Quick pre-game thoughts: Will the Big 3 play like the Big 3? Will the C’s get anything from their bench? Will the crowd carry them through? Will Atlanta actually be competitive in Boston? Can Bibby or Joe Johnson pull off the necessary ‘big-time’ performance to carry the Hawks? Will Marvin Williams be able to contribute? Will the Hawks keep attacking the basket and put fouls on the C’s? Will KG takeover? Can the Hawks handle the pressure? Will I want to throw the remote due to something Mark Jackson says?
Trying out a new format.
First Quarter
-The Hawks got the perfect start on their first possession. Bibby ended up in the paint and Joe Johnson nailed a three-ball. Mike Woodson couldn’t have drawn it up any better if he actually knew how to draw up plays.
-The Celtics are relentlessly attacking the basket. They’ve missed a lot of easy shots and layups but the mindset is perfect. Over the course of this series they’ve been a perimeter team, shooting jumpshots. Not bad shots, just a lot of jumpers which if they miss are easy for the Hawks to get out and run which is to ATL’s advantage. So far they have been in complete attack mode. I think so far they’ve only shot two perimeter shots, open threes from Pierce and Allen. They keep attacking the pain and it should be easy money for the C’s. They have to keep it up and not settle.
-Marvin Williams looks fine but he’s been ineffective at best. Two missed jumpers and watching Paul Pierce blow by him can’t be fun.
-Stupidity from Mark Jackson: ‘there’s nothing like playing a Game 7 on the road and shutting up a crowd on the road’ I know I don’t get paid but I’m pretty sure playing a Game 7 at home is about 10 times more awesome. But I digress.
-The Hawks are just plain nervous. 4/18 from the field so far. And they have had some good looks. Josh Smith has missed a couple of lay-ins that he’s been making all series.
-Horford has looked tentative and swaggerless. The same guy that got in Pierce’s grill is nowhere near the Garden right now.
-KG had Zaza on him and ended up taking a fadeaway. Come on man you’re going to make me throw up.
-Kendrick Perkins has been a monster so far in the first quarter. 8 points and 6 rebounds. Being at home helps the supporting cast and Perkins has been the number one beneficiary.
-Celtics have had a bad stretch at the end of this quarter, you can’t let one of the guys who can beat you, beat you. Paul Pierce went over a screen and let Johnson get enough space for an open three that he made, and then Rondo practically left Johnson as he came off a ball screen.
-And just as I said that Paul Pierce responds with 5 straight points to stretch that lead.
-At the end of one, C’s are up 27-16. They have the keep the defensive energy up. This first four minutes of the second quarter are about to be huge, they can put this thing away and stretch the lead or let the Hawks crawl back in. And the way Joe Johnson is playing so far (9 points, 3/3 from behind the arc) you might not want to let them crawl back in and get their confidence going. Right now it’s all Boston but if they start settling for jumpers and stop playing D the Hawks can easily come back.
-17-8 rebounding advantage for the C’s. Ouch.
Second Quarter
-C’s start with their second unit…Boston has to extend the lead with Pierce leading Posey, Cassell, PJ and Powe. If I’m the Hawks this is when I make my run, interesting to chart how the Hawks do.
-And they promptly turn the ball over. Josh Smith may in fact be peeing himself right now.
-Josh Smith really is peeing himself right now. Does he know this Game 7? The guy who took over and looked like he was making the leap looks absolutely lost right now. Like a puppy.
-C’s are not going to let Joe Johnson beat them at least not this unit. He’s being double-teamed all over.
-Hawks have missed a lot of layups and chip shots in the paint. But sometimes that’s the difference in a Game 7, who makes the easy shots. Someone other than Joe Johnson is going to have to step up to the plate big time before it is too late.
-Three minutes in, C’s have outscored the Hawks 5-2 with no Ray or KG on the floor.
-In the half-court the Hawks just look terrible.
-Ray Allen is having a great/bad performance. The good…he’s attacking the basket like he’s 22 years old. I almost forgot he could do it. The bad part…he’s missed what feels like a gazillion layups and he’s missed all 3 of this three pointers. And they have been great looks. They could be up by 20 right now.
-Not going to lie the Adam Sandler/Baron Davis split screen commercial was pretty funny. I’m still not going to pay to see that movie but it was pretty funny.
-Four minutes in and the C’s are up 7-4 for the quarter and now have KG and Ray back on the floor.
-KG attacks the basket? Gasp. Forgot he could do that too. C’s up 16.
-Joe Johnson is really having to force the issue. By that I mean he’s not able to take good shots. He has to take the shots because he is the man… but because of the fact that no one else on his team is stepping up he’s having to force tougher shots to get his attempts.
(By the way after typing that i feel like Magic Johnson. I think I had a good point, but I wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it and it came off better in my head than outward. I should have just mumbled my way to a Kareem story. Damnit. Seriously, I love Magic but he can’t finish points. I remember at the end of talking about Hedo Turkoglu he went “Hedo Turkoglu has a triple-threat game….and I love his game.”)
-Josh Smith’s body language is just horrendous. He looks disconnected, disinterested and like he wants to be anywhere but playing this game. 4 turnovers as well. Bad in everyway, I wonder if Mike Woodson said something to him remember they have beef. Immaturity anyone?
-Not seeing much positive body language from anyone on Atlanta’s team to be honest.
-KG is eating Josh Smith alive right now.
-Josh Smith just airballed…I really think he’s hurt. I mean honestly he is getting torn up on D, lacking any of that aggression or explosiveness. Either that or he is just pooping his pants.
-Hmmm…that phase of liking Ray Allen’s aggression has come and gone. Kind of like that phase in a relationship when those little things go from ‘aww so cute’ to ‘seriously shut up’. So seriously Ray stop forcing it. It’s not fun to watch.
-I really wish Joe Johnson was getting some help for entertainment’s sake. He hit a big three by the way to cut it to 16. I know that sounds idiotic but down 16 is a lot better than 22.
-They are making Marvin Williams beat them…and he’s not.
-C’s need a bucket here late to keep gas on the pedal…they are a Johnson three-ball from this getting interesting again.
-Rondo gets a runner to end the scoring drought for both teams and push the lead back to 18.
Boston goes into the half up 44-26.
Halftime Thoughts: You have to love that Sam Cassell just jumped into the halftime interview. I have a feeling he lobbied for this. To the game…I hesitate to call this game over because while the C’s have been quite dominant, lets be honest the Hawks have played terrible. And they can’t play much worse. However the reasons why Boston is up big at the half is obvious. Let’s go to the numbers shall we.
- They set the tone early by attacking the basket. Of their 44 points, 7 came from the line, 2 came from outside the paint. Thanks to my college edjamacation that’s 35 points in the paint. Completely different team when they do that.
- That inside-out mentality is making this game a half-court festival. We all know Atlanta can’t hang when that happens.
- Atlanta is not getting easy buckets. They aren’t getting to the line like before (4 attempts in
the first half) and they aren’t converting layups. I say converting because they have had chances. 16 misses inside the painted area won’t get it done though.. They convert half of those attempts and this is a ball game. - Boston is telling everyone but Joe Johnson ‘Beat us’ and they are responding with “no thank you we’d like to go home, how dare you make us miss the Tuesday special at Popeye’s”. Barring injury or personal issue, Josh Smith should get ripped hard for his first half performance (1/6, 3 pts, 4 rebs, 4 TO’s) and the fact that he looks like he’d rather be painting the floor than playing on it. The same buckets Marvin Williams made in Game 6 he’s not making tonight (2/8 from the field). And Bibby looks like a complete shell of his former self with only three shot attempts in the first half. Maybe he can rest his calf for Game 8…oh wait there isn’t a Game 8.
- Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and PJ Brown have stepped up in a big way for the C’s. Perkins was huge in the first quarter with those 8 points and has 7 rebounds in the half. Powe chipped in 4 points and 3 rebounds and PJ Brown showed off his worth with great defense on Horford and 2 blocks. I didn’t even think he could still jump.
- I don’t actually have a sixth point I just refuse to do 5 after all of this ‘Fave5’ madness. Screw you ABC and T-Mobile.
By the way…this halftime piece on LeBron is lightweight fascinating. By the way, why hasn’t LeBron had his ‘Come Fly With Me’? MJ had a video out every two years (and I’ve watched them a million times). I feel bad for the youth of America. And yes I’m making my kid watch Come Fly With Me as soon as he can understand television. Much better than that hot garbage they make kids watch. Seriously, wake up in the morning and turn to Nickelodeon or Disney Channel and see if you can watch for longer than three minutes without wanting to murder someone. Try it. I dare you.
I really wish I could get the unedited tapes of those NBA Wired. They should put me in charge of those segments I’d kill it.
These first four minutes are key for this game. Celtics can either put it away or let the Hawks sneak back in.
Third Quarter
-Probably the best possible first possession for the C’s. Paul Pierce hits a wide-open three as the shot clock expires after executing their offense. That hurts.
-C’s are extending the lead but I don’t like how they are taking jumpers. They seem like they are in a little bit of a lull.
-51-28, Rajon Rondo on a breakaway. I thought Williams was going to foul him and not let him get a dunk or anything but damn.
-Well, Ray finally hits a three and that might be the dagger. 56-28.
-Stupidity from Mike Breen: “The Hawks have 30 points…and we’ve played 16 minutes.” Except the first half is 24 minutes.
-Joe Johnson is broke. 0/4 from behind the arc including a couple easy ones for him. Definitely not a good sign.
-KG bucket puts them up 30. This game is over.
-18-6 run over the first 6 and 1/2 minutes of the third to put the game away…say what you want but that’s a championship play right there.
-Well this has got to be a good feeling for Boston fans. Hopefully this will wash that 05 blowout by Indiana in Game 7 out of their mouths. Speaking of Game 7 blowouts…Houston/Dallas of 05 was pretty bad
-By the way I feel your pain Hawks fans. 1996. Game 5 of the first round in Utah. 102-64. Jazz win. I cried.