It was a ballsy move by coach Budenholzer not to call a timeout on the last Hawks possession and let Dënniß ßchrööder do his thing. It didn’t work out this time, but you don’t get to the second round of the playoffs by not having huge cojones.
What? Yes, I’m aware that the Hawks didn’t actually have any timeouts to use. But I’m not about to let that fact get in the way of my narrative about Atlanta’s confidence in their backup point guard, alright? If it’s okay with you, DUDE, I’m going to continue with the description now. Okay?
ßchrööder was key for his team down the stretch, converting on some late-game layups with his explosive speed. He earned the opportunity to take the potential game-winning shot. Who else is going to take it? The Hawks are lacking in dudes who can reliably create their own shot, which isn’t so bad when you’ve got a ball-movement heavy offensive system in place, but becomes a problem when you need a shot and need it NOW. As bad as it sounds, ßchrööder is one of their best options for a final possession scenario. It didn’t work, but it also could have worked, but it didn’t, but, really, it MIGHT have, anyway, now the Hawks’ season is over and that’s too bad.
A fitting end for ßchrööder’s career in Atlanta. Hopefully things turn out a little better in New Orleans.