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Lichtenstein: D-Will, Nets Turnarounds Get Big Assist From Hollins

By Steve Lichtenstein
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Someone get me down from this cloud. I must be dreaming, right?

Who are these Brooklyn Nets, and what have they done with the crew that played basketball for much of the regular season like millennials on a job search (i.e. very casually)?

Truth be told, they're the same guys who just willed the Nets to a thrilling 120-115 overtime victory over top-seeded Atlanta on Monday at a raucous Barclays Center. The win evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series no one expected to be this close at 2-2 with Game 5 slated for Wednesday in Atlanta.

Much of the credit for Monday's triumph will deservedly go to embattled point guard Deron Williams. D-Will's redemptive 35-point effort on 13-for-25 shooting (including 7-for-11 from behind the three-point line) also seemed to come out of nowhere, considering he was a miserable 2-for-15 from the floor in the prior two games.

Williams, fortunately, was the beneficiary of a big-time assist—from his coach.

Lionel Hollins, the 61-year-old former point guard, publicly expressed support for his player after many in the media (including myself) plus former teammate and current Washington Wizard Paul Pierce took shots at Williams for his failings as the Nets' supposed signature superstar.

Hollins' vote of confidence seemed perfunctory at the time, but it (as well as more kind words from teammates and others close to Williams) may have indeed motivated Williams into playing at a higher level.

"I thanked him (Hollins) today after the game," said Williams. "It definitely means a lot when you're struggling like that and your coach comes out and defends what you did. It says a lot about him and how much he cares about not only me but this team."

It's one of several subtleties of Hollins' short reign in Brooklyn that have helped turn a team that many felt didn't even belong in the postseason into one that has downright put the fear of god into the 60-win Hawks.

Another example is the maturation of center Brook Lopez from a player with a singular skill (scoring) into a more well-rounded professional. Rebounding (on both backboards), defense, passing out of double teams—these areas have all improved under Hollins' sometimes-coarse guidance.

Hollins was most pleased that Lopez's biggest play on Monday had nothing to do with his 26 points. It occurred with the Nets trailing, 113-111, with about 1:30 remaining in the overtime when Williams found Lopez with one of his patented pocket passes. Ten times out of 10 during the regular season, Lopez shoots in that position.

"He (Lopez) got the ball in the lane," said Hollins. "Kyle Korver or DeMarre Carroll came over to take him away. He did a pirouette and threw it out to (Bojan Bogdanovich in the left corner) and Bogie hit the big three."

"To me," Hollins continued, "those type of plays are just as important as the rebounding, just as important as the scoring. You've got to get on the floor and get loose balls. All of those type of things contribute to winning."

Bogdanovich's three-pointer gave the Nets a lead they would not relinquish and left the Hawks muttering to themselves in confusion over what just happened in Brooklyn these last few days.

"We had our opportunities that we didn't take advantage of," said Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer. "This is a great challenge for us going home. This is what the playoffs are all about."

Make no mistake, the Hawks are clearly the better team. Budenholzer's system—with the spacing, passing and multiple long-range threats--is downright Spurs-ian (which isn't a coincidence considering that Budenholzer was an assistant to Gregg Popovich in San Antonio for 15 years). It's a wonder when any of the Hawks' offensive possessions gets stopped.

Yet the Nets, who went just 38-44 during the regular season and lost all four meetings with the Hawks (three by comfortable margins), have found a way to get back into the series after dropping the first two games in Atlanta. In the chess game of postseason adjustments, Hollins has had a counter for every Hawk tweak.

On Monday, the Hawks made a concerted effort to prioritize pounding the offensive glass over sending five guys back in transition defense. The result was 18 offensive rebounds and a 20-12 advantage in second-chance points.

That wrinkle didn't deter Hollins at the start of the fourth quarter from going with an ultra-small lineup, using slim forward Thaddeus Young at center with four guards (Williams, Bogdanovich, Jarrett Jack, and Alan Anderson). Though it allowed the Nets to be more flexible with defensive switches, Hollins was actually sending out a unit that risked further exacerbating the Nets' rebounding woes.

During the regular season, that sort of configuration typically drew my ire. Except the new Nets then proceeded to go on a 13-6 run to trim an eight-point deficit down to one point, putting the Barclays Center crowd into a frenzied state.

More important than any strategy, Hollins has these Nets playing with a passion, an attention to detail on the defensive end, and unselfishness on offense that has made them virtually unrecognizable from what was seen on most of their regular season films.

When the Nets were searching for their fourth coach in three years following Jason Kidd's acrimonious departure to Milwaukee, the biggest "pro" on Hollins' ledger was his record in Memphis of getting his players to buy into how they can improve both individually and collectively each year.

We're not a patient bunch here in New York City, so when the Nets floundered for much of 2014 and into 2015, Hollins bore a good chunk of the criticism.

Now we're starting to see the fruits of Hollins' labors. And it has altered not just the state of the series, but also the state of the franchise.

For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.

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