Following a victory where Boston was able to out-rebound a glass-eating team such as Detroit, the Celtics were pummeled in the rebounding category in an absolute rout. Tag along abysmal shooting and a porous fourth quarter performance and that makes up for a recipe of disaster as Atlanta cruises to a 114-98 win.
THE GAME FLOW
Boston started the contest clicking on all cylinders. Al Horford, playing against his former team for a second time this year, set the tone for the entire offense with his efficient shooting and willingness to find the open man. Dennis Schroder, the man with a vengeance for Isaiah Thomas, was the catalyst in Atlanta’s 11-0 run halfway through the quarter as he charged towards the bucket with ease (along with the rest of the Hawks). Let’s take a moment to appreciate the development of Jaylen Brown’s rookie year, blossoming into an exciting role player on a nightly basis. Brown was the key igniter down the stretch as the two teams finished neck-and-neck at 24 a piece after 12 minutes.
The Celtics seemingly fell for EVERY pump fake the Hawks would take, creating a major gap open in the paint where “Gang Green” was exploited. It was cut, after cut to the basket for Atlanta, almost like suffering from a bizarre case of dejà vu. Unfortunately, the C’s couldn’t convert on a flurry of open shots where the execution was beautifully orchestrated. You could hear the angst in the crowd as they were dying for a field goal. Sometimes the Basketball Gods just aren’t on your side as Boston found themselves down four heading into the half.
Tempers flared in the third quarter and the antagonist was named Dwight Howard. After a rough foul on IT that could have easily been called a flagrant-one foul, the rich man’s Javale McGee pushed Horford like a petty little child in frustration. Big Al then proceeded to lob one to Brown from the three point line when the smoke settled to blow the roof off TD Garden as the C’s took the lead. Shockingly, that was the one and only field goal made by Boston until the 4:26 minute mark when Smart hit a three. Howard got tossed from the game after deciding to do a chin-up on a dunk that resembled the athleticism of a husky child. Those damn Hawks kept pouring it on, shooting an impressive 50% field goal as they stretched their lead out to 13 points after the period.
The lid on the rim must have been sealed shut for Boston after pregame warm-ups because their field goal percentage continued to plummet as the final 12 minutes waned. Atlanta was able to shift into transition offense after crashing the defensive glass, out-rebounding the guys in green by 15 as the blowout ensued. Isaiah Thomas ended up as the leading rebounder for the team as the Hawks ran away with the game 114-98.
It’s understandable for a team to have an off night shooting from the field and tonight was a perfect example. Mistakes like the one Amir Johnson made, inbounding the ball to Thabo Sefolosha for the easiest layup in the world, are ones that kept Boston at bay all night. Their shooting may have been horrible, but there were opportunities where the momentum would have drastically tilted in favor of the Celtics had they not turn the ball over.
“The GodFather” himself, Al Horford. Of course I had to bust out the old nickname from his days in Atlanta, but the offense flowed best when number 42 was checked in the game.
It was a brutal night for “The Little Guy” shooting. If Thomas didn’t stretch out for this pass to Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown wouldn’t have hit that corner three. Kudos IT.
The C's move the ball to perfection and Jaylen Brown splashes home the 3! https://t.co/cdOhIE6d5M
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 28, 2017
The Grid:
Jaylen Brown: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal.
Isaiah Thomas: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block.
Paul Millsap: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.
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