For the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, there would be no Paul Pierce blasts from the past, no questionable defensive strategies on the final play and no communication gaps between player and coach in the post-game media session.
Just methodical proficiency from an ultra-focused team in must-win mode.
The Hawks' 106-101 road triumph over the Wizards was more than a victory which squared this Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-all.
It was also a clear message that Atlanta has little fear of Washington's one-on-one or help defense on dribble-drives to the basket -- especially with All-Star guard John Wall (hand/wrist fractures) sidelined by injury.
"From a defensive standpoint, I thought their guards broke us down too much," said Wizards coach Randy Wittman, lamenting the Hawks' point-guard tandem of Jeff Teague (team-high 26 points, eight assists) and Dennis Schroder combining for 40 points and 16 assists. "And that's going to be an issue moving forward."
The Hawks as a whole, were firing on all cylinders from the get-go, attacking the basket with gusto and racking up 65 first-half points -- with minimal assistance from the charity stripe or beyond the arc.
"(I liked) the mentality of our group to start the game, the ability to handle both ends of the court," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, alluding to his team's game plan of staying aggressive and forcing the issue near the glass. "We've got to find a way to do that more for the full 48 minutes."
The Hawks sprinkled in some long-range fun, as the game progressed, burying 9 of 19 shots from beyond the arc. In fact, Teague's momentum-thwarting triple with 1:12 left seemingly put the game on ice -- stopping Washington's scoring run at five straight points and boosting Atlanta's lead to seven (104-97).
However, the Wizards refused to surrender until Paul Millsap's game-clinching free throws with less than a second left. A few ticks prior, with Washington down three, Pierce -- Saturday's hero at Verizon Center -- had one last supreme look at the basket, potentially tying the score.
But it missed long, effectively ending Washington's hopes of taking a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. The action shifts back to Atlanta on Wednesday night, with Game 5 at Philips Arena.
"Obviously, there were multiple options (on the Wizards' potential game-tying possession)," recalled Wittman, "but (Pierce's shot) was certainly a good option to have. (Paul) had a pretty good look at the basket."
In the post-game media session, Wittman was visibly bothered by his defense allowing 36 in-the-paint points in the first half alone. But he also found a silver lining with the Wizards remaining competitive until the end, despite never leading after the first quarter.
"For whatever reason, we weren't . . . mentally into what we tried to accomplish in the first half," said Wittman, with a hint of resignation. "But the goal is to get ourselves in position, down the stretch, to win the game; and we did that."
Committing (16) turnovers, "that hurts," said Wittman. "But hey, we will continue to fight, and I like that."
Guard Bradley Beal, who rolled for a game-high 34 points to go with a team-high seven assists, had a good news/bad news perspective about the defeat, as well.
"It was a great opportunity for us to go up at home, but we were still right there, and we didn't even play great," said Beal, who buried 11 of 25 shots from the field (including half of his eight 3-point shots). "We can be frustrated at that; but at the same time, we are still 2-2 and back even.
"So, it's the first to win two games now."
The Hawks only had four scorers in double figures on Monday -- their star contingent of Teague, Schroder, Millsap (19 points, six assists) and Al Horford (18 points, 10 rebounds).
Collectively, that foursome drained 30 of 64 shots (47-percent clip). Of equal relevance, Atlanta notched 30 assists against Washington, prompting Millsap to declare Game 4 as "our best game of the series."
The only downside: Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver struggled for a second consecutive night, connecting on just 2 of 4 shots for six points.
"(Kyle's) never not looking to take a shot," said Budenholzer, wearing a sly grin. "If there's that much effort and that much attention (from Washington's defense), hopefully, there are other opportunities" to score.
The Hawks' craziest play of the first half was easy to identify -- but hard to remember everyone that was involved, since the ball changed hands four times . . . and the Verizon Center folks don't air replays of quality Atlanta baskets:
With Atlanta leading by seven with 5:18 left in the second quarter, Millsap stole the ball from Wizards guard Will Bynum, then lofted a long quarterback-style outlet to DeMarre Carroll, who clean caught the pass but subsequently slipped on the floor.
Carroll recovered just in time to shovel-pass to Korver on the right side, who threw a bullet pass to Millsap at the right elbow, who fired it to the left side at Teague . . . who buried an unmanned triple and boosted the Hawks' advantage to double digits (52-42).
It was the signature moment of a half that featured a seemingly endless parade of layups and point-blank-range jumpers -- highlighting the Hawks' opening strategy and spotlighting the Wizards' porous defense on the help side.
The teams would essentially trade baskets for the remaining minutes of the half, with Atlanta (59-percent shooting from the field, 55 percent from the 3-point range) racing to a 65-55 lead at the break.
On Saturday, the Hawks incurred a last-second loss in Game 3 -- thanks to Pierce's off-balance buzzer-beater from 20 feet out -- that was equal parts devastating, disheartening and encouraging.
The club was obviously disappointed to fall behind 2-1 in the series; but the Atlanta reserves nearly turned a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit into a signature playoff victory for the franchise.
Plus, the Hawks' starters learned that Budenholzer isn't shy about rewarding the reserves during crunch time -- while sending messages to the starters -- even if it meant keeping the team's best defender (Carroll) on the sidelines during the final possession.
