Hawks Must Match Wizards' Toughness to Regain Control of 2nd-Round Series

They may be walking wounded, but the Washington Wizards aren't going to let bumps, bruises and a whole lot of physicality shake their resolve. 

In a 104-98 Game 1 victory over the Atlanta Hawks that saw John Wall (wrist) and Bradley Beal (ankle) battle through debilitating ailments, the Wizards outlasted the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed in the face of adversity. 

With the win, Washington emerged as the gold standard when it comes to stealing series openers on the road, according to NBA Canada:  

While Wall (18 points, 13 assists) didn't miss any action after landing hard on his wrist in the second quarter, Beal (28 points, seven rebounds) made a gutty return to the floor after writhing in pain upon rolling his ankle in the third period. 

According to The Washington Post's Michael Lee, Beal's apparent ankle sprain was painful enough that it reduced him to tears as he limped back to the locker room: 

The good news, per ESPNNewYork.com's Ohm Youngmisuk and CSNWashington.com's J. Michael, is Washington's starting backcourt didn't suffer injuries of a severe nature: 

Continuous jostling for position, waves of hard screens and aggressive challenges at the rim from both sides sent bodies crashing to the Philips Arena floor, which could use a good buffing after it was crunched time and again by the thuds of flailing limbs.  

"It was tough, but that game showed a sign of maturity about this team," forward Drew Gooden told reporters after the win, according to the Wizards' official Twitter account. 

But as resilient as the Wizards were, they need to prep for a counterpunch from a Hawks team that could have retained home-court advantage had it not experienced harsh regression in the second half. 

After entering the locker room with a cushy 10-point lead, the Hawks were outscored, 51-35, over the third and fourth quarters. As Wall commanded the Wizards by slicing and dicing his way to pretty passes in the pick-and-roll or mid-range makes, the Hawks sputtered by shooting a season-worst 25 percent from the field and 19 percent from three as the clock ticked down. 

Most telling of all: The Hawks scored more points in the first quarter (37) than they did over the game's final 24 minutes. 

And as Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal astutely noted, Atlanta was uncharacteristically off kilter when it came to knocking down open shots:  

A combined 9-of-29 shooting from Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver precipitated that offensive decline, as did the bench's 35 percent conversion rate. 

That's what we call a deviation from the mean. 

"We missed shots," Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll told reporters, according to the Hawks' official Twitter account. "You can't score 35 points in the second half and expect to beat this team." 

Even though Atlanta's offense seized up late, it still tallied nine more assists than Washington's triumphant unit. 

One-sided, this was not.

Rather, the back-and-forth blows traded by the semifinalists were indicative of what this series is likely to evolve into—a physical test of wills.

"It's about heart, that's us, that's our identity," Paul Pierce said after the win, according to the Wizards' Twitter. 

En route to scoring 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting (3-of-9 from three), Pierce also laid the wood with a firm (and legal) fourth-quarter screen on Carroll that epitomized the tone of Sunday's game.

Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick summed it all up: 

As the Hawks focus on regaining their footing before Game 2 rolls around on Tuesday night (8 p.m. ET on TNT), Washington needs to brace itself for the reality that Atlanta will attack its battered and bruised starting lineup relentlessly.

Even so, Wall and the Wizards aren't intent on letting injuries serve as a safety net for any future shortcomings, as the point guard told ESPN's Lisa Salters after the win, per Hoop District:

Although Washington benefited from six days of rest while the Hawks entered Game 1 less than 48 hours removed from clinching a first-round victory over the Brooklyn Nets, the Wizards won't be afforded any further advantages in the downtime department. 

Instead, they need to employ the same combination of defensive discipline and muscle that allowed them to frustrate the Hawks during a decisive second half. 

However, the Hawks won't be hampered by one lousy performance. They're masters at flipping the offensive switch at a moment's notice, and the Nets can vouch for that (see: Game 6).

With Atlanta primed to cock back and land its first haymaker in Game 2, the gimpy Wizards can't afford to let their guard down.

And with strong-willed leaders in Paul, Beal and Wall setting the tone, it would be a surprise if they did. 

All statistics are current as of May 3 and courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.  

Alec Nathan covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @AlecBNathan.