Nate McMillan Atlanta Hawks Dec 27, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks had a chance to beat the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, but Hawks head coach Nate McMillan’s decision not to call a timeout at the end of the game cost the Hawks a potential win.

Atlanta was able to get a stop with nine seconds remaining in the game trailing by one point. McMillan let the Hawks play out the final possession, resulting in a contested deep three-point attempt from Dejounte Murray that missed badly.

McMillan discussed the situation after the game, saying that he wanted to allow his players to play out the final play while the Nets were scrambling defensively in transition.

“They missed and I wanted our guys to go,” said McMillan in a postgame press conference via Bally Sports Hawks on Twitter. “I could have called a timeout, but you want to catch them in transition. You want to see if you can get down before their defense gets set. In situations like that, I have allowed our guys to go. It didn’t work out for us tonight.”

Many around the NBA world took to social media to express that they do not buy his explanation and disagree with his mindset in that situation.

“Nate McMillan is so bad at this,” tweeted Dan Wolken of USA Today Sports.

“Hawks, down only one point, get a live ball rebound with 6.5 seconds left. Nate McMillan, two timeouts in his pocket, elects to not call one. Atlanta, subsequently had to go the entire length of the floor with the clock running, You’ll never guess what happened next,” tweeted Rob Perez of the Action Network.

It’s certainly a debated topic whether or not to call a timeout in that situation. Given that the Nets looked to be back on defense in that situation, this looked like a misfire from Nate McMillan.

[Bally Sports Hawks on Twitter]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.