Hawks defense leads to Game 7 win over Bucks

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday May 2, 2010 5:24PM

ATLANTA (NBA.com exclusive) -- When Josh Smith pounded Brandon Jennings' shot off the backboard with 9:20 left in the fourth quarter Sunday to trigger thunderous noise in Philips Arena, it was more than the Hawks' eighth blocked shot.

It was the start of a five-second sequence that ended with a Joe Johnson score and summarized how the Hawks put the memory of their stunning Game 5 collapse at home behind them, won Game 6 in Milwaukee Friday and then ripped the visiting Bucks 95-74 in Game 7 Sunday to advance.

In a nutshell: the Hawks D'ed up and shared the rock to earn a second-round matchup against Orlando.

Johnson, who averaged 25.8 points in the first four games of the series, scored just eight points Sunday. Still, the Hawks rolled as Jamal Crawford scored a game-high 22 and Atlanta limited the Bucks to 13 points in the first quarter and 14 in the fourth after holding Milwaukee to 69 points Friday.

The Bucks made just 32.6 percent of their shots after making 32.9 percent in an 83-69 loss in Game 6.

"The only way we get out of this series is we defend. We did that in Milwaukee . . . and then [today]," said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, whose team came under heavy media fire after the Bucks stole Game 5 in Atlanta when a 14-0 fourth-quarter run by Milwaukee led to a 91-87 win. "Everybody on our team has got a lot of heart.

"A lot of you guys wrote us off [after Game 5], and that's a shame because if you understand playoff basketball, anything is possible. These guys didn't stop believing, and . . . to bounce back like we did, and go to Milwaukee and win was unbelievable."

In the end, the Bucks lacked the interior heft and overall depth to keep up with the Hawks, sorely missing injured center Andrew Bogut.

Rookie guard Brandon Jennings scored 15 points and Ersan Ilyasova and Luc Mbah a Moute 13 each, but Milwaukee was slaughtered on the boards, 63-44.

The Hawks held the Bucks to 20 or fewer points in eight of the final 11 quarters in the series, the most egregious exception coming when Milwaukee ripped off a 30-18 bulge in the fourth quarter of Game 5 to end Atlanta's 14-game home winning streak.

"We took them to seven games when everyone had it going only four or five games," said Jennings, who led the Bucks with an 18.7-point average in the series. "We didn't have our best player on the court and we still took this series the distance."

After losing Game 5, the Hawks swung the series back in their direction by opening the third quarter of Game 6 in Milwaukee with a 19-2 run, and only occasionally peeked back over their collective shoulders thereafter.

They held the Bucks to 6-of-20 shooting on the way to a 20-13 first-quarter lead Sunday, and pushed the bulge to 20 points late in the first half.

The game plan since Game 5: work harder, plain and simple.

"Everybody was trusting each other [on switches], and we stayed in front of our man," said Atlanta guard Mike Bibby, who scored 15 points with six rebounds -- more rebounds than every Milwaukee starter.

It's easier to trust on those switches, even against the lightning-quick Jennings, when you've got Smith -- runner-up to Orlando's Dwight Howard for Defensive Player of the Year -- and center Al Horford backstopping. They combined for five blocked shots.

"We were just more in tune to everything, every possession trying to get a stop . . . and that's what we needed to get through the series," Johnson said. "We took the individual challenges, and tried to guard our man, keep them in front of us, and especially Al and Josh when they switched off guys like Salmons and Jennings. We made it tough on them."

The Bucks trailed by 13 at halftime and after three quarters, and never drew closer. Atlanta led by as many as 24 in the second half.

After Smith's aforementioned block, Johnson rebounded, passed and ran. At the other end, Crawford passed up a short-range shot for an even higher percentage shot by Johnson. He converted, and Atlanta led 80-64 with 9:15 left in the game.

That was a theme: every Atlanta started had at least two assists, and Crawford had six off the bench.

"The focus was to put a whole game together," said Horford, who finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. "We knew what was at stake, and we just seized the moment."

For the second straight season, the Hawks have been stretched to seven games in the first round (they beat Miami last spring), and will travel as a heavy underdog. A year ago, the Cavs swept the Hawks in the second round.

On paper, Atlanta's matchup against Orlando looks lopsided as the Magic handed the Hawks three of their worst defeats of the season before Atlanta pulled out a tight win at home in their final matchup of the regular season.

"I don't think it gives them an edge," said Horford, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the first half. "I think we've figured out that if we play hard defensively we always give ourselves a chance to win games. They have a lot of good shooters, and they have Dwight inside. It's going to be a challenge, but we're excited about it."

Note: Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles activated Bogut before the game because NBA rules stipulate that a team must have 12 active players for a game, and Skiles de-activated Charlie Bell as punishment for being late to a meeting Sunday morning. Bogut, who has an injured elbow wrist and hand, was never going to play, but he was dressed in warm-ups.