Boston couldn’t corral a desperate Hawks team during Game 3 and needs to bring a higher level of focus for tonight's game.
to be available for the start of the next round -- though we suspect there is a fair bit of hyperbole there from Rivers -- it would be in Boston’s best interest to finish off the Hawks as quickly as possible.
The conference semifinals are slated to tip off on May 1-2 but there’s potential for a move up to April 29-30. That should be motivation alone for the Celtics to try to finish off the Hawks in five games. But Boston need only rewind to last year for an even firmer reminder of the importance of keeping fuel in the tank. The Celtics expended so much energy with two seven-game wars against the Bucks and Heat that the team was on empty by the end of the Finals against Golden State.
The Hawks showed that, when Boston’s defense isn’t fully locked in, they can make things interesting with their offensive firepower and a relentless desire to collect offensive rebounds. The Celtics played from behind for much of Game 3 and could never quite get over the hump with Atlanta responding to every second-half charge.
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