In this and every American sports springtime, the glory of the NBA and NHL playoffs is revealed in a number of specific moments.
Naturally, Game 7s stand apart. Game 6s in which the lower seed is trying to close out a series occupy another lofty place in our imaginations. Recall LeBron James changing his legacy forever by scoring 45 points in Game 6 at Boston in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, saving the Miami Heat from elimination.
Other than Game 7s and 3-2 series with the lower seed hosting Game 6, there’s one other scenario which has the power to unmask the men who compete for professional championships at this time of year: The 2-1 series in which the lower seed hosts Game 4. This is when a team with 60 (or 67) wins in the regular season has to prove that it can be its best regular-season self in a specific moment of playoff significance. After playing nearly 90 games, a highly-seeded team has to deliver the goods on one night in a series that hasn’t been going its way.
I live for these kinds of occasions. Chances are you love them as well.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 4 on the road when trailing a series, 2-1.
The Golden State Warriors did the same.
The Houston Rockets utterly failed.
What about the Atlanta Hawks against the gallant and determined but still John Wall-less Washington Wizards?
If Cleveland won the most thrilling Game 4 of them all, and if Golden State unfurled the most impressive Game 4 performance from the past two days, Atlanta didn’t grab the same headlines — no LeBron James hitting a buzzer-beater; no Steph Curry playing like an MVP — but the Hawks certainly weren’t the Houston Rockets after looking alarmingly like Kevin McHale’s team in Game 3 in the District of Columbia on Saturday.
The Hawks didn’t deliver an emphatic performance — not over 48 complete minutes — and they still made the endgame phase far less comfortable than it could have or should have been, but they did outplay Washington for most of Game 4. They showed the poise and precision befitting the 60-win team they were for five and a half months.
Yes, Dennis Schroder (both halves) and Paul Millsap (first half) provided hugely valuable minutes for the Hawks. Yes, Al Horford was solid enough over the first three quarters that his balky fourth quarter wasn’t overly concerning (or decisive in a negative sense). Yet, it was unmistakably clear who was — and is — the heartbeat of the Hawks. On a team which prides itself on its balance and diversity — a team without superstars, but a lot of equally capable scoring threats — a big dog has to take charge in the crucible of a Game 4, down 2-1 in a playoff series.
Jeff Teague stamped himself as that player for Atlanta.
It wasn’t just the 26 points and 8 assists in 32 minutes, though such numbers are genuinely eye-popping, especially when translated into per-48-minute stats (39 and 12, just so you don’t have to do the math). What stood out about Teague’s performance is how utterly forceful and fearless it was.
Teague attacked the basket throughout the night, setting a tone Schroder picked up on. He threw himself into the fray on defense, making a key steal in the fourth quarter to thwart the Wizards’ consistent attempts to permanently turn this game in their favor. Teague gained offensive rebounds in traffic, outfighting the Wizards’ bigs and wings to create second-chance points. It was the totality of Teague’s display — urgent in every phase of play, at both ends of the floor — which imprinted itsel on the mind’s eye as much as his three-pointer with 1:12 left which gave the Hawks a seven-point lead and enabled them to survive in the last minute.
It’s true that Paul Pierce missed a tying three in the final five seconds, getting wide open on a play when the Hawks failed to switch. However, after making each of his first five triples on Monday, Pierce finally showed that he was mortal… just enough for Atlanta to escape.
Teague provided the measure of the margin by which the Hawks saved their season.
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It is not a complicated tale, but the lack of complexity does not in any way diminish its power or significance.
Game 4s of 2-1 series in which the lower seed leads are magnificent revealers of higher-seeded teams. The NBA — not being subjected (as much) to the proverbial “lucky bounce” that is so important in the NHL playoffs — is consistent in requiring star players to answer the call in these kinds of playoff situations. There’s a beautiful cleanness and a resonant clarity in the NBA’s ability to show what’s deep inside hearts and bones and marrow at this point in the season.
LeBron answered that call for Cleveland in his Game 4 hour of crisis. Steph Curry did so for Golden State in his Game 4 moment of truth, also away from home.
Jeff Teague became this man for Atlanta.
There is no longer any doubt about the player who leads the Hawks — maybe not in terms of veteran presence, but in terms of being the man who needs to be great in order for his team to be great as well. If you were to ask the Hawks which player they most need to be on top of his game, Al Horford would probably rate as No. 2.
Jeff Teague is No. 1, though… and he was certainly the one who rose above the moment in a Game 4 cauldron.
Now, the Atlanta Hawks, having regained their regular-season identity — if only for one night — have a roadmap out of the second round, and into the first Eastern Conference Finals series in franchise history.