The Washington Wizards have won five straight games in the NBA Playoffs. That’s indisputable.

After a double-digit deficit in the first half, the Washington Wizards bounced back in the final two periods against the Atlanta Hawks, stealing Game-1 away from home.

Their chances of beating the Hawks were placed at under 40 percent by many, but after Washington’s Game-1 victory, their chances increased to well over 50 percent.

The winner of Game-1 typically carries the momentum for the rest of the series. Once Washington switched to their small-ball lineup with Paul Pierce at the four spot, they held Atlanta to just 25 percent shooting in the second half.

Still, even though they were thoroughly outplayed in Game-1, Hawks All-Star Paul Millsap still thinks his team won the game…internally, via CSN Washington:

“We played well enough to win the game,” he said after Monday’s practice. “Internally, we felt like we won the game. A few crucial mistakes. A few plays let them back in the game.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this sounds like the comments that were heard from several Toronto Raptors players following their Game-1 loss to the Washington Wizards in the first round.

The Hawks, similar to the Raptors, seem to have a skewed scouting report on the Washington Wizards.

After beating the Brooklyn Nets in the first round, Millsap said that his team had several advantages over Washington, including the perimeter play from their bigs.

Paul Millsap on ESPN on Wizards: "We feel like we match up pretty well." Said he thinks ATL's bigs have an advantage. — Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) May 2, 2015

During the regular season, teams like the Raptors and Hawks took advantage of their versatility against the Washington Wizards. Millsap and Horford are both capable of hitting outside shots, which made life miserable for the Wizards during the regular season.

Now that Washington is playing small-ball, that advantage doesn’t seem to apply the way it did during the regular season.

Washington is leading the NBA Playoffs in virtually every major statistical category.

The Wizards are making plays when they need them most. The Hawks aren’t.

When Washington needed to score, Paul Pierce and John Wall showed up. Many will point to the Hawks’ poor shooting numbers, saying that they won’t repeat that poor performance, but Atlanta’s shooting numbers have dipped significantly in the postseason.

Reminder: The playoffs are a different game. The shots Atlanta got during the regular season won’t be the same shots they’ll get during the playoffs. Washington had about a week to scout their team after they dismantled the Raptors in the first round.

Internally, Paul Millsap made this layup. Externally, John Wall swatted it.

Sorry, Paul, but the Washington Wizards won that game internally, externally, and every other way possible.

Now, feel free to keep moral victories during the playoffs. After all, they don’t matter.