at
Boston Celtics (0-0) at Atlanta Hawks (0-0)
Saturday, April 16. 2016
7:00 PM ET
Round 1 Game #1 Road Game #1
TV: ESPN, CSNNE, FSSE, SportsnetOne
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 92.9 FM The Game
Philips Arena
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard 
vs
Isaiah Thomas 22.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.1 steals
Jeff Teague 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals
Shooting Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals
Kyle Korver 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals
Small Forward 
vs
Jae Crowder 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals
Kent Bazemore 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals
Power Forward 
vs
Amir Johnson 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 blocks
Paul Millsap 17.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.7 blocks
Center
vs
Jared Sullinger 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals
Al Horford 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists 1.5 blocks
Key Subs 
vs
Evan Turner 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steals
Dennis Schroder 11.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists. 0.9 steals
Celtics ReservesEvan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Kelly Olynyk
Marcus Smart
John Holland
Head CoachBrad Stevens
InjuriesNone Reported
Hawks Reserves Dennis Schroder
Kriis Humphries
Mike Scott
Lamar Patterson
Tim Hardaway Jr
Walter Tavares
Mike Muscala
Thabo Sefalosha
Kurt Hinrich
Head CoachMike Budenholzer
Injuries Tiago Splitter (hip) out
Tim Hardaway (groin) questionable
Game Notes The Celtics begin their post game play in the same arena that they played their last road game of the season in Atlanta against the Hawks. The Hawks won the season series 3-1 with the Celtics winning the first game of the season at home and then losing the next three games in the series.
The Celtics and Hawks have met 11 times in the playoffs with the Celtics holding a 10-1 advantage over the Hawks. The Celtics have won all 7 of the series since the Hawks moved from St. Louis to Atlanta. Their one loss was in 1958 when Bill Russell was forced to sit out the 6th and final game of the series with an ankle injury. However, this is the first time that the Celtics are facing the Hawks without home court advantage.
Of the current Celtics, only Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley have won a game in Atlanta. They have lost their last 4 games played in Philips Arena. The Hawks are the 7th oldest team in the league with an average age of 28.1 years. Their starting 5 boasts 162 post season games experience. The Celtics, on the other hand, are the 4th youngest team in the league and the youngest in the playoffs with an average age of 24.6 years. The Celtics starters have just 30 games combined playoff experience.
This Celtics team is looking for their first playoff win while the Hawks are coming off a trip to the Finals last season. The Hawks are a veteran and experienced team that knows how to win in the playoffs, however close games have been a problem for them. They have a league worst record in overtime games this season with no wins against 5 losses. They also have lost 12 straight buzzer beating situations since the 2014-15 season.
While the Celtics are reporting no injuries, there are a couple of things to watch. Isaiah Thomas has been dealing with a wrist injury to his shooting hand most of the season and it was aggravated when he fell on it in the Celtics last Bucks game. His production has been off since that game and hopefully he can shake it off and be effective in this series.
Another concern is Jae Crowder's ankle. He missed 8 games with a high ankle sprain and in spite of the average healing time for a high ankle sprain being 6-7 weeks, Jae returned after just over 2 weeks. He has struggled a bit to get his conditioning and athleticism back since returning and hopefully will be close to 100% when he takes the court against the Hawks.
On Atlanta's side, Tiago Splitter has been out most of the season with a hip injury and will remain out for the playoffs. Tim Hardaway, Jr suffered a groin injury in the Hawks loss to the Wizards on the last day of the season. His status is listed as questionable for this game.
Key Matchups vs
Amir Johnson vs Paul Millsap
Millsap is averaging 17.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. In the month of April he has upped his play and averaged 19 points and 13.4 rebounds. In the Celtics last loss to Atlanta, Millsap had 31 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Amir has been playing very well since shaking the plantar fasciitis that was plaguing him earlier in the season. Stopping Millsap will be key to getting a win in this game.
vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Jeff Teague
Teague is averaging 15.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Like Millsap, Teague has upped his game in April, averaging 23.2 points in the final month of the season. Teague is capable of having a big game on both ends and hopefully Isaiah is able to handle him. Avery will have his hands full guarding Kyle Korver, who is capable of putting up big numbers if left open. The Celtics need Isaiah to be healthy and to have a big game.
Honorable MentionJared Sullinger vs Al Horford
Horford is averaging 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. In their 3rd game against the Celtics, Horford had a big game with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. In their last meeting he had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block. Sully will need to play him tough on both ends. It will be key for the Celtics to limit the production of both Millsap and Horford.
Keys to the Game Play as a Team - The Celtics play best when they play as a team on both ends of the court. They have to move the ball and find the open man who then has to hit his shots. They need to work as a team on defense and get stops and turn them into fast breaks. Their playoff theme is "We are one superstar." They need to remember that and play great team ball.
Take Care of the Ball - The Hawks are 3rd in the league in steals with 9.1 per game. The Celtics are second with 9.2 steals per game. The Hawks are 4th in the league with 18.6 points off turnovers while the Celtics are 3rd with 18.8 points off turnovers. The Celtics have to make good passes and not allow the Hawks to get extra points off steals and turnovers. If the Celtics get careless, the Hawks will make them pay. In their loss to the Hawks in Boston, the Celtics turned the ball over 22 times and in their final loss to the Hawks they turned the ball over 15 times. They need to take care of the ball.
Rebound - The Celtics have to make an extra effort to crash the glass and not give the Hawks extra possessions. Horford and Milsap are tough on the boards and the Celtics need to box out and aggressively go after the rebounds as a team to avoid giving them second chance and fast break points. This may be the biggest difference in these two teams. The Celtics are 6th in total rebounds (44.9) while the Hawks are 24th (42.1). The Celtics are 4th in offensive rebounds (11.6) while the Hawks are last (8.3).
Defense - Defense wins games. The Hawks have players who can put points up in a hurry and the Celtics have to concentrate on defense to keep them from having big games. Both of these teams pride themselves on playing tough defense. The Hawks are 2nd in the league with a defensive rating of 98.8 while the Celtics are 4th with a defensive rating of 100.9. The Celtics have to keep their focus on playing tough defense and not let it slip like it has at times in the regular season.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to play hard for all 48 minutes. The Celtics came out sluggish on defense against the Heat and let them get out to a 26 point lead. They turned it around and played tough defense to get back into the game. The Celtics can't afford to play sluggish against the Hawks for any period of time. The Celtics need to start strong and play hard until the final buzzer.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the team that plays harder and that wants this win more. They have to be aggressive in diving for loose balls, in going to the basket, in getting stops on the defensive end, and in going after rebounds. They have to play harder and be more aggressive from start to finish. Their best hope to beat the Hawks is to play harder from start to finish.
Be Offensive - The Celtics need Isaiah Thomas to be at his best and hopefully the wrist on his shooting hand won't hinder his shooting. Along with Isaiah's points, the Celtics need one or two other players to step up and score the ball. It would help if Marcus Smart can continue the shooting he showed in the Heat game. Also, Kelly Olynyk needs to get back to the shooting that we saw before the shoulder injury. Jared and Amir both need to score inside and Evan Turner has to step up as well. The Celtics can't afford one of their scoring droughts against the Hawks.
X-Factors
Focus - Will the Celtics come out focused and play like they did in the second half of their final game vs the Heat or will they come out unfocused and play like they did in the first half against the Heat? The Celtics seem to play like two totally different teams depending on their level of focus on defense and on playing team ball.
Home Court - The Celtics fought for home court in their last game against the Heat and thought they had it when they beat the Heat until they learned that Atlanta's loss to the lottery bound Wizards ripped it from their grasp. Neither team was particularly strong on the road with the Celtics having a road record of 20-21 and the Hawks having a road record of 21-20. The Hawks lost one more home game than the Celtics during the regular season. Can the Celtics steal one in Atlanta?
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. The Celtics play best when the officials let them play and don't call a lot of ticky tack fouls for incidental contact. Referees with an agenda are always a possibility as well. But the Celtics can't let the officials take them out of their game with bad or ticky tack calls. They have to play their game regardless of the way the game is called.
Topic: Celtics (0-0) at Hawks (0-0) Game #1 4/16/16 (Read 61278 times)