April 27, 2015, Queens, NY Don’t call it a comeback. Deron Williams scored 35 points and revived the Nets’ hopes to beat the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks, by a score of 120-115 in overtime. Williams shot 13 for 25 from the field (52%), had 7 assists, three steals, and pulled down 5 rebounds. Most impressive about D-Wills’ performance was his accuracy from beyond the arc where he hit seven treys on eleven attempts. Brook Lopez continued his outstanding play scoring 26 points on 11 for 19 shooting, grabbing 10 rebounds, and swatting 4 shots. Joe Johnson, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Thaddeus Young scored 17, 15, and 10 points respectively. DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Teague both led the Hawks in scoring with 20 points apiece. Kyle Korver continued to disappoint even though he added 16 points, but he shot only 4 for 13 from three-point land.
The series moves back to Atlanta for game five. If the Nets can get a win on the Hawks’ home turf, they can wrap up the series at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, on Friday, May 1. While many of the experts picked the 60-win Hawks to sweep the Nets, the Nets were not your typical eighth seed. Their roster, at least on paper, was formidable enabling them to give any team in the Eastern Conference a good tussle. If Deron Williams can repeat his stellar play, the Nets will be in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at cliffb@puresportsny.com.