There was lots of energy inside TD Garden from the home fans at tipoff, and Boston did a decent job of matching it on the defensive end, forcing four early turnovers. The Celtics season comes to an end it was a fund run they finished 48 and 34 in the regular season unfortunately they did not have home court advantage against the hawks. On Thursday, the Hawks had as many as six players in double figures to ensure a Game 6 win. Their biggest lead was 29-19 before the Hawks started to heat up.
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Celtics coach Brad Stevens stated the obvious: “They are better right now”. To watch the NBA Playoffs Atlanta Hawks Vs. Boston Celtics Game Six on Sling TV, go to this link to sign up. “When cuts tot he right side, he knows you’re not going to block it and he just shoots it. When he cuts tot he left, you know he knows just what you’re gonna do”. “We should give the Hawks credit”.
That’s because the Cavs found out their opponent for the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night – when the visting Hawks eliminated the Celtics with a 104-92 win in Game 6 of their series.
The Hawks will see a Cleveland team that is rested and maybe even a little hungrier than it was a year ago when it swept Atlanta out of the Eastern Conference finals despite being at less than full strength. It seemed that whenever Boston went through any drought they would freak out and try to reinvent the wheel, when they should’ve just continued to play their game and tried to speed up the tempo of the game. “I don’t have any thoughts about Cleveland”. “I’m going to take some time off and be with the family and take it easy”, he said. I know guys like Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, you’ve got to take care of your body.
A promising season for the Celtics ended with some jekyll-and-hyde performances. “It’s over”, Celtics guard Marcus Smart said prior to Thursday’s decisive showdown in Boston.
Also, Boston missed open shot after open shot in every game and couldn’t handle the pressure of being on the road or in must-win games.
“I think we are a better team than past year”, said Kyle Korver, who played in just two games against Cleveland before suffering an ankle injury.
Despite their struggles, Thomas hopes he won’t be seeing too many new faces in the locker room next year. “Hopefully we can all stick together and have something special in the future”.
The Hawks had yet another third quarter blitzkrieg, scoring 39 points after starting the half with a 14-5 run.
Thomas played the entire first quarter, but was held scoreless until a driving layup with 2:25 left in the frame.
Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder surveys the floor against Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Al Horford and Kent Bazemore each added 15 points for the Hawks, who earned their first playoff series victory over Boston since the St. Louis Hawks beat the Celtics in the 1958 Finals.
Thomas did not score in the first half for the Celtics, who turned the ball over nine times in the first half and 20 times for the game.
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He entered Game 5 as the leading scorer in the playoffs, but the Hawks increased their attention on him – swarming him each time he touched the ball – and Thomas scored a mere 32 points on 12-of-36 shooting during losses in Games 5 and 6. Thomas, whose 24.0 points per game ranked sixth in the postseason through five games, aggravated the injury in Game 4.
