NBA Playoff Schedule 2015: TV, Live Stream Guide for Wednesday's Game 5 Action
The Brooklyn Nets could pull off another upset over the Atlanta Hawks and grab hold of the series lead tonight.
Think about that.
A team that everyone thought would be a welcome mat on Atlanta’s stroll toward the second round could take the lead over the No. 1 seed in the conference.
It would be a bit surprising being that the game is on the Hawks' home floor, but if Deron Williams’ time machine keeps working, anything is possible.
After the Nets try to steal Game 5, the Memphis Grizzlies will look to finish off the Portland Trail Blazers at the Grindhouse.
The only problem is that they’ll be without the Grindfather, point guard Mike Conley.
How to Watch
| Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks | 7 p.m. | TNT | 2-2 TIED |
| Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies | 9:30 p.m. | TNT | 3-1 MEM |
Live streams for Wednesday’s games on TNT can be found here.
Top Storylines
Return of No. 8
Could it be? D-Will is…back?
After missing a potential game-tying jumper in Game 2, Williams caught a lot of heat for his lackluster performance throughout the night. He only had two points—two!—to go along with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
CBS’ Zach Harper and Inside Hoops’ Alex Kennedy let him have it:
Brook Lopez carried the Nets to a Game 3 win, but Williams (three points, 1-7 shooting, six assists, seven rebounds) was nowhere to be found again.
But then something happened. Maybe he got tired of hearing all kinds of criticism. As Frank Isola of the New York Daily News pointed out, things could be worse:
Whatever clicked, it was amazing. Suddenly, after totally losing his superstar credibility, the old D-Will was back to breaking ankles, destroying defenses and winning. No. 8 finished with 35 points (11-19 FG, 7-11 3PT) and 10 assists and carried Brooklyn to an overtime win.
Star power often trumps team-oriented ball in the postseason. Let’s see if Brooklyn’s star will keep shining or leave his team in the dark.
Can Memphis Survive Sans Conley?
Following Mike Conley’s facial surgery, a source told Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday that Memphis will “need to wait 48 hours for the swelling to subside before gaining a clearer understanding of a timeline for a possible playoff return.”
If the southpaw is able to return at all this postseason, that’s great for Memphis. He was already battling a nasty foot injury when he got clocked by C.J. McCollum—inadvertently, not Kelly Olynyk-style—in Game 3.
Conley locked up Damian Lillard pretty well through the first three games of the series, allowing him 18 points on 35.2 percent shooting. In Game 4, Portland’s point guard went for 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting.
That says a lot.
Don Wade of the Memphis Daily News recognized this:
So did Ari Alexander for WMC Action News:
The Grizzlies will need Conley in order to make any sort of run at a title, but it’s entirely possible he won’t be back against the Blazers.
Marc Gasol and Co. need to put an end to this series before Portland builds up momentum and makes things interesting.
No team has ever come back to win a series after being down 0-3, but there’s a first for everything. It’s time for Gasol to take command and make sure that it doesn’t happen on his watch.
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