Celtics-Hawks Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Apr 01 2011 12:11AM

Rajon Rondo and the Boston Celtics finally regained some much-needed swagger by beating the team with the NBA's best record, a win that could prove critical to their playoff seeding.

Even with their postseason spot all but decided, the Atlanta Hawks aren't underestimating their recent turnaround.

The Celtics continue their push for at least the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference on Friday night in Atlanta, where the resurgent Hawks look to keep building confidence with a fourth consecutive victory.

Boston (52-22) seemed like a lock for one of the East's top two seeds prior to trading Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City, but a 5-7 stretch that began March 9 dropped it from the conference's pole position into a tie with Miami for second place, 2 1/2 games behind Chicago.

The traits that put the Celtics atop the conference before the trade all but disappeared over the past three weeks. They averaged 88.5 points and 19.8 assists over that 12-game stretch while shooting 44.5 percent, far cries from the 98.2 points, 24.2 assists per game and league-best 49.3 shooting from their first 61 games.

On Thursday night in San Antonio, the old Celtics returned - and it again started with Rondo. Struggling since the Perkins trade, Rondo had 22 points, 14 of his team's 29 assists and no turnovers as Boston shot 54.8 percent in a 107-97 win to pull ahead of the Heat - and within two games of the Bulls.

"This is a good place to try and gather some momentum," said Paul Pierce, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. "You talk about the team with the best record. What better place to get back on track than here?"

Rondo averaged 7.4 assists during Boston's subpar stretch - well off his 11.3 season mark - but when he's finding Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are nearly impossible to beat. They're 21-2 when Rondo has 13 assists or more and 23-16 when he has 12 or fewer.

Rondo missed both meetings with the Hawks (43-32) with injuries, but Boston's done just fine without him. The Celtics shot 53.3 percent and rode a 39-13 first-quarter lead to a 99-76 win at Philips Arena on Nov. 22, then shot 53.0 percent in a 102-90 home victory Dec. 16.

Boston outscored the Hawks in the paint by a combined 30 points in the two wins despite being shorthanded up front, and they'll be missing another big man Friday. Just as Jermaine O'Neal returned Thursday for the first time since Jan. 10, Nenad Krstic exited with a right knee injury and is out indefinitely.

He'll return to Boston for an MRI Friday.

While the Celtics have spent the past month adjusting to a new rotation, the Hawks have often been going through the motions. All but locked into the East's fifth seed, Atlanta went 3-8 from March 4-23.

Even that spot was looking like it was in jeopardy, but the Hawks have turned it around with defense. Atlanta beat Orlando - its likely first-round opponent - 85-82 on Wednesday, a third straight win in a stretch it's held opponents to 84.0 points per game and 42.0 percent shooting.

"I don't know if we're sending a message, but we've got to let teams know we're coming to play," said Josh Smith, who had a game-high 26 points.

Smith has averaged 23.5 points and 10.0 rebounds the past four games, a boost of confidence he'll need against Boston. He's missed all 11 shots he's taken in the two meetings with the Celtics, totaling three points - his two worst individual performances in the past four seasons.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Crawford, Hawks surge in 4th to top Celtics 88-83

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Apr 02 2011 12:10AM

ATLANTA (AP) The Atlanta Hawks are looking more like a postseason contender again after a renewed commitment to defense delivered a second straight win over a playoff-bound team.

Al Horford capped his 35th double-double with a key tip-in with 7.9 seconds remaining, Jamal Crawford scored 20 points and the Hawks surged in the fourth quarter to beat the travel-weary Boston Celtics 88-83 on Friday night.

The Hawks' first win in three tries against Boston this season followed an 85-82 win over Orlando on Wednesday night, giving Atlanta four straight wins after losing 14 of 21.

"I've been waiting for this kind of quality effort," said Hawks coach Larry Drew, who stopped short of saying his team had completely recovered from its funk. "Certainly I see signs, but I'm not going to go out on a limb and say they're there."

The Celtics fell to third in the Eastern Conference, 1/2 game behind Miami and three games behind Chicago.

"We would like to get 1 or 2," said Boston coach Doc Rivers.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 25 points. Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Kevin Garnett had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Celtics arrived in Atlanta at 4 a.m. on Friday following Thursday night's 107-97 win at San Antonio. Boston's players appeared to tire late in the game after taking a 60-48 lead in the third quarter.

Boston's Jermaine O'Neal played for the second straight night after recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee - his first action since January. He had only one point and one rebound in 15 minutes.

Rivers said he was forced to play O'Neal against the Hawks after backup center Nenad Krstic hurt his right knee on Thursday night. Krstic did not play against Atlanta.

Joe Johnson scored 19 points for the Hawks despite making only 4 of 20 shots from the field. Horford had 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Crawford, Johnson and Horford are familiar names in the Hawks' list of scoring leaders. The surprise was Zaza Pachulia, who led Atlanta with 10 points and six rebounds in the final 12 minutes to finish with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hawks outscored the Celtics 26-15 in the final period as Drew stuck with the same five players, including Crawford and Pachulia.

"I thought Zaza was the toughest dude on the floor and changed the whole game," Rivers said. "He was banging everybody, getting offensive rebounds, and I thought that was a great move by them."

Drew said Pachulia "just gave us some huge, huge minutes. ... I was not going to take him out of the game. He was a presence out there. We got into a rhythm when he came into the game, and we didn't want to interrupt that."

Starters Josh Smith and Marvin Williams sat out the final period. Smith said he couldn't argue with Drew's decision.

"I was one of the biggest cheerleaders out there," said Smith, who had only six points and four rebounds.

The Celtics have brought out the best in Pachulia since the 7-footer went nose to nose with Garnett in the 2008 playoffs.

"It's a special game for us, the organization and the fans," Pachulia said.

Garnett said playing two road games in two nights is not an excuse for the letdown.

"Back-to-back is part of the NBA," Garnett said. "It has been since I've been in the league, so that's no excuse. Either we can quit and go home or we can continue to get better. There's no history of quitting in this team, so we'll just move forward."

Rivers said one sign of fatigue was his players taking quick jump shots.

"The difference between last night and tonight was the ball didn't move enough," Rivers said. "I thought we took quick, bad shots."

The Hawks held a 17-8 rebounding advantage in the fourth quarter and a 52-38 edge for the game. Atlanta also outscored Boston 18-2 in second-chance points.

"We got absolutely crushed on the glass tonight," Rivers said.

Notes: Krstic will have an MRI on the knee in Boston on Saturday. ... Boston's Pierce and O'Neal and Atlanta's Pachulia drew technical fouls for two incidents in the first quarter. Pierce drew his technical following a brief altercation with Johnson. Pachulia and O'Neal had to be separated late in the period.

Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Celtics-Hawks notebook

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday April 2, 2011 12:20AM

THE FACTS: For the second game in a row, the Hawks played with unmistakable passion and reserves Zaza Pachulia and Jamal Crawford helped Atlanta rally from a 12-point third quarter deficit to beat the visiting Celtics 88-83 for a fourth consecutive victory.

Crawford scored a team-high 20 points and Pachulia had 15 points, 10 rebounds and recovered multiple loose balls while playing every second of the fourth quarter -- like Crawford -- as Atlanta starters Josh Smith and Marvin Williams did not play in the final period. Pachulia had 10 points and six rebounds in the fourth quarter, when Atlanta out-scored Boston 26-15.

The Celtics, who arrived in Atlanta at around 4 a.m. after winning Thursday in San Antonio, were led by Paul Pierce's 25 points, and Rajon Rondo had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, but the Hawks were aggressors most of the night.

Atlanta outscored Boston by 15 points at the free throw line (26-of-30 to Boston's 11-of-20) and out-rebounded the visitors 52-38. The Hawks in back-to-back games have beaten teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference playoff race, including an 85-82 win Wednesday over the Magic.

Atlanta finished the regular season 1-3 against Boston, including a 99-76 loss in the Celtics' Nov. 22 visit.

QUOTABLE: "Zaza came in and just gave us huge, huge minutes. Game balls to both he and Jamal Crawford. Both guys came off the bench and did what we look for them to do. We need Jamal aggressive off the dribble, and attacking. We need Zaza being aggressive and making big man plays. He did that."
-- Hawks coach Larry Drew.

QUOTABLE II: "I was watching Z roll. It was a beautiful thing to watch, him really playing physical, playing hard and doing what he does. As long as he keeps doing that . . . we're going to be successful. Maybe he needs to visualize everybody in a Celtics uniform. The way he plays against them is amazing to watch."
-- Josh Smith, on not playing the final quarter-plus as Pachulia did.

THE STAT: 18-2: Both teams scored 34 points in the paint, but the Hawks out-worked the Celtics and it showed up in a big way in their 18-2 edge in second-chance points. Atlanta out-rebounded Boston 34-19 in the second half, including a 10-2 margin in offensive boards.

TURNING POINT: The Hawks fell behind 68-58 on Delonte West's jumper with 50 seconds left in the third quarter, and Ray Allen soon stole the ball from Pachulia.

But after Allen missed a layup, Al Horford hit two free throws, and another close-range miss by Allen led to Crawford's off-balance layup to cut the Boston lead to 68-62 with less than one second remaining in the quarter. Atlanta started the fourth quarter with a 9-1 run to take the lead as Pachulia scored six quick points and Joe Johnson added three free throws. Horford finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

HOT: Crawford scored 10 straight points on five consecutive possessions for the Hawks in the second period by making three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, a jumper, two free throws and a runner. . . . Pachulia has had 34 rebounds over the past five games despite not playing more than 18:08 in that span until Friday (23:22).

NOT: Boston 6-foot-9 forward Glen Davis, who started at center Friday because Nenad Krstic was out after injuring his right knee Thursday in San Antonio, had scored 36 points on 15-of-23 shooting over the previous two games. Friday, though, he made just four-of-11. He did make just his second three-pointer of the season in 13 tries, a 28-footer just before the shot clock expired early in the second quarter. . . . Joe Johnson made just four-of-20 shots, including one-of-nine in the fourth quarter. He made 10-of-11 free throws, however, to finish with 19 points. . . . Atlanta point guard Kirk Hinrich scored five points for the second game in a row. He made two-of-eight shots after making two-of-nine in Wednesday's win over Orlando. . . . Allen scored 11 points. That's the seventh consecutive game, and ninth in the past 10, he has scored below his season average of 16.8. Over the past seven, he has averaged 12.7.

GOOD MOVE: Drew's decision to leave Pachulia in over the final 13:58 of the game at center with Al Horford playing power forward and starting power forward Josh Smith on the bench paid off big.

QUOTABLE III: "I thought Zaza Pachulia was the toughest dude on the floor and changed the whole game. He was banging everybody, getting offensive rebounds, and I thought that was a great move by [the Hawks]. The difference between [winning in San Antonio Thursday] and tonight was the ball didn't move enough. I thought we took quick, bad shots."
-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

NOTABLE: With Boston trailing 84-81, Davis missed two free throws with 36 seconds left. Kevin Garnett, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds, appeared to grab the rebound. Hinrich fouled him as he immediately went back up for a shot that might've pulled Boston to within a point, or tied the score if he followed with a free throw. The rebound didn't count, though, because Garnett was called for a foul after pushing Pachulia in order to get that rebound. Pachulia's two free throws made it 86-81. The Celtics were finished when Horford tipped in a Johnson miss with 7.9 seconds left to make it 88-83. . . . Pierce was hit with a technical foul in the first period, and Pachulia and Boston's Jermaine O'Neal drew simultaneous technicals with just over one second left in the period for jawing back and forth with some light pushing during a dead ball. . . . Krstic will undergo an MRI in Boston Saturday on his injured left knee. . . . Drew told reporters before the game he was going to start Jason Collins at center, but when he learned that Glen Davis was starting at center for Boston (because of the absence of both Krstic and Shaquille O'Neal plus the fact that this was just Jermaine O'Neal's second game since Jan. 12 because of knee surgery), he started his normal lineup with Horford at center. Collins did not play. Jermaine O'Neal had one point, one rebound and two turnovers in 15:40. . . . The Celtics scored 16 points in the third quarter and 15 in the fourth, but neither was a season low for that period (15 and 11). . . . Shaquille O'Neal may be available for Sunday's game against Detroit after being sidelined with an inflamed right Achilles' tendon.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Sunday vs. the Pistons, Tuesday vs. the 76ers, Thursday @ the Bulls. For the Lakers, Sunday @ the Rockets, Tuesday vs. the Spurs, Friday @ the Pacers.

• Celtics: Krstic, Murphy, O'Neal
• Hawks: Powell, Sy

• Celtics: O'Neal, Pierce
• Hawks: Pachulia

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #23 Jason Phillips, #6 Tony Brown
• Attendance: 19763
• Duration: 2:32

Boston Celtics (52-23)		Atlanta Hawks (44-32)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Smith vs Davis (Johnson gains possession)
	11:40 [ATL 2-0]	Williams Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Rondo 3pt Shot: Missed	11:12
	11:10	Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:01	Smith Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:59
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	10:47
	10:46	Horford Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:32	Horford Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:30
Rondo Running Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Allen (1 AST)	10:20 [BOS 2-2]
	10:07 [ATL 4-2]	Johnson Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Hinrich (1 AST)
Allen Driving Layup Shot: Missed	09:52
	09:51	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	09:36	Smith Layup Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:35
Rondo Running Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Garnett (1 AST)	09:20 [BOS 4-4]
	09:01	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:00
Pierce Driving Jump shot: Missed	08:53
	08:52	Hinrich Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:47	Hinrich Running Layup Shot: Missed
	08:45	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	08:45 [ATL 6-4]	Horford Putback Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Garnett Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Allen (2 AST)	08:32 [BOS 6-6]
	08:13	Horford Jump Shot: Missed
	08:11	Hinrich Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	08:01 [ATL 8-6]	Hinrich Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Allen Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)	07:37
	07:27 [ATL 10-6]	Smith Driving Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Johnson (1 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	07:25
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Rondo (1 AST)	07:01 [BOS 8-10]
	06:47	Johnson Running Jump Shot: Missed Block: Allen (1 BLK)
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	06:45
Rondo Running Layup Shot: Missed Block: Horford (1 BLK)	06:42
	06:40	Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Allen Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	06:32
	06:32 [ATL 11-8]	Williams Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	06:32 [ATL 12-8]	Williams Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
	06:12	Williams Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)	06:12 [BOS 9-12]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)	06:12 [BOS 10-12]
	05:48	Williams Driving Jump shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	05:47
Rondo Driving Jump shot: Missed	05:32
	05:31	Hinrich Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	05:08	Hinrich Jump Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	05:07
Rondo Running Layup Shot: Missed	05:02
Rondo Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	05:00
Rondo Hook Shot: Missed	04:56
	04:54	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	04:51	Horford Foul : Offensive Charge (1 PF)
	04:51	Horford Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
Allen Substitution replaced by Green	04:51
Davis Substitution replaced by West	04:51
	04:51	Williams Substitution replaced by Crawford
Pierce Turnover : Step Out of Bounds Turnover (1 TO)	04:39
	04:26 [ATL 14-10]	Smith Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Green Driving Jump shot: Missed	04:01
	03:59	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	03:46	Crawford 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	03:45
	03:34	Johnson Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Pierce Technical	03:34
	03:34 [ATL 15-10]	Crawford Free Throw Technical (1 PTS)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)	03:34 [BOS 11-15]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)	03:34 [BOS 12-15]
	03:23 [ATL 17-12]	Crawford Running Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Smith (1 AST)
West 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Garnett (2 AST)	03:02 [BOS 15-17]
Pierce Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:45
	02:45	Team Timeout : Regular
Garnett Substitution replaced by O'Neal	02:45
Rondo Substitution replaced by Wafer	02:45
	02:45 [ATL 18-15]	Johnson Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	02:45 [ATL 19-15]	Johnson Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Pierce 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: West (1 AST)	02:29 [BOS 18-19]
	02:16 [ATL 21-18]	Smith Slam Dunk Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Horford (1 AST)
	02:01	Johnson Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
	02:01	Johnson Substitution replaced by Pachulia
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)	02:01 [BOS 19-21]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	02:01
	01:59	Pachulia Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	01:46	Smith Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
O'Neal Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	01:28
	01:28	Hinrich Substitution replaced by Williams
	01:16 [ATL 23-19]	Pachulia Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Horford (2 AST)
O'Neal Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	01:02
O'Neal Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	01:02
	00:50.1	Williams Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)
Pierce Substitution replaced by Pavlovic	00:50.1
	00:50.1	Horford Substitution replaced by Teague
West Driving Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS)	00:35.1 [BOS 21-23]
	00:27.9	Crawford Pullup Jump shot: Missed
Pavlovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:24.9
	00:07.6	Teague Foul : Personal Take (1 PF)
West Driving Jump shot: Missed	00:02.9
	00:01.8	Team Rebound
	00:01.8	Double Technical - Pachulia, O'Neal
	00:00.0	Williams 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 1st Quarter
Boston Celtics (52-23)		Atlanta Hawks (44-32)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
	11:58	Pachulia Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Green 3pt Shot: Missed	11:40
	11:39	Pachulia Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	11:21	Horford Turnaround Hook Shot: Missed
	11:18	Pachulia Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	11:15	Crawford Jump Shot: Missed
O'Neal Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:13
Allen Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	10:53 [BOS 23-23]
	10:34	Teague 3pt Shot: Missed Block: West (1 BLK)
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	10:31
West Running Layup Shot: Missed	10:28
	10:28	Team Rebound
	10:07	Pachulia Layup Shot: Missed Block: Green (1 BLK)
	10:07	Jump Ball Pachulia vs Green (O'Neal gains possession)
Team Rebound	10:07
O'Neal Jump Shot: Missed	09:47
	09:46	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Green Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	09:31
	09:31	Teague Substitution replaced by Hinrich
Pavlovic Substitution replaced by Davis	09:31
	09:31 [ATL 24-23]	Pachulia Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	09:31	Pachulia Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:30
Davis 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS)	09:07 [BOS 26-24]
	08:42	Pachulia Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)
	08:42
Green Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: West (2 AST)	08:28 [BOS 28-24]
	08:00 [ATL 27-28]	Hinrich 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Horford (3 AST)
Allen 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: West (3 AST)	07:40 [BOS 31-27]
	07:14 [ATL 29-31]	Horford Turnaround Hook Shot: Made (4 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Missed	06:49
	06:48	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	06:28 [ATL 32-31]	Crawford 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Horford (4 AST)
West 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Davis (1 AST)	06:01 [BOS 34-32]
	05:45 [ATL 35-34]	Crawford 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	05:15
	05:14	Hinrich Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	05:07 [ATL 37-34]	Crawford Driving Jump shot: Made (11 PTS)
Davis Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)	04:46 [BOS 36-37]
Green Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	04:32
	04:32	Team Timeout : Regular
	04:32	Williams Substitution replaced by Smith
	04:32	Pachulia Substitution replaced by Johnson
Green Substitution replaced by Garnett	04:32
West Substitution replaced by Pierce	04:32
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Rondo	04:32
	04:32 [ATL 38-36]	Crawford Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)
	04:32 [ATL 39-36]	Crawford Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)
Davis Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Garnett (3 AST)	04:17 [BOS 38-39]
	04:00 [ATL 41-38]	Crawford Driving Jump shot: Made (15 PTS)
	03:45	Smith Foul : Defense 3 Second (0 PF)
Allen Free Throw Technical (6 PTS)	03:45 [BOS 39-41]
Rondo Running Reverse Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Garnett (4 AST)	03:41 [BOS 41-41]
	03:22	Crawford 3pt Shot: Missed
	03:21	Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	03:17	Johnson 3pt Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	03:16
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	03:02
	03:01	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	02:54	Hinrich 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	02:52
	02:44	Hinrich Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Team Timeout : Regular	02:44
Rondo Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:44
Team Rebound	02:44
Rondo Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	02:44 [BOS 42-41]
Davis Foul : Personal (1 PF)	02:35
Pierce Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	02:28
	02:28	Johnson Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	02:28	Team Rebound
	02:28 [ATL 42-42]	Johnson Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Pierce Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Garnett (5 AST)	02:09 [BOS 44-42]
	01:53	Smith Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	01:51
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (2 AST)	01:40 [BOS 46-42]
	01:33	Team Timeout : Short
	01:33	Johnson Substitution replaced by Williams
	01:14	Williams Jump Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	01:13
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Rondo (3 AST)	01:02 [BOS 48-42]
	00:49.9	Crawford Driving Dunk Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	00:47.9
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Rondo (4 AST)	00:42.5 [BOS 50-42]
	00:34.3 [ATL 44-50]	Horford Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Crawford (1 AST)
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS)	00:26.7 [BOS 52-44]
	00:02.9	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	00:01.8
End of 2nd Quarter
Boston Celtics (52-23)		Atlanta Hawks (44-32)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	11:43
	11:41	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	11:23	Johnson Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	11:21
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (16 PTS)	11:00 [BOS 54-44]
	10:38	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	10:37
Garnett Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (8 PTS)	10:14 [BOS 56-44]
	10:12	Team Timeout : Regular
	09:50	Williams 3pt Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	09:49
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	09:31
	09:29	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	09:22	Hinrich Jump Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	09:21
Pierce Jump Shot: Missed	09:06
	09:05	Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
Pierce Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	08:56
	08:56 [ATL 45-56]	Johnson Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)
	08:56 [ATL 46-56]	Johnson Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)
Allen Jump Shot: Missed	08:39
	08:38	Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Allen Foul : Personal (2 PF)	08:35
	08:25 [ATL 48-56]	Johnson Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	08:00
	07:59	Johnson Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	07:49	Johnson Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	07:48	Team Rebound
	07:39	Smith Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Pierce (1 ST)
Davis Alley Oop Layup shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Allen (3 AST)	07:25 [BOS 58-48]
	07:08	Horford Jump Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)	07:07
	06:58	Hinrich Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Rondo Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	06:58
Team Rebound	06:58
Rondo Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	06:58
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	06:56
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Rondo (5 AST)	06:51 [BOS 60-48]
	06:23	Johnson 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	06:22
Rondo Driving Layup Shot: Missed	06:10
	06:09	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
Pierce Foul : Defense 3 Second (3 PF)	06:00
	06:00 [ATL 49-60]	Williams Free Throw Technical (5 PTS)
Rondo Substitution replaced by West	06:00
	05:48	Hinrich 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	05:46
Pierce Jump Shot: Missed	05:31
	05:30	Hinrich Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	05:24	Horford Jump Shot: Missed Block: West (2 BLK)
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	05:23
West 3pt Shot: Missed	05:12
	05:11	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)
	05:01 [ATL 51-60]	Horford Dunk Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Smith (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	04:59
	04:59	Hinrich Substitution replaced by Crawford
Garnett Substitution replaced by Green	04:59
	04:48	Williams Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	04:48
Team Rebound	04:48
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	04:48
	04:46	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	04:32	Johnson Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	04:31
Green Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: West (4 AST)	04:21 [BOS 62-51]
	03:59	Johnson Running Jump Shot: Missed
	03:58	Johnson Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	03:56	Johnson Putback Layup Shot: Missed
	03:55	Williams Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	03:55 [ATL 53-62]	Williams Tip Shot: Made (7 PTS)
Pierce Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (18 PTS)	03:29 [BOS 64-53]
	03:06 [ATL 55-64]	Johnson Driving Jump shot: Made (11 PTS)
Pierce Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	02:49
	02:47	Johnson Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	02:38	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	02:37
Green Jump Shot: Missed	02:19
	02:18	Smith Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	02:11	Crawford Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:West (1 ST)
Allen Running Dunk Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Pierce (1 AST)	02:06 [BOS 66-55]
Allen Foul : Personal (3 PF)	01:53
Pierce Substitution replaced by Pavlovic	01:53
Davis Substitution replaced by O'Neal	01:53
	01:53	Smith Substitution replaced by Pachulia
	01:53	Williams Substitution replaced by Hinrich
	01:41	Johnson Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
West Jump Shot: Missed	01:32
	01:30	Horford Rebound (Off:1 Def:9)
West Foul : Defense 3 Second (0 PF)	01:22
	01:22 [ATL 56-66]	Crawford Free Throw Technical (16 PTS)
	01:10	Horford Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: O'Neal (1 BLK)
	01:08	Horford Rebound (Off:2 Def:9)
	01:07	Horford Putback Layup Shot: Missed
	01:06	Pachulia Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	01:06 [ATL 58-66]	Pachulia Tip Shot: Made (5 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)	00:50.2 [BOS 68-58]
	00:36.9	Pachulia Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Allen (1 ST)
Allen Running Layup Shot: Missed	00:30.9
	00:30.9	Team Rebound
Green Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)	00:30.9
	00:30.9 [ATL 59-68]	Horford Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)
	00:30.9 [ATL 60-68]	Horford Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)
Allen Driving Jump shot: Missed	00:08.8
	00:06.9	Crawford Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:00.4 [ATL 62-68]	Crawford Driving Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS)
	00:00.4	Team Violation : Delay Of Game
End of 3rd Quarter
Boston Celtics (52-23)		Atlanta Hawks (44-32)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:35 [ATL 64-68]	Pachulia Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Johnson (2 AST)
	11:18	Horford Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
O'Neal Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	11:18
Team Rebound	11:18
O'Neal Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)	11:18 [BOS 69-64]
	10:55	Hinrich Jump Shot: Missed
	10:54	Pachulia Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)
O'Neal Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	10:53
	10:53 [ATL 65-69]	Pachulia Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)
	10:53 [ATL 66-69]	Pachulia Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
Rondo Driving Jump shot: Missed	10:39
	10:36	Horford Rebound (Off:2 Def:10)
Pavlovic Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	10:23
	10:23 [ATL 67-69]	Johnson Free Throw 1 of 3 (12 PTS)
Pavlovic Substitution replaced by Pierce	10:23
	10:23 [ATL 68-69]	Johnson Free Throw 2 of 3 (13 PTS)
	10:23 [ATL 69-69]	Johnson Free Throw 3 of 3 (14 PTS)
Rondo Driving Layup Shot: Missed	10:09
	10:07	Pachulia Rebound (Off:3 Def:3)
	09:46	Johnson Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	09:43	Crawford Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	09:40 [ATL 71-69]	Pachulia Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Crawford (2 AST)
Rondo Driving Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Green (1 AST)	09:21 [BOS 71-71]
	09:05	Crawford Jump Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	09:04
Pierce Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Pachulia (1 ST)	08:50
	08:43	Crawford Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:West (2 ST)
Rondo Running Layup Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: West (5 AST)	08:39 [BOS 73-71]
Green Foul : Personal (4 PF)	08:26
	08:26
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Davis	08:26
Davis Foul : Personal (2 PF)	07:57
	07:42	Johnson Jump Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	07:40
Rondo Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Horford (1 ST)	07:26
	07:18	Johnson 3pt Shot: Missed
	07:17	Pachulia Rebound (Off:4 Def:3)
	07:06 [ATL 73-73]	Crawford Driving Layup Shot: Made (20 PTS)
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	06:49
	06:48	Pachulia Rebound (Off:4 Def:4)
	06:38 [ATL 75-73]	Horford Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Crawford (3 AST)
Davis Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed	06:15
	06:12	Horford Rebound (Off:2 Def:11)
	06:06 [ATL 77-73]	Horford Running Layup Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Crawford (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:05
Green Substitution replaced by Garnett	06:05
West Substitution replaced by Allen	06:05
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	05:56
	05:54	Crawford Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	05:41	Crawford 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)	05:40
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (20 PTS)	05:24 [BOS 75-77]
	04:58	Johnson Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:8)	04:55
Pierce Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed	04:42
	04:39	Horford Rebound (Off:2 Def:12)
	04:18	Johnson Running Jump Shot: Missed
	04:15	Pachulia Rebound (Off:5 Def:4)
Pierce Foul : Personal (4 PF)	04:15
	04:15 [ATL 78-75]	Pachulia Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)
	04:15 [ATL 79-75]	Pachulia Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)
Pierce Driving Jump shot: Missed	04:00
	03:58	Hinrich Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
Garnett Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	03:45
	03:45	Horford Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	03:45	Team Rebound
	03:45	Horford Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:8)	03:44
Garnett Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	03:32
	03:30	Crawford Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	03:17 [ATL 82-75]	Johnson 3pt Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Hinrich (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	03:16
Pierce Driving Layup Shot: Made (22 PTS)	03:05 [BOS 77-82]
	03:05	Horford Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 1 (23 PTS)	03:05 [BOS 78-82]
Pierce Foul : Shooting (5 PF)	02:54
	02:54 [ATL 83-78]	Johnson Free Throw 1 of 2 (18 PTS)
	02:54 [ATL 84-78]	Johnson Free Throw 2 of 2 (19 PTS)
Allen 3pt Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Pierce (2 AST)	02:39 [BOS 81-84]
	02:17	Pachulia Jump Shot: Missed
	02:15	Hinrich Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)
	01:55	Johnson Running Jump Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:9)	01:53
	01:42	Hinrich Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	01:31
	01:30	Pachulia Rebound (Off:5 Def:5)
	01:24	Team Timeout : Regular
	01:15	Hinrich Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Davis (1 ST)
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	01:09
	01:07	Hinrich Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)
	00:53.9	Johnson Jump Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)	00:52.7
	00:36.0	Crawford Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Davis Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	00:36.0
Team Rebound	00:36.0
Davis Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	00:36.0
	00:36.0	Team Rebound
Garnett Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	00:36.0
	00:36.0 [ATL 85-81]	Pachulia Free Throw 1 of 2 (14 PTS)
	00:36.0 [ATL 86-81]	Pachulia Free Throw 2 of 2 (15 PTS)
Team Timeout : Short	00:36.0
	00:30.8	Pachulia Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (24 PTS)	00:30.8 [BOS 82-86]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (25 PTS)	00:30.8 [BOS 83-86]
	00:10.9	Team Timeout : Short
	00:07.9	Johnson Running Jump Shot: Missed
	00:07.9	Horford Rebound (Off:3 Def:12)
	00:07.9 [ATL 88-83]	Horford Tip Shot: Made (16 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	00:07.9
Allen 3pt Shot: Missed	00:05.8
Garnett Rebound (Off:1 Def:9)	00:03.9
Davis 3pt Shot: Missed	00:01.0
	00:00.5	Crawford Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			ESPN	National	8:00 pm ET
		--	CSN-NE	Local	8:00 pm ET
		--	WEEI	Local	8:00 pm ET
		--	WQXI	Local	8:00 pm ET
		--	99X FM	Local	8:00 pm ET
canada		--	NBAC	national	8:00 pm ET