Hawks Grounded at the Garden

Posted by Mike Giardi May 4, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Despite all my gnashing of teeth and disappointment in the Celtics through the first six games of their playoff series with Atlanta, I - like just about everyone else who’s watched this team on a daily basis - figured a return to good times in Game 7. But this good? Wow. What a clinic by the Green team, a 99-65 rout of the Hawks.

Defense spurring everything for the C’s. They forced Atlanta to settle for way too many jumpers early on, never a good thing for a young and understandably nervous team. Then, even when the Hawks got to the hoop, they were unable to finish, only compounding their woes.

There were a couple minutes in the second quarter that proved just how unwilling or unable the visitors were to match what the C’s were bringing. Old man P.J. Brown had not one, but two blocks, and even Sam Cassell - who hasn’t guarded a soul in this series - had a strip steal. When that’s going down, warm up the chartered jet, fill it with fuel and get dinner cooking ’cause the boys are headed home for a long summer.

As Atlanta tries to size up what could be a bright future, they have to wonder what happened to their most talented big man, Josh Smith. He loves to talk and scowl, but when it mattered the most, he was atrocious, the worst player on the court. Al Horford, a much more stable sort, was pretty bad as well. Give the Celts some credit for getting into their kitchens, but also wonder about the mental state of that duo.

Now its on to Round 2 and a date with Cleveland. Its going at least 6. LeBron is good enough for at least two wins. At least. He tortured the C’s during the season series, going for 30-plus in two of the three he played. King James did miss one with a finger injury, and the Cavs only scored 70 in that game. Surprised? I didn’t think so.