What Does Paul Millsap’s Big Game Tell Us?

It was rough to watch Paul Millsap dominate the Celtics, but here’s what it showed

Paul Millsap was as dominating as anyone has been against the Boston Celtics this season. The Atlanta Hawks‘ power forward went off for a ridiculous 45 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. Millsap’s 45 points was recorded in only 46 minutes and on 19-of-31 shooting, including three threes. Millsap finished with a playoff career-high, although was a point shy of his career-high of 46 points.

The Celtics had no answer for Millsap in the regular season, which made it weird that he was so quiet in the first three games of the series. The big man didn’t record a double-double in the first three games and was held to a shocking 26 points in the first three games, including shooting 1-of-12 from the field in Game 2.

For as poorly as the Celtics played early in this series, their interior defense was a bright spot. They didn’t give up easy layups and made sure Millsap was always a priority. The Hawks looked towards their guards to pick up the slack as Millsap was held to only nine shot attempts in Game 3, a lot less than the 13.2 shots he averaged in the regular season. He was as big of a part of the Hawks’ gameplan as any this season and it’s clear that they need him to win. They relied on him from the opening tip in Game 4 and continued to feed him the ball.

There was no stopping Millsap for most of the night. Whenever the Celtics put Jared Sullinger on him, he would use his speed and athleticism to blow by him. He would post up guards and shoot over them. When putting a true center on him, like Amir Johnson or Jonas Jerebko, Millsap was able to step back and shoot a mid-range jumper or three.

Without him, the Hawks wouldn’t have stood a chance. He kept them in the game, not only by his all-around play, but also by the attention Boston gave him. Whenever he touched the ball, the Celtics would start to ball-watch and that led to open layups and shots for the Hawks, as well as when they would double-team Millsap and leave a shooter open.

It wasn’t until Brad Stevens opted to put Marcus Smart – a 6’4″ guard – on him that Boston was able to slow him down. As big of an impact Smart had on the offense late in the game, it was his defense that stood out the most. His physical and scrappy play towards Millsap gave him problems. Millsap shot 1-of-5 when guarded by Smart, compared to 18-of-26 when not (69.2 percent).

His one make came when he forced himself down low and took Smart in the paint, however, Smart didn’t allow that to happen again. Smart had active hands and feet and, whenever Millsap got it, he made sure he didn’t give him any air to breathe. While leading the charge on offense, Smart showed why he’s seen 33.5 minutes per game in the playoffs and why many regard him as the best defender on Boston.

Apr 24, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) dunks the ball during the second half in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

You never want to see someone go off for 45 points against you, however, it was telling of the Celtics’ chances for the rest of the series. Smart was able to shutout Millsap in overtime as the Celtics out-scored Atlanta 12-to-3 in the five extra minutes. The biggest takeaway may be how much the Hawks rely on him.

Despite the Celtics being down 2-games-to-none at one point, the Hawks weren’t dominating the series. In Game 1, the Celtics didn’t play their best basketball in the first half, however, were clearly the superior team in the second half. Boston didn’t show up at all in Game 2, but neither did the Hawks. Besides the ridiculous 24-to-3 start, the Hawks shot a measly 39 percent from the field and had many scoring droughts of their own. The Celtics offense may not have shown up but their defense did.

Atlanta has been forced to look towards other options this series as Millsap has struggled. So far it’s worked fine, but as the Celtics continue to show growth in this series, the Hawks don’t.

It’s one thing to rely on the hot hand and keep feeding that player the ball, but it’s another to rely on him to the degree the Hawks did in Game 4. Millsap made 19 shots, however, the rest of the Hawks made 18. In fact, Atlanta shot a brutal 18-of-69 (26.1 percent) from the field if you take out Millsap’s attempts. They also attempted a crazy 43 threes, connecting on a mere 27.9 percent of them. Without Millsap going 3-of-6 from behind the arc, Atlanta would have shot 9-of-37 from three, or 24.3 percent.

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Besides Jeff Teague‘s two late threes, the Hawks didn’t get consistent offense from anyone throughout the game. No one who attempted at least five shots on Atlanta shot over 50 percent from the field.

Either way, the Hawks were able to hang in there until Marcus Smart was put on Millsap. They have also been able to answer the Celtics, whether it’s having Kyle Korver or Kent Bazemore step up or relying on one of their All-Star big men. The scary thing for Atlanta is, the Celtics have just started to find out how to play in the postseason.

Boston continues to look more comfortable on offense and their defense has continued to shine. The Celtics have been able to pull away late in both of their wins, however, Brad Stevens has just started to figure out his playoff rotation.

Next: Celtics New Starting Lineup Keeps the Series Alive

The Hawks need to find a solution for Isaiah Thomas and Jonas Jerebko, or else Boston might be able to steal one in Atlanta. If Jae Crowder is able to build on his better offensive showing in Game 4, the Celtics may be poised to take this series and go on a deep playoff run after all.