National Basketball Association

NBA playoffs: Deron Willams turns back the clock, Nets even series

Published Apr. 28, 2015 2:59 a.m. ET

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Here is the best from Monday's playoff games:

Best “Where have you been?” performance: Deron Williams

Williams was terrible through the first three games of the Hawks-Nets series, averaging just 6.0 points and 5.3 assists on 26.9 percent shooting. He hit rock bottom in games 2 and 3, shooting a combined 2 of 15 from the field and further perpetuating the notion that he can't handle the playoff pressure in Brooklyn.

Williams' reaction to missing the potentially game-tying shot in Game 2 summed up his 2015 playoff experience up until this point:

That was until Monday, when Williams uncorked a vintage performance in Game 4, breaking DeMarre Carroll's ankles along the way:

Williams finished with 35 points (13-of-25 shooting), 5 rebounds and 7 assists in a 120-115 overtime win to tie the series at 2-2. He was more assertive than in the first three games, using his decisive size advantage over Atlanta's point guards to attack from the post and find easy baskets for himself and his teammates. He also just let it fly, as evident by his 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc (and key barrage in the fourth to cut down the Hawks' double-digit lead).

Considering the stakes and how he had played recently, this may have been Wiliams' best, if not most important, game as a Net. It's unclear how sustainable this performance is -- it's unlikely he replicates anything close to this for the rest of the postseason -- but it's encouraging to see that Williams can still play at an elite level.

Best buzzer-beater:

When Williams wasn't operating out of the post, attacking out of the pick-and-roll or spotting up, he was hitting ridiculous shots like this:

Best “Where have you been?” performance, pt. 2: Damian Lillard

With their season on the line, the Portland Trail Blazers needed a heroic performance from one, if not both, of their stars to stave off the Memphis Grizzlies and force a Game 5.

LaMarcus Aldridge’s 18 points and 12 rebounds were close to his season averages, but he shot just 6 of 22 from the field and never found his offensive rhythm. That didn’t matter, though. Damian Lillard, who has struggled for most of the series, picked up the slack with 32 points, including 12 in the decisive fourth quarter, and 7 assists.

Similar to Williams, Lillard converted on plays -- like the insane spin-move and reverse finish below -- that he hadn’t been able to make earlier in the series:

If Lillard can ride this momentum into Game 5, the Blazers might be able to grind out another win over the Mike Conley-less Grizzlies and bring the series back to Portland.

Best circus shots of the playoffs:

When was the last time Pachulia made two Vine-worthy shots in the same game (or ever)?

Butler is a renowned defender, but Pachulia got the best of him here with a crafty pump-fake and an unbelievable and-1 finish:

And then ... words can't even explain this running bank-shot:

Best go-ahead basket:

Lillard is one of the game's top four-point play threats, so it's only fitting his game-wnning basket was an and-1 from deep:

Best stat line: Michael Carter-Williams, G, Bucks: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks

There were several factors that went into the Milwaukee Bucks’ impressive 94-88 Game 5 victory in Chicago -- the Bucks held the Bulls to just 34.4 percent shooting and 36 points in the paint, Khris Middleton continued providing the Bucks’ only consistent source of offense, John Henson grabbed 14 rebounds and held his own inside -- but chief among them was Carter-Williams’ monster night.

Carter-Williams affected almost every facet of the game, nearly collecting a triple-double and swaying the game considerably in the last five minutes. His runner over Derrick Rose with 4:24 remaining gave the Bucks a five-point lead and all but sealed the victory -- the Bulls momentarily pulled to within four points with about one minute left, but the contest was never closer than that.

On the ensuing possession, Jimmy Butler attacked an unprepared Bucks defense and had his shot rejected by Carter-Williams, who did his part to hound the Bulls starting backcourt of Rose and Butler -- who shot a combined 10-for-41 from the field -- with his size, length and quick feet. While he didn’t score again the rest of the way, Carter-Williams claimed three crucial defensive rebounds and assisted Henson for a timely layup.

Though Carter-Williams has been frustrating and inconsistent as a Buck, including in this series, he has the potential to be their best player on any given night. That can tilt this surprisingly close matchup in their favor, as it did in Game 5.

Best series no one saw coming: Hawks-Nets

Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a series. This was projected to be the most-lopsided -- or second-most, depending on how much confidence you had in the Boston Celtics -- series in the East, but it has actually been the best.

Every game has been decided by eight or fewer points, and neither team seems to have a palpable advantage at this point. Sure, the Hawks have home-court advantage and are objectively the better team, but if Williams' shot had fallen in Game 2, we could be looking at a 3-1 advantage for the eighth-seeded Nets. This series could honestly go either way.

Atlanta, arguably the second-best team in the regular season, looks frighteningly pedestrian. If it survives this series, which is still the most likely outcome, the Hawks are going to have their hands full with a red-hot and rested Washington Wizards team.

Best bear-hugging a ref moment: Zaza Pachulia

Oh, Zaza. You're one of a kind.

(h/t Zach Harper, Vinnyviner, Grizzlam, BBALLBREAKDOWN, NBA Miner)