In his first minutes of game action in about 10 days, Hawks center Clint Capela immediately reminded the home crowd in State Farm Arena what it had been missing.
On the game’s first possession, Capela jostled with multiple Heat players and corralled a defensive rebound in traffic, then passed upcourt to start the Hawks’ evening on offense.
Capela’s hustle drew thunderous applause from the home crowd and signaled a return to form for the Hawks’ leading rebounder.
“It was unbelievable,” Capela said of the crowd reaction. “I was just so excited to go out there and try to show that I’m here with the guys, even though I wasn’t at 100%.”
Instead of sparking a standout performance, the highlight proved fleeting for Capela and the Hawks. Capela finished with two points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes as the Hawks lost 110-86 on Sunday night and saw their series deficit move to 3-1.
“I felt at times I was getting tired,” Capela said. “I felt a little bit rhythm-wise, I was behind a couple steps. I was just happy that my knee was OK and that I was able to get back.”
A right knee hyperextension had sidelined Capela since April 15. Hawks coach Nate McMillan moved Capela, initially a game-time decision for Game 4, into the starting lineup just before tipoff.
“I was happy to be out there in the playoffs because I know we worked really hard to get where we are."
The home crowd cheered loudly when Capela’s name was announced as a starter, and the center gave them plenty to cheer about in the game’s opening minutes.
After his game-opening rebound, Capela continued to work the boards and contributed a tip-in on the other end of the floor as the Hawks raced to an early lead. Whether moving in transition or contesting the Heat’s shot attempts down low, Capela showed no signs of discomfort and finished the quarter with five rebounds in eight minutes.
But for the rest of the night, his impact was minimal. Capela pulled down two rebounds and missed a pair of shots in 13 minutes over the final three quarters. Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who finished as the game’s leading scorer (36 points) and rebounder (10 rebounds), drove at Capela in the paint and scored a pair of buckets over the 6-foot-10 big man in the second quarter. Offensively, the Hawks struggled to connect with Capela in transition, and the Heat denied him opportunities down low.
McMillan agreed that Capela’s conditioning wasn’t entirely back, but he elected to give him minutes in the second half to give the Hawks size against Miami’s small-ball lineups.
“I thought he did a good job in the first half, being physical,” McMillan said. “He got a little winded in the second half. We expected that because he’s been off.”
Capela said the break from basketball was what made his return to the court difficult, but he appreciated being able to join his teammates in playoff action.
“It’s not pain. It’s just I can tell that I haven’t been with the guys, and I can tell that I haven’t been playing for a while,” Capela said. “I was happy to be out there in the playoffs because I know we worked really hard to get where we are.”
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