Written by Eric Freeman at YahooSports.com
The Boston Celtics will likely reflect on Game 1 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks and wonder what could have been if they hadn’t started the night with one of their worst shooting performances of the season. They also may consider how they measure up now that one of their best players could miss time.
Boston shot a season-worst 23.1 percent from the field (including 2-of-16 on threes) in the first half to trail 51-34 at the break, only to bounce back quickly in the second half and tie it at 80-80 with more than seven minutes remaining in regulation. The Celtics managed to take the lead shortly thereafter, but their fortunes turned when starting guard and ace defender Avery Bradley left and did not return with a strained hamstring inside of the 7:00 mark. Atlanta then regained control and managed to hold on for a 102-101 win despite two Boston threes in the final six seconds to keep it close.
The story of the night was undoubtedly the Celtics’ offensive first-half struggles and second-half resurgence. A great deal of those early issues can be explained by the Hawks’ excellent defense. Although they lack a nationally recognized elite defender like Kawhi Leonard or Draymond Green, the Hawks boasted the NBA’s best defense by points allowed per possession since December 15. The Celtics struggled to get good shots anywhere and couldn’t make them even when they did. The first-half shot chart is not pretty:
At the same time, the Hawks manufactured enough offense at the other end to build what seemed like a commanding lead. The frontcourt of Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and Kent Bazmore combined for 31 points on strong shooting, while point guard Jeff Teague led the attack with seven points and seven rebounds. The high-energy Celtics looked overmatched in the face of the Hawks’ talent and precision.
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