Wiz Steal Game 1 in ATL

The train kept rolling for Paul Pierce and the red-hot Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon, as they rumbled into Philips Arena and took Game 1 from the Atlanta Hawks on their home court.

The Truth started things off for Washington, scoring the team’s first seven points, then the dynamic young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal helped close out the 104-98 win in Atlanta.

Paul finished with 19 points and three rebounds in 31 minutes, still managing to help guide the upstart Wizards through a successful comeback from a double-digit deficit despite dealing with foul trouble in the first and third periods.

“We just made the adjustment,” the future Hall of Famer offered as an explanation for how Washington rallied. “We got back a little better in the second quarter, we closed out to the three-point shooters a little bit better. In the first half they got out in transition, they got a lot of open three-pointers off offensive rebounds or in transition, so I thought once we was able to do that and get our defense set, that’s when we’re at our best. When they’re able to run and get easy opportunities on the break, they’re a tough team, and that’s why they got off to a good start. But once we decided to get back, it was a different ballgame.”

Though the Wizards relied on his late-game heroics numerous times throughout the Round 1 matchup against the Toronto Raptors, it was early on that Paul made his presence most felt on Sunday.

Right out of the gate, Beal committed a turnover and the Hawks got an alley-oop later in the possession to go up 2-0. Paul, not fond of the way things got started, decided to take matters into his own hands.

He drained a midrange jumper on the Wizards’ second trip down the court, then followed it up with a deep triple in transition on their next possession. Beal was off on a long jumper a few seconds later, but Washington forced a turnover and No. 34 converted it into two points, putting the Wizards up 7-5.

“I think when a veteran guy comes out there and is aggressive and knocking down shots, it loosens everybody else up. They’re like ‘alright, it’s time to play,’” Paul said of his early scoring barrage, before then explaining the true identity of the team. “We hang our hats on our defense. I’m happy when I’m able to give a good contribution with my scoring, but at the end of the day it’s our about our defense.”

The Truth got the ball rolling for the Wizards offensively, but after his three early makes, Paul cooled off. The 17-year veteran couldn’t seem to buy a bucket, missing his next six shots as he tried to find the rhythm again, but to no avail.

As he went cold, the Wizards suffered, and Atlanta quickly jumped out to an 11-point lead after the first period. He finally got a triple to fall in transition in the final minute of the first half to break the skid and give both himself and his team some momentum heading into the break.

The Wizards endured quite a scare in the second period when Wall came down hard on a drive and landed awkwardly on his wrist. The All-Star point guard stayed on the floor for a few moments, writhing in pain, and Washington quickly used a timeout to ensure the 24-year-old star was OK.

Wall didn’t miss a second of action with his injury, but he continued to grasp his lower arm during dead balls and seemed to be in a fair amount of pain. Still, sticking by Paul’s midseason motto of “You can’t break steel,” the young point guard toughed it out and finished the game spectacularly.

“It’s more my hand, the pressure went to my hand,” Wall explained after the game. “But I’ll be alright, I’ll be ready on Tuesday. If it ain’t broke, I’ll play through anything.”

Any time the Hawks made a run in the first half that threatened to turn the game lopsided, the Wizards fought back.

Atlanta went up by eight, Washington tied it back up. Atlanta went up by 11, Washington whittled it down to five. The Hawks led by 10 at halftime, then Kyle Korver hit a long jumper to open the second-half scoring and increase the lead to a game-high 12 points.

The Hawks, who had obviously seen what The Truth did to the Raptors time and again in the first series, were extra careful to not let him get hot. Wary of his late first half triple, Atlanta threw double-teams at Paul for much of the early part of the third period.

Recognizing the added pressure on himself led to opportunities for the other Wizards to get better looks, Paul played the role of a decoy, calling for the ball and waiting for the second defender to flock to him, then he kicked it back out to Wall or Beal, who would swing it around to the open man.

This offensive strategy allowed Washington to trim the lead down to four, but a few misses in a row gave Atlanta a chance to bump it back up to 11 again. The defense began sagging off No. 34, realizing that he was picking apart the double-team, so Paul took advantage of the newly-found breathing room and rattled off five straight points for his squad.

The Truth then got rung up for two quick fouls and was forced to the bench for the remainder of the third period with four personals.

Paul said the game was important for the young squad, which is still very inexperienced in postseason play, as it taught the players about sacrificing minutes and shots for the good of the team. He explained that when players stay active on the bench, it gives the guys on the floor an extra boost, and when that happens, the reserves are better prepared for situations like when Paul was dealing with foul trouble.

“That’s what team is, it’s all about sacrificing,” he said after the game. “Not getting mad when you don’t play the minutes that you play in the regular season, not get mad when your number’s not called. That’s a true teammate, when guys are on the bench cheering when

[the starters are in] and when the starters come out, they’re doing the same thing. There’s going to be a time in this series where you might get your opportunity, you never know. So it’s about team and pulling for the next man. That’s what we’re all about.”

The Wizards would be OK without Paul though, as they used the momentum the former NBA Finals MVP gave them before coming out and rode it to eight straight points.

Washington tied the game briefly on two occasions before the third period ended, but it headed into the fourth with a two-point deficit. The Wiz rattled off back-to-back buckets to open the final frame and quickly took a two-point lead, then head coach Randy Wittman brought No. 34 off the bench to close out the game.

Shortly after entering, Paul drove to the basket and drew contact by Atlanta center Al Horford, his fifth foul of the game. Paul knocked down both free throws, extending the lead to a then-game-high six points, but the Hawks bounced back with a quick 7-2 run to make it a one-point game.

And that’s when he showed Atlanta what he’s shown to Toronto so many times over the last two years: that nobody can handle The Truth.

The crafty veteran expertly maneuvered his way through a trio of Hawks defenders to find his way to the elbow, where he coolly drained a jumper to push the lead back to three with less than six minutes left and silence the Atlanta crowd.

That shot proved to be the dagger, as the Hawks never got within one point again. Solid defense and a bit of luck—the Hawks piled up nine offensive rebounds in the period but scored just three second-chance points—allowed Washington to hold on for the Game 1 upset and remain undefeated in the 2015 postseason.

When a reporter asked Paul what he learned about his team after a gritty comeback win against a team that dominated the Wizards in the regular season, The Truth deadpanned and delivered the perfect response.

“I learned nothing. I learned nothing today,” he said. “Everything that happened today was stuff I already knew about us. I knew we were a resilient team, I knew we played with a lot of grit, I knew we had heart, that’s just us. That’s our identity.”

Paul played the final 9:20 of the contest, receiving the most fourth-quarter minutes of any starter, and it’s no coincidence that Washington outscored Atlanta 23-15 in the period, holding the Hawks to a meager 5-for-28 shooting.

NEXT UP

Both teams remain in Atlanta for Game 2, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening at Philips Arena.

Little should change for the Wizards in terms of game plan, though they will likely pay closer attention to sharpshooter DeMarre Carroll, who rattled off 21 first-half points but was stifled to the tune of just three points in the second half.

Though Carroll had an exceptional first half, Paul was certainly not caught off guard by the young forward who is wrapping up a breakout season. Years ago, The Truth made an attempt to bring Carroll to the Celtics after seeing what he could do in a series of pickup games.

Game 2 is set for an 8 p.m. ET tip and can be seen nationally on TNT.

RELATED LINKS

• Wizards hold on to stun Hawks in Atlanta (ESPN, May 3, 2015)
• Paul Pierce postgame interview (Monumental Network, May 3, 2015)
• Greivis Vasquez jealous that Wizards have The Truth (ESPN, April 27, 2015)
• The postseason is where Pierce is most comfortable (USA Today, April 29, 2015)
• Pierce and Wizards support Washington Capitals (Total Pro Sports, April 28, 2015)
• Pierce commends Deron Williams for big performance (ESPN, April 28, 2015)