Paul Pierce calls ‘Series,’ then Washington Wizards lose to Atlanta Hawks

In an impressive show of bravado, Paul Pierce hit a big three-point shot to put the Wizards ahead of the Hawks, 81-80, in the closing seconds of Game 5 last night. He followed that act up with a comment to the Atlanta bench that could have gone down as one of the coldest in history.

“Series,” Pierce turned around and told the Hawks after the shot.

But, and there’s always a but, there were still 8.3 seconds left on the clock, and that would be enough for Atlanta to make “The Truth” a liar.

On the truly final play of the game, backup point guard Dennis Schroder -- who had no business being in the game in the closing seconds, were it not for the fact that he helped spark the Hawks’ rally in the fourth quarter -- drove straight to the hoop against Wizards guard John Wall, who swatted the shot off the backboard.

That would have ended the game if it weren’t for Al Horford, who gave chase to his teammate Schroder and Wall down the lane. He crashed into Washington center Nene Hilario in pursuit of the rebound, putting the ball in the hoop to give Atlanta the final lead of the game.

The Hawks lead the Wizards three games to two in the series going into Game 6, which will be played in Washington.

Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme