Hawks-Celtics Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Apr 11 2012 12:34AM

There are still two weeks left in the regular season, but the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks are rounding into playoff form.

With each team trying for a fourth consecutive victory, the Celtics look to continue their recent success over the Hawks on Wednesday night in this potential playoff preview.

Despite an aging core group of stars, Boston (33-24) has won 18 of 25 and leads the Atlantic Division by three games while sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference.

"It took a while," All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo said, "but we're peaking at the right time."

Because of their division lead, the Celtics are just ahead of fifth-place Atlanta (34-23) in the conference. The Hawks have won 10 of 14.

"We're already in playoff mode," Atlanta rookie forward Ivan Johnson said.

Boston has won three of four against the Hawks, including 79-76 at Atlanta on March 19 in the only meeting this season. Ray Allen scored 19 points while Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combined for 29 as the Celtics prevailed in a game where both clubs failed to shoot 40 percent.

Pierce scored 27 points, Garnett had 24 and Rondo added 18 with 15 assists as Boston shot a season-high 60.6 percent Tuesday while beating Miami for the second time in 10 days, 115-107.

"When they shoot like that, it's going to be tough to beat them," Heat star Dwyane Wade said.

Boston averages 91.9 points but has topped 100 in each of the last two games while shooting 59.7 percent.

"When you've got it going like that, just tip your hat off. We tip our hat off to them," LeBron James said of the Celtics.

Pierce has averaged 22.6 points on 48.7 percent shooting in the last 12 games while Garnett has totaled 44 and gone 19 of 25 from the field in the last two.

Though Boston has played well overall and held Atlanta to an average of 82.5 points on 39.6 percent shooting in the last four meetings, the Hawks are a confident group. Despite having injured center Al Horford for 11 games, Atlanta remains in the hunt for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

"Looking at where we are and looking at what happened from an injury standpoint, I think we're very fortunate to be in the position we're in," coach Larry Drew said.

Atlanta has averaged 112.3 points over the past three games, beating Charlotte twice and Detroit by an average of 17.3 points.

"We can't have any mental letdowns," Drew said. "Here we are with nine games to go and we've shown that we can be a pretty good ballclub. But any coach is looking for that consistency heading down the stretch. This is no time to let up and to not finish the regular season on a strong note so we can carry some momentum into the playoffs."

Joe Johnson scored 18 points and Zaza Pachulia added 12 with 16 rebounds as eight Hawks scored in double figures during Saturday's 116-96 win in Charlotte.

Pachulia, starting in place of Horford, has averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the last two games against the Celtics.

Rondo carries road-weary Celtics to win over Hawks

Posted Apr 12 2012 1:53AM

BOSTON (AP) An early morning return after an emotional win in Miami, followed by an overtime victory against a well-rested Atlanta team.

Nothing seems to stop the charging Boston Celtics lately.

Paul Pierce overcame a miserable shooting game with a key jumper in overtime and Rajon Rondo finished with a triple-double with 20 assists, 10 points and 10 rebounds to lift the surging Celtics to an 88-86 win over the Hawks on Wednesday night.

Coming off an eight-point win over the Heat one night earlier and facing the Hawks, who hadn't played since winning Saturday night, the Celtics knew how tired they were.

Turns out, they had a pull out a win after Kevin Garnett fouled out in OT.

"I gotta tell you guys: that was the worst game we've ever won," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "I mean we didn't play well. We just kept hanging in there. You could see the fatigue."

Garnett had 22 points and grabbed 12 boards before fouling out with just under 3 minutes left in OT, and Brandon Bass, who also hit a jumper in OT, scored 21 points.

It was Rondo's 19th straight game with double digits in assists.

"We kept fighting regardless of the other stuff out there. We stuck together, followed through and got the win," said Rondo, who played 87 minutes of 101 total minutes the last two nights.

With the victory, Boston moved into a three-way tie with Atlanta and Orlando for the Eastern Conference's fourth-best record. The Celtics remained three ahead of Philadelphia atop the Atlantic Division.

Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 21 points and Josh Smith had 20 with 11 rebounds. The Hawks had won eight of 11 since losing to Boston at home on March 19.

"It's twice now we've played this Boston team and the game has come down to the final few seconds of the game and we didn't make the plays," Atlanta coach Larry Drew said. "We have to learn from it and, more importantly, we need to move on from it."

It was the Celtics' 11th win in 14 games. Pierce finished with 14 points.

"We had plenty of chances to win this game, but its neither here nor there," Hawks forward Joe Johnson said, "they pulled it out."

Bass and Pierce hit jumpers, giving Boston an 88-84 lead early in the OT, but the Hawks sliced it to a one possession game on Kirk Hinrich's open jumper.

The teams traded turnovers over the next 2 minutes - with the Hawks' Smith getting picked cleanly by Pierce with 30 seconds to play, but the Celtics' captain was called for an offensive foul on the other end with 10.1 seconds to go.

Smith front-rimmed a 3 and Boston gained possession after a battle for the rebound went out of bounds off a Hawks' player in front of Boston's bench with 1.3 seconds left.

Boston inbounded the ball to Rondo, who fired it in the air as the horn sounded. Pierce, just 6 of 19 from the floor, raised his arms in triumph.

"It just shows we have great character. Tough-minded group," Rivers said.

In a back and forth fourth quarter during which the teams traded the lead five times, Boston went up 82-81 on Garnett's jumper from the top of the key with 1:26 to go, but Zaza Pachulia hit one of two free throws on the Hawks' next possession, tying it with 74 seconds left.

Bass then hit a short jumper in the lane and the Hawks' tied it again on Johnson's jumper with 47 seconds to play.

Pierce, who struggled from the floor all night, missed a 3 but Garnett grabbed the rebound.

After Boston's time-out, Garnett was forced to take a long fadeaway that missed the rim badly and the 24-second shot expired during a scramble for the rebound.

Teague front-rimmed a long jumper as the horn sounded, sending the game to OT.

Boston opened an 80-76 lead on Garnett's 3-point play when he drove around Pachulia for a reverse layup and was fouled, hitting the free throw to cap a 7-0 spree with 4:04 to play. The Hawks then retied it on Teague's jumper from the left wing a minute later after Johnson hit two free throws.

NOTES: Boston guard Ray Allen was sidelined by a sore right ankle that had him out a few weeks ago. He had played the last five games after being sidelined six by the troublesome ankle. ... The teams' final regular season meeting is on April 20 at Atlanta. ... Boston returned in the early morning hours after a 115-107 win at Miami on Tuesday. ... Mickael Pietrus, back in action after he suffered a concussion in a loss at Philadelphia on March 23 when he took a hard fall to the floor after he collided with Lou Williams and had to be taken off on a stretcher, gave Boston a spark off the bench with five fourth-quarter points. He played nearly 29 minutes. "I felt great," he said. "I was just trying to give my energy because I knew they would need my energy."

Notebook: Celtics 86, Hawks 84

Posted Thursday April 12, 2012 1:10AM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Rajon Rondo delivered yet another triple-double as the Boston Celtics held off the Atlanta Hawks 86-84 in an overtime thriller for their fourth straight win. Boston's All-Star point guard posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and 20 assists in the nip and tuck affair during which Atlanta had chances for the win at the end of both regulation and overtime but came up short. Kevin Garnett (22 points, 12 rebounds) and Brandon Bass (21 points, 10 rebounds) had double-doubles for the Celts' who have now won 11 of their last 14 games. Jeff Teague posted a team-high 22 points and six assists for the Hawks, and Josh Smith added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the visitors had their three-game winning streak snapped.

QUOTABLE: ""It took a group effort tonight. You think about your summer workouts, those workouts are to be ready for nights like this."
-- Garnett

THE STAT: Rondo's triple-double was his sixth of the season. Comparatively, all other players in the NBA have nine triple-doubles combined this year. The sixth-year guard also continued his streak of double-digit assists which now stands at 19 straight games.

TURNING POINT: Despite not scoring for the final 3:25 of overtime, the Celtics limited the Hawks to just two points over the closing moments. Atlanta's cold spell was capped off by a missed 3-pointer by Smith with four seconds remaining in overtime, allowing Boston to regain possession and escape with the hard-fought win.

HOT: Bass -- Garnett may be getting a lot of the headlines, but the stellar play of Boston's midseason addition to the starting lineup has been a tremendous factor in the team's recent hot streak. With his second straight double-double overall, Bass is now averaging 17 points, 8.7 rebounds and 62.8 percent shooting from the field in his last three games.

NOT: Joe Johnson -- Atlanta's leading scorer failed to sustain a strong offensive outing in the second half, missing seven of nine shots after intermission, including all three attempts in overtime.

QUOTABLE II: "I think we definitely should of won. Like I said, we had plenty of chances to win this game, but that's neither here nor there. They pulled it out in the end."
-- Johnson

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Teague -- The Hawks floor general continues to cement himself as an elite point guard in the NBA with his recent play. The former Wake Forest star had his fourth straight game shooting over 50 percent while scoring in double-digits and is now averaging 18.2 points over that time frame, six above his season average.

ROOKIE WATCH: Boston center Greg Stiemsma continues to deliver consistent minutes and offense to Celts' all while battling foul trouble on a nightly basis. He finished with six points, eight rebounds and a block tonight before fouling out in 24 minutes.

NOTABLE: In a surprise move for Boston, Mickael Pietrus returned to action for the first time since suffering a concussion last month in Philadelphia. The veteran swingman showed little rust, finishing with eight points and six rebounds in 28 minutes. Ray Allen did not suit up for Boston due to a sore right ankle. The injury kept him out of six straight games last month, but he will travel with the team for their upcoming four-game road trip, although his status remains day-to-day. Boston had their biggest rebounding edge of the year, 56-39. The Hawks shot a season low 10 percent from downtown (2 of 20). With the victory, Boston clinched the season series and the tiebreaker edge. Both teams are now tied for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with Orlando. Garnett fouled out with 2:43 remaining in overtime.

UP NEXT: For the Hawks, Friday @ Orlando, Sunday vs. Toronto, Monday @ Toronto. For the Celtics, Friday @ Toronto, Saturday @ New Jersey Sunday @ Charlotte.

• Hawks: Dampier, Horford
• Celtics: Allen, O'Neal

• Hawks: Smith
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #20 Leroy Richardson, #33 Zach Zarba
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:34