It looked like we were headed for overtime.
Paul Pierce has factored into plenty of the Wizards’ games in this postseason, and with Washington facing elimination in Game 6, Pierce once again ended up with the ball in his hands on his team’s final possession.
Atlanta led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but just like the bulk of the games in this series, Washington fought back to have a chance to tie or win it on the game’s final shot.
In this case, the Wizards trailed by three points with 6.4 seconds remaining. John Wall was double-teamed on the perimeter, and flipped the ball to Pierce as the clock was winding down.
Pierce avoided two defenders to launch a difficult three-pointer that splashed home, appearing to give him yet another heroic moment in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career.
But it wasn’t meant to be.
The replay showed that the ball was still in Pierce’s hands as time expired, and the officials waved it off after going to the replay for review.
Final score: Hawks 94, Wizards 91, with Atlanta advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Wizards going home for the summer.
