Celtics-Hawks Round One

"Maybe the Hawks are just the Hawks."  -Mac Jones


It's funny that the Hawks and the Falcons are both from Atlanta, because I couldn't come up with an NBA and NFL team that share more in common. Both teams are perennially in the playoffs. Both are perennial non-contenders for a championship. Both are perennial second-fiddle-players to the better team in their respective divisions (Heat, Saints). Both are built around a good-not-great, almost-franchise-player (Matt Ryan, Joe Johnson) surrounded by good-not-great role players. 


And both are named after predatory birds. 


I love this matchup for the Celtics. No threatening big man to challenge KG in the paint. (Zaza Pachulia? Somebody Named Collins?) No shutdown defender to limit Pierce. A B-list point guard in Teague. And one true star in Johnson to be shut down by Avery Bradley. 


Game 1: Tough loss, but mostly boiled down to an atrocious first quarter when the Hawks came out blazing hot. I think the Hawks looked at the regular season and saw tough losses to the C's, including one at home, and an almost-loss against the C's without Rondo, KG, Ray, Stiemsma, Pietrus and Pierce. They said in the locker room, "We need to give this series our absolute best to win it." And they just dominated that first quarter. 


Game 2: With Rondo out, Pierce just took over. The Celtics proved that they're the better team, and maybe, hopefully, broke the spirit of the Hawks to some degree by winning without their best player.


I like this matchup most of all because I think the Hawks and the Celtics both know the Celtics to be the better team in the series. The final matchup of the regular season was telling, when Bradley, Bass, and the Celtics backups almost beat the Hawks' front lines. Game 2 was a retelling of that same story: "We're better than you guys. We can play you tight even without our best player." 


I think the Celtics win big in Game 3 with Rondo back in the lineup, then win a tight one in Game 4. Game 5 in ATL could go either way but the Celtics take this series easily. C's in 6 is the conservative pick, but I like what I see and I'll go...


...C's in 5. 




Meanwhile, elsewhere around the league:


Bulls-Sixers. Tied 1-1. 
Prediction: Bulls demoralized without Rose. Philly strong at home and has already won in Chicago. Series goes 7 games and Bulls muscle it out because they try harder than any other team in the league and Thibodeau will adjust their approach. 


Heat-Knicks. Heat up 2-0. 
Prediction: Sweep. 


Pacers-Magic. Tied 1-1. 
Prediction: Hibbert doing work on Big Baby, Ryan Anderson, or whoever else they trot out to fill the Howard void. Orlando gets another game or two with the 3-point attack but it's not enough. Pacers move on in 6. 


Spurs-Jazz. Spurs up 2-0. 
Prediction: Sweep. Pop knows his boys need those extra days off and the Jazz are just outmatched. 


Thunder-Mavericks. Thunder up 2-0. 
Prediction: Both games have been extremely close, and the series is going back to Dallas, and we all know about Dirk and Jet in the playoffs. But Delonte West as your third best scorer? Brendan Hayward as your center? Jason Kidd as the starting PG? I don't think so. Dallas knows they're not going all the way this year and that 2-0 hole must feel demoralizing. Thunder in 5. 


Lakers-Nuggets. Lakers up 2-0. 
Prediction: Lakers sneak out a game in Denver and close it out at home in Game 5. Nuggets really no match for Kobe and Bynum. 


Grizzlies-Clippers: Clippers up 1-0. 
Prediction: Chris Paul godliness notwithstanding, I think this Clippers team is just so weak. CP3 wins 1-2 more games but the Grizzlies are definitely the better team and that truth will out. Grizzlies in 6.