Atlanta Hawks: Kent Bazemore The X-Factor vs. Celtics

In the Atlanta Hawks’ first round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, the underrated Kent Bazemore might just be the X-factor.

In Game 1 against the Boston Celtics — and ever since the All-Star Break, to be quite honest — the world finally realized that Paul Millsap and Al Horford are not just underrated, but legitimate superstars in this league.

Combining for 38 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and five blocks on 14-of-28 shooting Saturday afternoon, the Atlanta Hawks‘ frontcourt completely manhandled Amir Johnson and Jared Sullinger, with Boston’s bigs going for just 13 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks on 6-of-17 shooting.

That Millsap-Horford pairing was predictably dominant, and Playoff Jeff Teague made his appearance from the start, finishing the game with 23 points, 12 assists and four rebounds. But we already knew those three were good. What most people didn’t know was how good Kent Bazemore is, and how he might just be Atlanta’s ultimate X-factor in this first round series.

In the Hawks’ playoff opener, Bazemore posted a playoff career-high 23 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 34 productive minutes, going 7-for-13 from the field despite shooting 1-for-5 from three-point range. He was aggressive attacking the rim as well, getting to the foul line 10 times and making eight of them.

Jae Crowder finished with a 14-10 double-double, but Baze outplayed his small forward counterpart on both ends of the floor, and if that trend continues, we could be looking at a four-game sweep before all is said and done.

As his contract year comes to a close, Bazemore has done everything in his power to position himself for a nice pay day this summer as an unrestricted free agent. Once known as little more than an exuberant towel-waiver on the Golden State Warriors’ bench, Baze seized a starting role on a playoff team this season and hasn’t let go since.

This season, the fourth year wing averaged 11.6 points, a career-high 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from long range. His improved defense, perimeter touch and undeniable passion for the game have quickly made him an energizing fan favorite within the Hawks fan base and the larger NBA community as a whole.

Just do a Twitter search for “He isn’t going to Baze any less” if you don’t believe me.

Of course, no one should be surprised that Bazemore is thriving against this Celtics team. In three regular season meetings with Boston, the Bazed God averaged 16.0 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting, and his wing defense helped prevent the Celtics offense from finding a sustainable rhythm.

The only problem is, he’s still probably not getting enough respect:

Isaiah Thomas is right: the Celtics absolutely cannot afford for Bazemore to have a big series, especially since they’re so outmatched in the frontcourt. But that “guys like that” label is the exact type of perceived slight that will incense a fiery competitor like Baze into making another statement in Game 2.

In other words, HE ISN’T GOING TO BAZE ANY LESS.

With Avery Bradley out, the Celtics have lost a valuable perimeter defender and three-point shooter, so we should probably acknowledge that as the REAL X-factor in this series now. But his absence will only make Bazemore’s job easier on both ends of the floor.

Bradley’s absence will benefit Teague the most, since the Celtics don’t have anyone other than maybe Marcus Smart who can stick with him when he accelerates to his top gear. But Teague’s ability to penetrate will make life easier for a slasher like Bazemore as well, and even if he just hangs back on the perimeter, the help defense will have to leave him open to collapse on Teague’s drives.

One the defensive end, Baze will be able to sag off Marcus Smart’s broken jumper or continue to play solid defense on Crowder (depending on the matchups). The smart money (get it?) is on Smart not being able to live up to his 3-for-6 shooting performance from deep in Game 1.

More hoops habit: 2016 NBA Playoffs: The Deciding Factor In Each First Round Series

Before we get too excited, we should mention that Bazemore is currently dealing with right knee stiffness. But he’s listed as “probable” to play in Game 2, and if his Game 1 performance was any indication, perhaps a little knee stiffness is exactly what he — and the Atlanta Hawks — need to win this series and make some real noise in the playoffs this year.