Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson: Top Players from Game 6 of first round NBA Playoffs (Part 1)
On April 28, 2011, three games were played in the first-round of the National Basketball Association 2011 Playoffs. Down below are some of the most mesmerizing performances from the night.
Atlanta Hawks 84 – Orlando Magic 81
Atlanta Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 84-81 on Thursday night at the Philips Arena, Atlanta and ejected them from the championship contention. The Hawks won the best of seven game series 4-2 and advanced to the next round of
the 2011 Playoffs.
They will now meet the Chicago Bulls in the second-round. Jamal Crawford, who hit two crucial free throws in the clutch said, "What better redemption than to play them again? We were up to the challenge."
Joe Johnson
Joe Johnson led the Hawks in this game with 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to reach another game winning double-double of his career.
Johnson choose the right time to make series high in field goals, he went 10 for 25. Johnson was able to shot just one for eight in the first quarter, but he quickly shook it off and went nine for 17 in the last three quarters.
Johnson hit three of his five shots in the final stanza of the game, including one vital layup over a reserve key that pushed the Hawks to an 82-77 lead with 1:16 to go that proved to be the significant points of the game.
"Joe was really aggressive and I was going to ride him the whole night. He was going to will us to this win."
Hawks coach Larry Drew said about Johnson post game.
Al Horford
Al Horford had an off night in shooting, but he did enough to fill the columns of his stats, as he chipped in with 10 points and clutched 12 rebounds.
Jamal Crawford
Jamal Crawford led the Hawks bench with his 19 points, including three successive 3s that gave Atlanta their biggest lead of the game 71-59 with more than nine minutes remaining in the game.
Dwight Howard
The All-Star Dwight Howard made a brilliant effort and kept the Magic within the striking range, but just like the first four games, Howard did not get much support from the rest of the roster. In spite of it, Howard tallied 25
points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Magic.
Disappointing Howard after the game said, "Let's not even talk about it. There's no need to bring it up. Right now, I'll figure out how can I get myself better for next season, not figure out what team I want to play for. But right
now I'm with the Magic. So all the speculation can stop. There's no need to talk about it."
Los Angeles Lakers 98 – New Orleans Hornets 80
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets 98-80 on Thursday at the New Orleans Arena. They dominated the Hornets right from the tip off and did not allow the Hornets to seal even a single quarter.
With the victory, the Lakers eliminated the Hornets from the first-round of the 2011 Playoffs. Before the series, few were expecting that this series will go beyond four games, but Hornets gave a tough time to Los Angeles. However,
the Lakers came out in a tremendous fashion and looked like a team that is defending the title for the third time.
Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol were the major contributors behind the success of the Lakers.
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