Josh Smith on song as Atlanta Hawks hold off Boston Celtics; win 83 – 74 in game-1 – NBA Recap - Part 2
The Boston Celtics came out of the break with more determination and had two quick buckets but a Kirk Hinrich 3-point effort broke any early momentum. With the score 53 – 43, the Hawks had an 11 – 2 burst to increase the gap again; 64 – 45. Celtics made some amends and by the end of the third quarter were behind by 65 – 53.
The final 12 minutes were more of the same. Boston pushed hard and this time made some inroads, taking the score as close as 76 – 70, but the Hawks held on to win 83 – 74.
Just before the end of the game, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo picked up his second technical and was ejected from the game, following a bump into the referee. Rondo could face a one game suspension if the officials deem contact as intentional, something Rondo denied after the game.
"I was upset about the call, and I said something [to Davis]. As I was walking I thought he stopped, and my momentum carried me into him. It's out of my control [whether he's suspended]. My teammates all thought that I was obviously in the wrong. They may see that I bumped him, but I didn't intentionally chest-bump him. I know the rules." He said.
Rondo had 20 points, 11 assists, 4 steals and 4 rebounds before his ejection. Veteran power forward Kevin Garnett was also impressive for the Celtics, garnering 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Celtics captain Paul Pierce scored 12, of a poor 5-of-19 shooting. He also had 6 assists but wasn’t at all pleased with his display.
"For us to win, I have to be a better player," Pierce said. "I was a really big culprit."
The Hawks made full use of their home court advantage in the first game and never really allowed the Celtics back once they had established a lead. Boston on the other hand started of the playoffs with a lethargic display, even though they ended the regular season on a high.
The Celtics poor night could be attributed to their abysmal shooting from the field, with only 39 percent of their efforts on target. Even more damaging was the 0-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
Hawks were only slightly better from the field at 40.8 percent, but nailed 7 shots from downtown, which made a big difference in the 83 – 74 win.
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