren't quite in rhythm or the type of shots you'd want him to take. But his overall impact on the game was felt with their interior play. The Nets were plus-18 in the game when he was on the floor.
Lopez is now averaging 19.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and getting to the free throw line 7.3 times. He's a weapon the Hawks have to either let feast and try to take away the other scorers on the floor or take away and dare the other players to beat them.
Game 4 is Monday in Brooklyn with the Hawks up 2-1 in the series.
SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1 – Sun April 19
Game 2 – Wed April 22
Game 3 – Sat April 25
Brooklyn 91, Atlanta 83 - Hawks lead series 2-1
Game 4 – Mon April 27
Atlanta at Brooklyn
Game 5 - Wed April 29
Brooklyn at Atlanta
Game 6 * Fri May 1
Atlanta at Brooklyn
Game 7 * Sun May 3
Brooklyn at Atlanta
