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VIDEO: Pierce hits clutch 3 and calls 'series' but Horford responds with game-winner

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports / reuters

Somehow, the Atlanta Hawks haven't received the message yet. Luckily, Al Horford doesn't give a damn.

The Hawks inexplicably left Paul Pierce open for multiple clutch triples in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's Game 5 against the Washington Wizards, and it looked as if Pierce had sunk them for a second time in this series.

With eight seconds left on the clock, Pierce canned a corner triple - because that's why he's here - giving Washington an 81-80 lead and a likely 3-2 hold on the series.

Paul Pierce hits the three to take the lead.

It was Pierce's second open triple of the fourth quarter after a quiet opening three frames, an inexcusable paucity of defensive awareness from the Hawks.

It also allowed Pierce to one-up his banked-in Game 3 winner, during which he called "Game." After the go-ahead triple, Pierce went a step further, calling an end to the best-of-seven a little prematurely.

But eight seconds is a lot of time, and Horford was an absolute beast on Wednesday, unwilling to let John Wall's return and further Pierce heroics swing the series for good.

The Hawks ran a play for Dennis Schroder, of all people, and Wall got a piece of it for a block. Horford bull-rushed the paint, wrestled the rebound away from Nene, and sunk the put-back for the 82-81 lead, the victory and a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Al Horford calls game.

Watch this rebounding effort from Horford again:

The way Horford comes in to take the rebound in the sea of bodies.

That's an incredible piece of timing and strength, and the ability to get the ball back up for a look at the rim is impressive. It was all par for the course for Horford in Game 5, as the likely max-contract recipient finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and five blocks while shooting 10-of-18 and hitting a late triple of his own.

Pierce better hope his "series" call was inaccurate.

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