The 2015 NBA playoffs continue Monday night with Game 4 of the second-round series between the visiting Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET. Watch the live stream or listen to the radio broadcast via the links listed below.
To the surprise of quite a few, Washington is still very much alive in the series and now holds a 2-1 lead over Atlanta. Game 3 ended in incredible fashion: an off-balance, buzzer-beating jumper from veteran Paul Pierce to give the Wizards a 103-101 win.
"I called, 'Game!'" Pierce declared boldly after the victory.
"Usually, I like to save those type of shots for later rounds," he later said during the postgame press conference, according to ESPN. "... I'm still soaking it up because I don't have too many of these left."
Pierce made a bold declaration last year - "This is why they got me here" - and he's lived up to it in his first season with Washington. The veteran's leadership and playoff experience has been a godsend for the Wizards' young core, which includes injured guard John Wall, guard Bradley Beal and backup forward Otto Porter, who finished Game 3 with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Moreover, Pierce's experience and poise paid off big Saturday night when the Hawks stormed back from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter and nearly forced overtime.
"(I) Took my time. You know, wanted to make sure I got the shot off with no time on the clock," said Pierce, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. "I've been in those situations many times."
Three Wizards - Nene, Beal and Porter - led the team in scoring with 17 points apiece, and center Marcin Gortat chipped in with 14.
Atlanta, meanwhile, were less than a second away from completing what would have been an incredible comeback. The Wizards controlled most of the game until Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer's second unit began chipping away at the score, a lead that Washington seemingly became lazy in protecting. Hawks guards Dennis Schroder and Jeff Teague each scored 18 points, forward DeMarre Carroll added 14.
Watch the live stream HERE, or listen to the radio broadcast HERE (ATL) and HERE (WAS).
