Wall takes over Game 1 vs. Hawks with transcendent 3rd quarter

Almost by himself, John Wall turned a three-point halftime deficit into a seven-point Washington Wizards lead heading into the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

Wall's preposterous third quarter saw him dominate in the open floor, crack open the Hawks' defense in the half court, slash to the hoop, drain jumpers, set up teammates - the works. He poured in 15 points and dished four assists, with a smattering of highlight-reel plays thrown in for good measure.

Particularly notable here: his savage stop-and-go crossover move on Kent Bazemore, followed by an acrobatic finish at the rim; his perfect lob feeds to Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat; and, to cap it all off in appropriate fashion, his Michael Jordan shrug after getting a friendly roll on his second 3-ball of the quarter.

That quarter was the difference in the game. The Wizards won 114-107, and were never really threatened again. Wall finished with a playoff career-high 32 points, to go along with 14 assists.