A ferocious late comeback could not undo a tepid beginning for the Nets, who were debilitatingly unassertive for three quarters against the Atlanta Hawks and paid the cost with a 107-97 loss Wednesday night at Philips Arena.
It was a letdown for the Nets, who had tied this first-round series with an exciting overtime win two nights before in Game 4 in Brooklyn. But the momentum did not carry to Atlanta, where the Nets’ goal of becoming just the sixth No. 8 seed in the N.B.A. to upset a No. 1 seed in the postseason took a major blow.