Hoopinion: Hawks 100 Celtics 91

[Hawksquawk]

Boxscore

Team	Poss	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
BOS	93.2	0.977	43.9	40.5	17.9	18.2
ATL	93.2	1.073	51.3	25.6	20.0	15.0

Let's see if I can complete one of these post-game recaps by forgoing attempts at a coherent argument and simply empty the notebook.

• The Celtics made a concerted effort to attack Mike Bibby, either directly or indirectly, in the first five minutes. Boston scored 12 of their 41 first half points in the 6:07 Bibby played. Foul trouble did most of the work in keeping Bibby from being so exploited again, but credit to Mike Woodson for leaving his veteran point guard on the bench for the final 21:24 of the game.
• Once Crawford replaced Bibby, stops were easier to come by and the Hawks did an excellent job of converting both turnovers and defensive rebounds into transition opportunities they converted.
• When Pachulia plays as he did in his first stint tonight the bench is truly formidable.
• Same goes for Jeff Teague. Even more impressive than Teague's eighth block of the year was how he got back in the play to run the ensuing break and find Crawford in the corner for a three.
• That five-point swing plus Crawford's half-court three at the first quarter buzzer may have been the difference in the game.
• Next candidate for the difference in the game: Pierce's 5 minute, 43 second rest to open the second quarter. Boston never found a productive way to run their offense when Pierce was off the court.
• Pierce got the Celtics back in the game not just by getting the Hawks in the penalty but by getting the Hawks in the penalty while also getting Marvin Williams in foul trouble. Pierce had a great offensive game (35 points on 15 shots) but whatever trouble he encountered was usually courtesy of Marvin. Had Pierce gotten to face the Bibby/Crawford/Johnson lineup in the second half, things could have played out differently.
• The third quarter was chock full of hotly contested thoroughly uninspiring basketball.
• The fourth quarter wasn't much better outside of Joe Johnson suddenly remembering he was playing the Celtics and, thus, should start making every fall-away he could create for himself.
• 55 points on 38 shots and 12 free throw attempts for Johnson and Crawford. Considering the opposing post defenders, Horford and Smith got a suitable number of touches. A fine offensive performance from concept down to execution.
• This was more of a Celtics type of game than a Hawks type of game: lots of turnovers, lots of foul shots. Whereas the Hawks win by getting more shots up than their opponents, the Celtics usually win by making a far higher percentage of their shots than their opponents. They couldn't tonight.
• Not coincidentally, the Hawks really should do everything in their power to be in Boston's half of the playoff draw.
• It's probably a good sign for the Celtics that Garnett looked far lively on the second night of back-to-back road games. He's not healthy right now, but the possibility that he'll still be upright come playoff time seems more plausible than it did 24 hours ago.
• Al Horford did great work on the block when guarded by Kendrick Perkins but struggled against Glen Davis. Go figure.
• Josh Smith's inspirational takeaway from his All-Star snub appeared to center around taking jump shots and dribbling more.
• On current form, it's a good bet that neither Rasheed Wallace nor Mo Evans are entered in the three-point shootout.

Quotes, notes, and links in the morning. Go to bed happy, Hawks fans.

View the full article