Official Game Thread: Celtics at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“And/Orr Onnnne!”

 

Cheers to the Boston Sports team most likely to win a world championship this year! Everybody knows their name!

Sorry, Celtics. It’s not you, it’s… not you.

If you’re in State Farm Arena today and find the splotches of black-and-mustard-yellow attire amongst the crowd a bit suspicious, no, neither Wiz Khalifa nor Happy Gilmore are in attendance. The folks up the road at the NHL on TNT studios are the only folks left around Thrasherville to pay attention to the Boston Bruins, who have come out of nowhere to become something like a phenomenon, and New England’s snowbirds are here to let you know all about it.

The Bruins’ overtime loss on Thursday night still keeps them on pace to shatter the all-time record for points in the standings by any NHL club, set way back in 1977 by the Montreal Canadiens (nobody remind Bruin fans of Les Habs and that Stanley Cup sweep. Darn that Jacques Lemaire!). Nine points ahead of Carolina’s second-place Canes in the NHL East with just 15 games to go, the Bruins can also topple the record last tied by the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning (hOcKeY dOeSn’T wOrK iN tHe SoUtH!) with 63 wins.

That booming success, for a vet-laden team under a first-year coach, has created quite the debate on spahts tahk radio. Dare the Bruins slow it down and just “Did Not Skate-Rest” some guys? Might they risk losing their edge at playoff time if they do?

I really haven’t kept up with much of pro hockey lately (the Gladiators up in Gwinnett are doing a’ight). I think the last time I checked out the Bruins, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand were there. What’s that? They still are? Oh, okay. Anyway, I do suspect that for the Boston Celtics Basketball Club, the option to rest veterans like Al Horford while sitting on a padded conference lead would have been a good problem to have.

Fortunately for the C’s, their closing schedule is not as arduous as their suitemates’ from TD Garden. The Bruins face five consecutive Saturday-Sunday back-to-backs, which seems like a lot for what is advertised as the world’s fastest team sport (I said team, badminton and jai-alai fans, chillax). The Celtics’ final 15 games, bookended by meetings with the Hawks today (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, NBC Sports Boston) and at season’s end in Beantown, feature a kinder, gentler three back-to-backs.

That’s still cold comfort to Coach Joe Mazzulla as his crew prepared for this six-game road trip, tied for the longest of the season, that bounds for long air distances back-and-forth across the West Coast over the ensuing ten days. Just on the ground alone, the Celtics (46-21, 11-9 over past 20 games) have endured some turbulence of late. Wednesday’s 115-93 win over visiting Portland, plus a couple off days, were alleviating in the aftermath of a three-game losing streak (flubbed 28-point lead at home to the Nets; OT losses to the Knicks and Cavs).

Mazzulla would love to steer Old Ironsides to port with greater frequency, which is why Boston's other beloved Brad, Celtics Prez/GM Stevens, acquired Al’s former Hawkmate Mike Muscala from Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, both Moose and Blake Griffin are getting just about as long in the tooth as Horford, while another ex-Hawk, Danilo Gallinari, is making progress from his ACL tear but probably not in time to contribute during the postseason. The bigger goal is to somehow get starting center Robert Williams shipworthy and set for sail. (Christening him would probably be unwise.)

Williams missed the first 30 games of this season while recovering from his second knee surgery in a half-year, the Celtics’ resurgence to the top of the East standings in January coinciding with his return. Now a tight hamstring after a tough fall against Brooklyn has him sidelined again, having missed the prior three games.

His extended absence adds pressure on Horford, the big-boned-ed Grant Williams, Griffin, Muscala and Luke Kornet to hold things down defensively. It has been enough, thus far, to help Jayson Tatum keep up his torrid MVP-contention pace (last 4 games: 33.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 5.3 APG). But rim protection is at a premium, and it can become much more of a challenge if Horford wears down in the paint, too. In a sense, it is fortunate that Al isn’t spending much time there at all.

Mike Budenholzer might have chained himself to Horford, and shackled himself to an Atlanta arena chair, if he had at his disposal the evolutionary long-range marksman Horford has become (last six games: 62.5 3FG% on 6.7 attempts/game; 3.3 APG, 0.5 TOs/game). Averaging just 2.7 two-point shots and 0.4 freebie attempts per game, Al conserves his energy by galloping from the defensive perimeter to the offensive perimeter, where no pec-straining beasts lurk.

Nevertheless, Al is logging the most per-game minutes (31.0 MPG) since his age-31 season, with Boston a half-decade ago, and that’s despite getting a truncated 24 minutes, the fewest in two months, versus the Blazers. Optimizing Al’s floor time for this final stretch will require more out of Muscala (1.8 PPG in last six appearances, incl. a 35-minute start @ CLE; 3-for-6 combined 3FGs and two boards in two games w/ OKC vs. ATL), whose season-long 71.4 three-point attempt rate eclipses even Horford’s 65.3.

Including Griffin, Sam Hauser (5-for-6 3FGs in the 126-101 win vs. ATL on Nov. 16), and Kornet in the mix, the plethora of stretchy bigs means Atlanta’s John Collins (3.6 contested 3FGAs/game, 3^rd in NBA behind Horford’s 3.8), Saddiq Bey and De’Andre Hunter will have their work cut out to closeout while also staying out of foul trouble. That leaves guards, Trae Young and Bogi Bogdanovic included, with the challenge of being disruptive with Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s relentless drives to, and dishes from, the paint.

Frank Kaminsky and Vit Krejci were the only providers of bench threes, both in blowout garbage time, in the Hawks’ November loss to the Celts down on The Farm, the rest of their team a draining 5-for-30 from outside (youngsters AJ Griffin and Jalen Johnson each went 0-for-4). Despite Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White roving about to pester Young and Dejounte Murray, Atlanta’s Bogi and Saddiq Bey (combined 7-for-12 3FGs last night; Bogi and Jalen 4-for-6 on Wednesday vs. WAS) are likely to change that calculus for Atlanta (34-33), coming off their killer threes during the victories in D.C., even with Griffin presently under witness protection.

The Celtics need this road win to help change their trajectory. But not just because the Bucks have upped the ante, while the Sixers and Cavs are making their runs up the standings. And not just because Giannis and Joel are crowding Jayson out from the forefront of the MVP picture. The Bruins’ unanticipated success is threatening to move the gloried Celtics firmly onto Page C2 of your cousin from Boston’s grand-uncle’s sports pages (remember sports pages?). Good thing the Sawx still stinx, and Brady’s retired retired (at least for now).

Put to sleep last June by Steph Curry, Bostonians still have hopes of awakening to two championship parades in quick succession by late spring. The Hawks can do their part over the coming weeks to help put the Celtics’ immediate title aspirations on ice. Wherever and however the Bruins’ season wraps up, hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup or just a footnote-worthy Presidents’ Trophy, that’s gonna be on ice either way.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Aside from Timelord Williams, also out for the C's is backup guard Payton Pritchard, who has a sore heel.

Atlanta's submission isn't in yet as per the 10:30 Boo-Boo Report. De'Andre Hunter's shoulder get banged up late in last night's scramble but he played through it, so hopefully he'll be good to go.

~lw3

[sturt]

Think Quin has it exactly right (presser) that the mindset has to be about getting better every game. It's about winning, but it's more about getting better every game... in which case, the wins take care of themselves, and though you may lose some, you're heading into the post season as one of "those teams" that everyone understands is peaking at exactly the right time.

(Cliche' as it might be to say.)

 

 

Part of me won't mind seeing Dre... or one of the wings... sit. I don't want to see AJ go without minutes for too long a time. My inclination is he's probably had enough down time now to catch his second wind, if that's a thing. And, at the same time, there's some wisdom in not letting little injuries become bigger injuries anyway.

 

 

And to that point, I heard Quin talk about running the Wiz off the court or words to that effect. That's what deep teams can do. That's why you really want to do everything you can to get every player who can legitimately give you NBA-talent minutes those minutes heading into post season.

I look at AJ. He's a legitimate NBA-caliber back-up.

I look at ADay. Him, too.

I'm less definitive, but optimistic, that Garrison is one... I mean, he has the 3 point sniper quality, but also if you've seen his highlight reels, he's a feisty guy. He doesn't mind mixing it up.

I'm similarly inclined on Bruno. He's no rookie any more. He has a good clue what he's doing, and absolutely can get you some rebounds and some blocks and some put-backs.

So, all that to say, I hope we hit post season with Quin feeling he truly can run the other team off the court because he's got such a deep bench that he can always have some fresh legs in whom he can have confidence.

 

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Happy Gilmore

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

11-9 over past 20 games)

They miss Udoka around the facilities. 

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Robert Williams

 (Live shot of Rob as we speak about him)  

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

the big-boned-ed

GIRTHY..

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Muscala

 

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Jaylen Brown’s relentless drives to, and dishes from, the paint.

Him and Giannis are throw backs to 80’s. They could play then.

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Lord Stanley’s Cup

Funny I mentioned our improvement and it’s due to your fav @lethalweapon3 and that’s watching it swang from side 2 side!

Thanks as always lw3!

Vegas has Celts -5.5

2K to come…

 

GO HAWKS!!! 

[sturt]

 

Had a feeling BogBog would be given the night off.

AJ, you're up!

Mathews, one T.... be ready... you might be.

[Spud2nique]

Ouch! Alrighty then! This one got away from me. Hoping the real version shows up tonight.

[Gray Mule]

Note of correction:   It's Celtics @ Hawks.  Heading says Hawks @ Celtics.

Here's hoping the Celtics, who have had plenty of time off since they last played, have availed themselves lavisly of the night life in Atlanta while the Hawks were busy, taking care of buisness in the nation's capital!

  GO ATL HAWKS !!

[swanlee]

I just hope we play competitive and do not embarrass ourselves.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

Ouch! Alrighty then! This one got away from me. Hoping the real version shows up tonight.

I’m sorry there’s no way the computer could have beat me.. seriously look at the D! Ronnie 2K has some favs ok… Schmelts and Scrubs.

34 minutes ago, swanlee said:

I just hope we play competitive and do not embarrass ourselves.

So you saw the 2K score huh.. 

[Spud2nique]

40 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Heading says Hawks @ Celtics.

Which headline? BSPN? They are Connecticut based. 

40 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

night life

Stripper pole her income. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Spud2nique

[SalvorMallow]

13 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

I’m sorry there’s no way the computer could have beat me.. seriously look at the D! Ronnie 2K has some favs ok… Schmelts and Scrubs.

So you saw the 2K score huh.. 

Really Spud? 0 3pm and only 9 attempts? You must love old school ball. 

 

Wait a second...has anyone seen @Spud2nique and Nate McMillan in the same place at the same time? 

[Peoriabird]

Capela need to play his azz off tonight to redeem himself for taking last night off.  If not, this maybe the Capela we see going forward which won't be good for the Hawks success moving forward this season.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

3 hours ago, sturt said:

 

Had a feeling BogBog would be given the night off.

AJ, you're up!

Mathews, one T.... be ready... you might be.

 

Damn . . you put the whammy on Bogi.

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

AJ time. Hopefully he's gotten pass the rookie wall.

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, SalvorMallow said:

2 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

 

Really Spud? 0 3pm and only 9 attempts? You must love old school ball

I swear I’m not rooting my own horn but I have pretty quick reflexes or fast twitch bs fiber and fast fingers but Ronnie jacked up the shooting. The only 3 I’m able to hit is the Hunter one from either corner. Lol. 
 

You should seen my stats last year I was flingin up like I’m Stephen Urkel sCurry 

[kg01]

Tonight's the night we see Jaylen Brown glimpses from Hunter.

We see the Mitten do his thang.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I forgot about Dre's ankle sprain.  I know he continued to play in the game, but everybody knows how ankle sprains are once you stop playing.

Everyone is looking for AJ to play tonight, but I think Jalen Johnson may have a HUGE GAME tonight.

[JayBirdHawk]

I guess we should really make a concerted effort to guard the 3 point line tonigh?

 

.

[djjob23]

Refs scheduled for tonight's game and the career team records when they are reffing during either a Hawks or Celtics game:

• Crew Chief: Sean Wright #4 - BOS (38-39), ATL (38-36)
• Ref: Nick Buchart #3 - BOS (32-12), ATL (17-23)
• Umpire: Matt Myers #43 - BOS (11-4), ATL (4-14)

 

GO HAWKS!!!