Celtics End Season With a Bang, Head to Atlanta in 1st Round
By Adam Nazzaro
The Boston Celtics kick off their playoff run Saturday night in Atlanta where the 4th seeded Celtics hope to steal a game from the 5th seeded Atlanta Hawks.
The 2015-16 Boston Celtics have been such an exciting team to watch, and they continued to show that Wednesday night in their last regular season finale with a 98-88 win over the Miami Heat at TD Garden. The Celtics (48-34) continued to show how resilient they are, with a deficit of 24 points going into halftime, the green had no quit in sight.
In the 2nd half the Celtics outscored the Heat (48-34) 60-26, and only allowed a season-low 5 points in the 3rd quarter. The two guards who have carried the Celtics all year in Isaiah Thomas (21 pts, 6 ast) and Avery Bradley (17 pts) helped the green overcome the double-digit deficit in the 2nd half.
With Celtics greats in attendance including legends such as Bill Russell, Bill Walton, and Kevin McHale, Bradley was quite ashamed of his team’s performance in the first half by saying
"“that’s embarrassing to have all these legends in the building and us playing this way. In the second half I saw a few of them smiling. It got everyone smiling on the bench. That’s what it’s all about – us going out there and playing Celtic basketball.”"
With a packed house, TD Garden Wednesday night was an absolute playoff atmosphere and a win like this is exactly what the green needed heading into postseason play.
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Unfortunately the win didn’t do justice for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Standings, as Atlanta’s loss against Washington Wednesday night caused the final standings to stay the same. Miami will host Charlotte in the 3 vs. 6 matchup, while the Celtics will head to Atlanta for Game 1 Saturday night in a 4 vs. 5 matchup. A hyped up Bradley said “We fought through adversity and showed what kind of team we can be. Going into the playoffs this is big for us because it gives us a lot of confidence. Not only that we know how we need to play every single night to get the wins.”
The Wednesday night win for sure gives a boost of confidence going into the Atlanta series, but do the Celtics have the foundation and perseverance to take out the surging Hawks in a 7-game series?
First Round Schedule
(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Boston Celtics
Game 1 — Sat. April 16, Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 — Tue. April 19, Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 3 — Fri. April 22, Atlanta at Boston, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Game 4 — Sun. April 24, Atlanta at Boston, 6 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Tue. April 26, Boston at Atlanta, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. April 28, Atlanta at Boston, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. April 30, Boston at Atlanta, TBD, TNT
Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics Playoff Preview
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Frontcourt
The Boston Celtics frontcourt has been a “work in progress” from the beginning of the season with the 10 year veteran Amir Johnson being the catalyst. The 6 foot 9 forward who was acquired in the offseason is averaging 6.4 RPG and as of late has been a very reliable paint presence for the green.
A player who has received constant grief for his play, who has really stepped up his game this year is Celtics Forward Jared Sullinger. The 4th year forward out of Ohio State is averaging 10.3 PPG and a team high 8.3 RPG has been money from mid-range this season. He has also been a big player on the boards as the 6 foot 9 baller has matched up against many 7-foot centers in the league. Other big men who have stepped up to the challenge and have gotten plenty of minutes this season include Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller, and Jonas Jerebko.
Olynyk has been on fire from three this season, shooting just above 40% and has had his most impressive season yet here in Boston. The Celtics frontcourt has answered the call this season, but can they hold down some of the best big men the NBA has to offer going into postseason play?
The Atlanta Hawks frontcourt has been led for years by 9-year veteran forward Al Horford. Horford has killed the Celtics in recent years, and the big man is averaging 15.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG. Horfordposes a big threat for a Celtics frontcourt that doesn’t necessarily have the biggest size in the league.
Followed by Horford is power forward Paul Millsap. The 10- year veteran out of Louisiana Tech has had himself a career year, averaging 17.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG. This frontcourt poses the biggest threat the Hawks have to win as Millsap and Horford have worked real well over the years. With the C’s strengths more in the backcourt, this could be a potential nightmare for Boston.
Also, Hawks forward Kent Bazemore is having his best year since coming into the league four years ago, averaging 11.6 PPG. In terms of frontcourt, I would have to give the edge to Atlanta because the way they would win this series is if their powerful frontcourt dominates the C’s with their size and experience.
Edge: Atlanta Hawks
Backcourt
The Celtics backcourt is the reason they have been so productive this season leading them to what many consider to be a surprising 48 wins. All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas has been the main offensive threat for the green this season, averaging 22.2 PPG and 6.2 APG. He has carried the C’s in a lot of big games this season and looks to have a big presence in this first round matchup.
Guard Avery Bradley (15.2 PPG), Swingman Jae Crowder (14.2 PPG), and Evan Turner (10.4 PPG, 4.4 APG) have all had breakout seasons and have played well enough to put the C’s in the position they are in now. The Celtics could potentially have four players in the backcourt who could be up for NBA awards at season’s end, Turner (6th man), Bradley (defensive team), Thomas (All-NBA), and Crowder (Most Improved).
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Another Celtic who has contributed to the backcourt success is Marcus Smart. Marcus had a tough year on the offensive side of the ball but has come around as of late, and still remains a superb defender.
On the opposite side, the Hawks backcourt is led by 7-year veteran Jeff Teague. The point guard is leading the Hawk’s backcourt in scoring (15.7 PPG, 5.9 APG). Teague has shown in years past that he can be a leader come playoff time, as the guard led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals last year by defeating the Washington Wizards in the Semifinals in just six games.
Three point assassin Kyle Korver, who hasn’t had his best season (9.2 PPG) should never be slept on. The 13-year veteran has been in many big games in his career, and will be a crucial factor in the final moments of these games. Point guard Dennis Schroder has been quite the surprise this season for the Hawks (11.0 PPG, 4.4 APG) and his shooting ability really compliments the Hawks in being able to play a balanced game.
Overall, I would have to give the C’s the advantage in the backcourt because the depth they feature, and the fact that their guards are the reason they are in this position instead of playing heavy hitters such as Cleveland or Toronto in the first round.
Advantage: Boston Celtics
Coaching
Boston Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens has had a career year, without a doubt his best season since arriving in Boston in 2013. Stevens has almost doubled his win total with 48 wins (25 in 2013), as he claims a great case for NBA Coach of the Year. The former Butler University head coach has wowed critics all year with his patience, his success at matching up with the opposing lineup, and his ability to draw up key plays in last second moments to win key games.
The best Brad Stevens moment I can remember this season was at Cleveland February 5th. With less than 5 seconds to go and down 2 points, Stevens called a timeout drew up a play to put the ball in Avery Bradley’s hands to hit a three for the game. Bradley hit the buzzer beater and the Celtics were victorious 104-103 at Quicken Loans Arena. Stevens really has this team going in the right direction and the focus he puts on defense has the Celtics ranked 2nd (behind ATL) in total defense.
Coach Mike Budenholzer of the Atlanta Hawks has made a big impact on this team since becoming the Head Coach in 2013. The Hawks also finished 48-34 and have made the postseason every year Budenholzer has been there since leaving the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach after 15 seasons.
Budenholzer, like Stevens stresses defense for his developed squad, as they rank 1st in the NBA in total defense and have been the “cream of the crop” of the East for the last three seasons. Overall, although Budenholzer has had a big impact in Atlanta thus far, the job Brad Stevens has done with this team chalked full of role players has been nothing short of amazing. I’ll take Stevens and the Celtics with the advantage in coaching.
Advantage: Boston Celtics
X-FACTORS
Boston Celtics: Amir Johnson
The 6-9 power forward will be huge in this series, as Hawks playmakers Paul Millsap and Al Horford look to exploit the Celtics lack of size. Johnson has been the best big man for the Celtics all year and without him being productive on both sides of the ball the C’s don’t stand a chance in this series.
Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
The center has given the Celtics trouble in years past, and if he continues to dominate come Saturday night this series could really get out of hand. If the Celtics shut him down some how, I think they could breeze by this series and advance to the next round, that is a big IF though.
Prediction: Celtics in 6
With the Celtics guard play being so deep and versatile, I think they will have the ability to wear out the Hawks. The Celtics frontcourt has to be outstanding for the Celtics to have an opportunity to advance to the next round, but from what we’ve seen all season, more importantly Wednesday night, I think this team can hang with just about any team the Eastern Conference has to offer.
