Smooth Performance of the Night: Deron Williams turns back the clock

It is 2015.

On Monday, the Atlanta Hawks likely felt like they were run over by a DeLorean running on a full 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.

For the first time in over two calendar years, Deron Williams went off for 35 points, lifting the Brooklyn Nets to a Game 4 overtime victory to tie their opening-round playoff series at two games apiece. 

Despite playing through severe tendinitis in his knee, Williams was electric, crossing opponents up, grabbing clutch rebounds late and generally being a thorn in the side of a Hawks team that may have thought they had a clear path to the Eastern Conference semifinals. 

Williams shot 13-of-25 from the floor and hit a ridiculous 7-of-11 from outside, adding five rebounds, seven assists and three steals for good measure.

Were this 2009, or even 2011, a performance like this would've been expected. As it were, Williams' performance has rapidly declined since the Nets acquired him for an immense package, to the point that head coach Lionel Hollins had to come to Williams' defense after Game 3 in a somewhat uncomplimentary way.

"That’s four years ago," Hollins said of people expecting the Utah Jazz-era Williams. "We’re now. No player is the way he was four years ago."

Hollins had little choice but to back his point guard, who had averaged just six points, seven rebounds and 5.3 assists through the first three games of this series following his worst statistical regular season since he was a rookie. The support and patience - there were calls for Hollins to start Jarrett Jack at the one - paid off immensely on Monday.

It's perhaps fitting that Chris Paul owned the Smooth Performance of the Night on Sunday, as Paul was selected one pick after Williams and the two have been inextricably linked for most of their careers. The debate as to who is better died long ago, and Paul has five 35-and-7 games on his resume since Williams last had one in early 2012.

Williams will probably never get back to the level he was playing at when the Nets acquired him. For one night, he was, and it couldn't have come at a better time.