Celtics Close Out Series With Hawks, Advance To Play Sixers In Second Round

The most recent situation happened on Thursday night, when, following a loss to the Boston Celtics, the reserve power forward for the Atlanta Hawks gave a ridiculing fan a piece of his mind ... by inserting his finger into the face of a random supporter clad in a Celtics jersey.

It’s a good thing that Twitter’s Austin Espinoza caught this important part of the game -- and that the fellas at Yahoo! Sports’ Ball Don’t Lie unearthed it for the world to see -- for all of the world to witness. Not only because it adds to the legacy that is Ivan Johnson, 28-Year-Old Rookie Who Led The NBA D-League In Technical Fouls, but also because this isn’t the first time that Johnson has been caught with his finger in the air near a basketball court.

Instead, we’re spending most of our time marveling at Garnett’s post-game press conference.

First, Garnett called out Hawks minority owner Michael Gearon Jr. for saying he was a dirty player. Then, he objected to being classified as an older player, telling the media that he thinks they’re being “disrespectful” for acting “shocked” that he is still able to do what he does. It was classic Garnett -- or, more accurately, “classic Celtics Garnett.”

Later, he responded to a question about his advancing age.

All that was missing was an ANYTHING IS POSSIBLEEEEE reference.

The Boston Celtics went on a 7-2 run in Game 6’s last two minutes to come away with a 83-80 win over the Atlanta Hawks and advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs. Boston won the series 4-2.

Important GIF’s and videos:

To a certain extent, this is true. That was a pretty terrible shot by Smith. But those criticizing Smith for his shot are looking too much at the results and not enough at the process. Let’s break down this play. Here’s video:

So yes, feel free to blame the Hawks. Just know that the issue is not that they didn’t run a play, it’s that they ran a play that failed because the Celtics were grabbing them knowing the referees would swallow their whistles.

Pierce participated in morning shootaround, and there’s no indication that he’s going to be seriously limited, either in his performance or in his minutes. The Celtics have said that there is no other injury beyond a sprain for Pierce, so there’s no reason for him to sit if he’s not in serious pain and feels like he can move his knee well. Pierce was the Celtics’ co-leader in scoring in Game 5 with 16 points, and he’s currently averaging 21.8 points per game in the playoffs.

For more on the Celtics, head over to CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston. For more on the Hawks, check out Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

After a close loss in Game 5, the Boston Celtics will try to close out their series with the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. Atlanta survived Game 5 by the score of 87-86 after Boston failed to get a shot off on their final possession. Boston leads the best of seven series 3-2.

Thursday’s Game 6 will tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TNT.

Horford returned in limited minutes during Sunday’s loss to the Boston Celtics on the road, and -- lucky for the Hawks -- that was apparently the only warm-up their big man needed. Whereas Sunday’s blowout loss made it seem as though it was a matter of when and not if the Hawks would be sent packing in the first round, Tuesday’s victory breathed new life into a team that looked like it had packed it in before halftime just two days before.

Tuesday’s victory wasn’t without flaw, of course, as it looked like Atlanta was going to fumble away another game playing its patented brand of second-half Hawks basketball. Horford was eventually able to right the ship, however, and the Hawks forced at least one more game in the seven-game series.

The Atlanta Hawks’ postseason will continue for at least one more game after defeating the Boston Celtics, 87-86, in Game 5 on Tuesday night. The Celtics now hold a 3-2 series advantage as things shift back to Boston on Thursday.

Will the Hawks be able to pick up a road victory on Thursday?

With no timeouts, Rondo advanced the ball into the frontcourt. In the end, Rondo dribbled the ball off his foot and the Celtics didn’t even get a shot off.

It was an unbelievable play by a guy who came up with an unbelievable game in his second contest since early January.

The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks are playing what could end up being the deciding game in their series on Tuesday night. The Hawks are hoping the series doesn’t end prematurely in Atlanta, but if they play like they did on Sunday ... well, it probably will.

Atlanta enters Tuesday night’s game with a 3-1 deficit in the seven-game series, making each of the next few games win-or-go-fishing affairs. The positive for the Hawks is that they’re now back in Georgia for Game 5, giving them homecourt advantage when Tuesday night’s game tips off at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

When one team gets out to a big lead in a playoff game, the announcers will invariably warn the viewers not to get too comfortable because “an NBA team is always going to make a run.”

That didn’t happen for the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their first-round series with the Boston Celtics, as they were dominated 101-79 by Boston in a game that was rarely even competitive, especially in the second half.

There’s no word yet on whether Horford will play, but he’s on the active roster, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, meaning, even if he’s not originally intended to get any minutes, he can go in case of emergency. How many minutes he’ll get if he goes is up in the air, but it’s hard to imagine him playing even close to 30.

The Hawks are down 2-1 to the Celtics, and they tip off in Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET.

The Celtics, meanwhile, will look to keep the momentum rolling on their home court and go up 3-1 to get just one victory away from advancing to the conference semifinals.

Sunday’s Game 4 will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on TNT.

Oh so that’s how NBA basketball is played!

After a sloppy and slow first half, the Boston Celtics asserted themselves out of the locker room, taking an 1- point lead into the fourth quarter in the final 24 minutes.

It’s not quite #BarFight, but Garnett’s “BEAAAAANTOWN!” scream was great. Remember, this was supposed to be an interview. The PA was tossing it to the court for a player-of-the-game presentation.

And let’s be honest, Garnett should always have a mic in his face after a game. He never fails to do something fun.

Also: Frightening!

See? Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Smith is probably the Hawks’ best player, so this is a big loss as they try to rebound from a stunning loss in Game 2. He suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter guarding Boston’s Kevin Garnett. Smith tried to play through the pain, but exited for good with four and a half minutes remaining.

For more on the Celtics, head over to CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston. For more on the Hawks, check out Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

Game Date/Time: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET

Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Ma.

Pachulia had averaged 7.8 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game during the strike-shortened 2011-12 NBA regular season. The Hawks player missed the last seven games of the regular season as the result of his injury.

For more on the Hawks, check out Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

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That’s a talented backcourt rotation, which was obvious on Tuesday: all of the Hawks’ guards combined to shoot 17-47 from the floor.

It’s quite a pickle, and when Rondo returns for Game 3, it’s only going to get worse for Atlanta. They’ll need some hot shooting from Johnson, more big numbers from Smith, or a complete offensive implosion from Boston -- all of which are possible, and the last of which seems particularly probable at some point -- to take back the series advantage in Games 3 and 4.

Whenever any athlete gets old, you usually realize it all at once, and it becomes a disturbing reminder of how quickly time passes. This happens with superstars in any sport. Did you know Tom Brady is 34 years-old? Whether you were 14 when you first watched him or 24, that probably makes you feel old.

It reminds me of this essay from The Awl, where Shaq wasn’t just a retiring Hall-of-Famer last year, but a “THIRTY-NINE YEAR-OLD REMINDER OF DEATH.” As Ben Dolnick wrote:

For more on the Celtics, head over to CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston. For more on the Hawks, check out Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

Pierce scored the first nine points of the game, then poured in 13 in the final quarter to surge his team in front. The Celtics’ defense did the rest, holding Atlanta to just 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Noteworthy GIFs and videos: