The Brooklyn Nets have defied the odds by punching and counterpunching their way to a 2-2 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series tie with the #1 seeded Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks? They're just trying to hold on for dear life and escape a first-round disaster.
Here's our sneak preview of Tuesday's pivotal Game 5 in the ATL.
Projected Starting Lineups
(All stats based on playoff performance only)
(8) Brooklyn Nets (38-44)
G Deron Williams – 13.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.8 apg
G Bojan Bogdanovic – 11.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
F Joe Johnson – 17.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.8 apg
F Thaddeus Young – 11.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg
C Brook Lopez – 21.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg
(1) Atlanta Hawks (60-22)
G Jeff Teague – 16.3 ppg, 6.5 apg
G Kyle Korver – 14.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg
F DeMarre Carroll – 15.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg
F Paul Millsap – 14.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg
C Al Horford – 12.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg
What to watch for:
What will Deron Williams do for an encore?
The eye test didn't lie on Monday. With D-Will dipping through traffic like he did in his prime, swirling out to the arc to drain jumpers or slashing to the rim like a herky-jerky marionette, the Nets' offense flourished. He doesn't need to drop 35 on the Hawks again for Brooklyn to steal this one. He just needs to build off the confidence from Game 4 while once again winning the battle of point guards with Jeff Teague.
If he does so, Brooklyn may very well go back to New York with a chance to close out a colossal first-round upset.
Prediction: Hawks win 104-99
This series just feels like it's going seven. Atlanta should bounce back with an inspired performance in front of their home crowd, but there's a good chance this series returns to the ATL for a winner-takes-all Game 7.
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