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Shutting Down Kyle Korver Is A Must

By Josh Wilson

May 13, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) has his shot blocked by Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (4) and guard Bradley Beal (3) during the second half in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Wizards 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 13, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) has his shot blocked by Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (4) and guard Bradley Beal (3) during the second half in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Wizards 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Hawks took a 3-2 series lead over the Washington Wizards by winning Game 5 82-81, in thrilling fashion. Al Horford won the game on a put-back shot in retaliation to a very clutch three-pointer from Paul Pierce that seemingly had won the game for the Wizards.

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The Wizards have now lost two in a row, but it’s certainly not time to panic. Yes, they have to win two in a row to take the series now, but it’s something that’s doable. Especially with the promise that the now returned John Wall brings to the team.

Although they’ve lost two tough games now, they’ve come very close to beating a really great Atlanta Hawks team. At many times, they’ve really shown they can shut them down. They’ve been unable to close out games against them, but throughout the games they’ve proven they’re a team that matches up well against the Hawks.

One huge key that helps the Wizards dampen the Hawks’ wrath has been keeping three point superstar Kyle Korver‘s long range game to a minimum. Korver has shown all throughout the year that his three point game is what sets him apart from other great players in the league.

Just look what he was able to do to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this year with some great hustle and accurately shot three balls.

The numbers certainly don’t lie. Korver is one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the entire league. Although Korver was third on the three-pointers made list this year, he was first in percentage with 49.2 percent. The runner-up didn’t even come close to Korver, which was Eric Gordon with 44.8 percent.

Don’t look now, but the Wizards have kept Korver’s percentage quite low this series. He’s only shooting at 34.3 percent in the series, a huge reason why they’re still in the running to take the series.

In Game 1 when the Wizards were able to stun the Hawks with a 104-98 victory, they held Korver to less than 30 percent three-point shooting. In Game 4, they were unable to contain Korver, as he shot 50 percent from the arc, but they were able to keep him from shooting more than four three-pointers all together.

In fact, since Game 2, the Wizards have made sure Korver has been unable to take more than five three-pointers. Korver averaged six throughout the regular season, and often has taken more than 10 three-pointers for the Hawks.

Although in Game 5, Washington was able to hold Korver and his hot hand down to 20 percent, he was able to hit a huge 27-foot jumper that really started a run for the Hawks, as it cut the Wizards lead down to just four points.

And that’s the thing with Korver. Teams can shut him down for entire games. He could go 1-for-28, but if that one three-pointer is one that either wins the game, or gives the team a huge boost of momentum to win the game, he’s essentially done an effective job.

The only way to ensure that Korver is not a factor is to shut him down completely. Although this is almost impossible, the Wizards have done a decent job of making sure he isn’t as effective as he usually is, and must continue this if they have any shot of staying alive in the playoffs.

They have to win two consecutive games to advance now, and Korver will be a huge factor.

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