Smooth Performance of the Night: Horford dominates Nets on both ends
The Atlanta Hawks cruised to a stunning 60-win season thanks in large part to a breathtaking, team-oriented offense that relies on movement and spreading the wealth, but if the last two seasons have taught us anything, it's that the Hawks go as Al Horford goes.
And the three-time All-Star sure led the way in Wednesday's thrilling Game 5 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
After a couple of setbacks in Games 3 and 4, Horford was simply dominant on both ends of the court in Game 5, finishing with 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go with 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.
Most 20 Pts, 15 Reb Games in Postseason
Hawks Franchise Last 30 Seasons
Al Horford 2
Moses Malone 2
Josh Smith 2
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 30, 2015
Horford's performance was only the 15th 20-15-5-2-2 playoff game since 1986, joining Charles Barkley, Ralph Sampson, Larry Nance, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James as one of nine players to accomplish the feat over the last 30 years.
Atlanta's one-five pick-and-(short) roll with Horford and Jeff Teague was particularly effective against a helpless Nets defense that could do nothing but watch as Horford punished them with his patented free-throw-line jumper.
On the defensive end, Horford played a key role in slowing down Nets center Brook Lopez, who was limited to a series-low 15 points and three rebounds on 4-of-13 shooting, and even switched onto swingman Joe Johnson at times in the fourth quarter, providing decent resistance considering the size difference between the two players.
| Brook Lopez | Minutes | FG | +/- | Net Rtg per 100 poss. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horford on | 27 | 2/10 | -11 | -18.0 |
| Horford off | 11 | 2/3 | +4 | +13.7 |
DeMarre Carroll, who finished with a game-high 24 points, was in contention for the night's Smooth Performance honor at halftime, but it's worth noting that nine of Carroll's 19 first-half points came via Horford assists.
Performances like this remind us why the Hawks, who were a top-three team in the East before Horford went down with injury last season and then finished 8th, took off this season right around the time Horford began to shake off the injury rust and look like his usual self.