The All-Star guard struggled mightily against an Atlanta defense geared towards stopping him and finished with 16 points in 15 shots and more turnovers than assists.
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Although the Celtics will have the home court advantage, the Hawks are sure to play with a great deal of confidence and momentum; something the Celtics should not overlook.
LeBron James and the Cavaliers swept them, another long summer to ponder why they just can’t find success. But center Al Horford said, “We’re not in that position yet”.
But the difference between the regular season and the crucible of the playoffs is that teams get the opportunity to focus on the same team for two weeks.
The extra-curricular activities continued into the second half, as Celtics big man Jared Sullinger and Paul Millsap were assessed flagrant fouls on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter. Things got trickier later in the quarter as Smart had to come back quick to sub for Isaiah Thomas with 1:15 to play in the frame.
“I think there is room for improvement”.
X-rays were negative, and Schroder accompanied the team as it left for Boston.
Atlanta, meanwhile, was led by Jeff Teague, who scored 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting. And, given how the first two games played out, it’s unclear if Boston possesses the capability to do anything about it.
“It just seems like we are a step slow to everything”, said Sullinger.
The Atlanta Hawks look to take a commanding lead over the Boston Celtics on Friday when the two teams meet again in Game 3. “At times we’re getting those and making them, and at times we’re getting them and not – and at times we’re not getting them”. The Hawks owned a double-digit lead seven minutes into Game 1 then needed only three minutes to build a similar cushion in Game 2. “(We must) do it on the defensive end. “We are far from that, but I still want my name up there so I am happy about that”.
As for the Hawks, they believe there will be less pleasure being situated at the middle of the standings. Eighth-seeded Detroit has its back against the wall after the two road losses and faces a must-win situation in Game 3. It’s a matchup Horford would savor.
He had the best scoring game of his National Basketball Association career, which says a lot considering scoring the ball is what he does best and most often. In a best-of-seven series, teams hone in on their opponent in search of any possibly weakness – and, when one is found, it is exploited as much as possible. We were in a different position. So we’ve got to figure out how best to get them. Thomas and Dennis Schroder were called for double technical fouls (which is what referees do when they didn’t see who started it).
“Obviously, there’s certain things from the starting group, as far as how we want to play, spacing-wise”, Stevens said in explaining the move. We know how hard it is to play in hostile environments.
Both teams come into Game 3 with injury concerns.
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Kelly Olynyk, who had been playing well as of late, injured his shoulder and appears to be a game-time decision on Friday, as is Marcus Smart and his bruised rib. “I don’t know what it’s going to take – extra warm-ups for the guys – but the first quarter has definitely hurt us”.
