Here are three random, but detailed takes from the Hawks' exciting 114-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets -- a road triumph which puts Atlanta one step closer to 60 victories:
Give the Nets credit for a sterling comeback in the fourth quarter, trailing by 12 at the start and then grabbing a one-point lead with three minutes left.
But the Hawks deserve equal kudos for their sublime finishing kick, which included a slashing layup from point guard Jeff Teague (putting Atlanta up 110-109 with 1:38 left) and perhaps the most beautiful screen-and-roll play of the year in the final minute.
With 33 seconds left, and the Hawks down by one, forward DeMarre Carroll rebounded his own missed shot, allowing coach Mike Budenholzer to call a timeout.
On the subsequent inbounds, the Nets -- and just about everyone inside The Barclays Center -- knew Kyle Korver would get the ball, somehow, some way. And that's exactly what happened, with Teague dribbling from the left side and passing to Korver off a baseline curl along the right side.
And that's where things broke down for the Nets: Center Brook Lopez came perilously high to defend the passing lane, and when Korver fielded the ball, he quickly tossed a bullet pass to center Al Horford, who rolled to the basket and threw down an easy dunk.
Which brings us to this: Why did Nets guard Deron Williams trail Korver on the baseline screen, knowing that Atlanta only needed a two-pointer to reclaim the lead? (As in, who cares if Korver takes a long three?) By doing so, it put Lopez in the extremely awkward position of momentarily defending two players -- roughly 17 feet apart. (It didn't work.)
In this case, Williams should have cut through the passing lane, forcing Korver to dribble-drive his way for the potential game-winning hoop.
Atlanta's offensive execution was picture-perfect. On defense, though, the Hawks were more lucky than good. The Nets' frontcourt -- with Lopez playing a lead role -- had four solid opportunities (three putbacks, one jumper) to grab the lead in the final seconds; but none of the attempts found the basket (preceding Teague's defensive rebound).
During that tense time, you could feel the Nets' desperation for collecting the victory and staying ahead of the Celtics in the East standings. Instead, Brooklyn and Boston are tied at 36-42 (7th and 8th slots) ... barely holding off Indiana and Miami (both 35-43) as the regular season's final stretch approaches.
The Hawks (59-19), who have already clinched the East's top playoff seed, had one nugget of motivation on Wednesday: The club has the right to take the Nets' first-round pick in the June draft (thanks to the Joe Johnson trade) -- which might end up as a lottery selection (if Brooklyn misses the playoffs).
Let's see. By my count, seven of the nine Atlanta players shot 45 percent or better against Brooklyn, with Horford (24 points on 11 of 20 shooting), Carroll (19 points on 7 of 13) and reserve Mike Scott (20 points on 7 of 14 shooting) leading the way -- from the realms of supremacy and proficiency.
Korver (nine points) was similarly stellar against the Nets, albeit from a different perspective: He only hit on three of six shots for the night, but tallied seven asissts (including the game-winner to Horford) and racked up a superb on-court ratio of plus-25.
Oh, and did we mention the Hawks scored 65 points in the opening half ... with nary a bad shot during the entire 24-minute span?
Not bad for a club playing on back-to-back nights ... and dealing with the supposed distraction of Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha getting arrested in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
A FOX Sports South reader posed the question earlier this week: "Has a 60-win team (modern day) ever lost in the first round of the NBA Playoffs?"
I sheepishly replied, yes, it's happened twice:
In 1994, the Seattle Supersonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) claimed the West's No. 1 seed with a 63-19 ... but quickly fell to 8-seeded Denver in the decisive Game 5 (Round 1).
(Cue the YouTube clip of Dikembe Mutombo celebrating after the Nuggets' shocking upset, while lying on the floor with the ball.)
And in 2007, the 67-15 Dallas Mavericks -- led by seasonal MVP Dirk Nowitzki (per-game averages: 24.6 points/8.9 rebounds) -- ran into the human buzzsaw known as Baron Davis, who led the Golden State Warriors (42-40) to a stunning six-game upset of the West's premier club.
During the series, Davis averaged 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists per outing, while helping the Warriors roll for 100-plus points in their final four games.
For the question-poser's sake, I wonder if he has doubts about the Hawks getting out of the first round in two weeks.
And if so ... why?
While it would be foolish to guarantee a berth in the Eastern Conference or NBA finals this spring, I will say this:
This Atlanta team has maintained a razor-sharp focus for essentially an entire season; and of equal relevance, the Hawks possess better spacing and passing acumen than any other team in the East.
So, why should they care if amped-up postseason intensity entails more half-court possessions and fewer fast-break opportunities?
