At 34-years-old, Lou Williams may not be the three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner that he once was, but last night, he was arguably the #1 reason the Hawks were able to manufacture a 26-point comeback on the road to put them one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals.
The last few minutes of the third quarter and first few minutes of the fourth is Lou Will time. It’s when Trae Young gets his rest before the final stretch, and Williams is often asked to carry the load offensively. On several occasions this postseason, he’s made the most of those few minutes, helping the Hawks to victory. But on Wednesday, he didn’t just help the Hawks to victory, he led the Hawks to victory with thirteen fourth quarter points, as the 76ers watched their 18 point lead dwindle away. In fact, Williams was so impactful that Nate McMillan rode him the entire quarter over Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was in foul trouble the entire game.
Williams’ thirteen points may not have iced the game; that was Trae Young, but without Williams’ offensive outburst, the 76ers likely would have run away with Game 5 and possibly the series. Those string of buckets gave the Hawks life… something they had not had leading up to that point.
However, as much as I appreciated what Williams gave the Hawks on the court, it’s what he said after the game about Trae Young and rest of the team that made my heart warm.
"He’s a monster. This dude is a monster. It’ll be one of those things where I look back when he’s a Hall of Famer, he’s an established superstar in this league and I can say I was part of that process and I worked with this gentleman."
— Lou Williams on Trae Young pic.twitter.com/PGMU7Gugcf
— Sarah K. Spencer (@sarah_k_spence) June 17, 2021
After looking for the video, I couldn’t find Williams’ full press conference from last night, but he talked about much more than just Young. He thanked the whole team for the way they’ve treated him since he was traded to Atlanta and seemed genuinely happy about the situation he is in.
This is notable because if you remember, Williams stated he almost considered retirement when he found out he was traded from Los Angeles to Atlanta, which is understandable considering how much he gave that city. However, he ultimately decided to stick it out with his hometown Hawks, and it seems safe to say he’s enjoying his decision. I know Atlanta is enjoying him because without Williams, the Hawks would likely be on vacation next week.
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