The second-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference and the seventh-seeded Atlanta Hawks meet in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Boston’s last team first-round playoff game was won in 2016.
More first round previews of the NBA Playoffs at Yahoo Sports:
(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) Brooklyn Nets
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) New York Knicks
(2) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers
(3) Sacramento Kings vs. (6) Golden State Warriors
(4) Phoenix Suns vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers
How did they get here
Boston Celtics (57-25)
Just before training camp opened, the Celtics fired head coach Im Odoka due to an improper relationship within the organization and replaced him with 34-year-old assistant Joe Mazzola. Odoka’s tough style led to a remarkable turnaround last season, his first at the helm. He’s earned the respect of his players, especially the Stars, and they put on Boston’s first Finals show since 2010.
The shocking news threatened to prevent championship vengeance from taking center stage, but the Celtics rallied around Mazzola, starting 21-5, and reminded the East that it was through Boston. It was Jason Tatum Favorite MVP in the league, and Jaylen Brown wasn’t far behind. Around them were a group of 3-point shooters, including Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams, Al Horford, Sam Hauser, and Derek White, all shooting at over 40% from 3-point range, and the offense was going at a historic pace.
The convincing slide scored on defense, but Boston expected All-Defensive player Robert Williams III to return from injury before Christmas, and a juggernaut loomed. Then came a final rematch with the Golden State Warriors in the midst of a six-game road trip, and a double-digit loss woke up the Devils that cost the Celtics a title. Tatum withered. Brown could not keep his handle. Nobody can hit the broad side of the barn.
Boston lost five of their next six games and, of course, corrected themselves in a win statement over the Milwaukee Bucks at Christmas and spent the rest of the season switching between answering and raising questions. Does Mazola convey enough urgency in and between games? Can Tatum keep his brilliance? How does Brown invest? Does Marcus Smart style take a physical toll? Can Rob Williams stay healthy for any stretch?
The end result was 57 wins, more than any other Celtics team since 2009, second-best ranking in the NBA at both ends of the field, highest winning margin in the league (6.7 points per 100 possessions) and a 5-2 record against the team. Two of the most serious threats to the Eastern Conference throne, the Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Atlanta Hawks (41-41)
The Falcons, as ever, are quite average. They’ve had a 37-game winning streak this season over . 500, settling at 41-41 and putting up a net rating of 0.1. They have a top 10 offense and under 10 defense.
After two years of reaching the Conference Finals, Atlanta’s response to last season’s first-round exit was to trade the rights to four first-round draft picks in order to pair defense-minded All-Star point guard DeGaunt Murray with notoriously high utilization. 2022 All-NBA guard Trae Young in the backcourt.
Whether you uphold the deal or not, there’s no need to worry: The Hawks have gone about their usual dysfunction. By December, tensions between Young and his head coach, which included unexcused absences, led Nate McMillan to consider resigning from his position, the athlete mentioned. General manager Travis Schlink resigned, leaving the job to Landry Fields reports That the team owner’s 27-year-old son was pulling the strings.
All the while, the Hawks continued to scan the trade market for John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanović to no avail. Dealing with Kevin Hutter over the summer didn’t do his shooting proficiency any favors and failed to clear a bottleneck for frontcourt players who just got paid or will soon get paid. De’Andre Hunter could replace Collins in the four. Onyeka Okongwu is the center hold behind Clint Capela. The acquisition of Sadiq Bey seemed to signal the end for Bogdanović in Atlanta, however, the Hawks gave him a four-year extension.
They eventually fired McMillan for the All-Star break in favor of former Utah Jazz coach Quinn Snyder, and he couldn’t make sense of the roster on short notice — until Tuesday’s game. Amid reports that the front office in Atlanta had “green lightTo trade Young over the summer, the team squandered the Heat, ending a seven-game losing streak in Miami. Young and Murray scored 43 points and 13 assists. Kabila and Okongo combined for 25 rebounds and 6 blocks. Five other Falcons scored in double figures.
It was enough to make you wonder if Snyder could have molded all that talent into one unit in time to make noise again in the playoffs. Then, you remember how they obscured every other bright spot all season.
face to face
Boston swept the regular season series with Atlanta, 3-0.
The undermanned Celtics beat the Hawks in their first two meetings, then handed them another defeat in the regular season finale when most of the important players were rested. Boston shot a combined 41-of-88 from distance (46.6%) in wins on November 16 and March 11, both without Robert Williams. Neither Smart nor Brogdon played in the first meeting, and the 25-point win still revealed the difference between the two teams: the Celtics were built around two formidable wingers, and the Hawks were built behind two wire guards. One of the basic tenets of basketball is that it’s a lot easier to get size stops on your side.
closing formations
Boston Celtics
Boston’s most used starting lineup – Smart, White, Brown, Tatum and Horford – has shut out plenty of games as well, outscoring opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions on the season. Sixth Man of the Year nominee, Brogdon is a luxury that could spell Smart or White if either was struggling. White has produced the best of Boston’s guards all season, and he should get the lone spot alongside Tatum and Brown if the Celtics return to the brutal lineup that made them such a defensive menace last season. Swap Robert Williams in for Smart, next to Horford, and this five-man outfit is an astonishing +64 in 69 minutes.
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta has options as well. The Hawks finished winning game Tuesday with Young, Murray, Bay, Collins and Cabella — a lineup that had previously been bested by 24 points in 134 minutes in the regular season. Then again, their four most popular lineups in the fourth quarter were massively outplayed in the fourth quarter, so Snyder is still looking for his best closing combination. Young and Murray are the only locks. Bogdanovic, Hunter and/or Okonjo could respectively replace Bay, Collins and/or Cabella based on feel.
Match to watch
The Hawks acquired Murray to lighten the offensive burden on Young, and the 6-foot-1, 164-pound All-Star remains the two-time number one in utilization rate this season with the worst effective field goal percentage (48.5%) of anyone attempting 19 At least one shot per match. He’s their snakehead, for better or for worse, and no team has more defensive weapons than Boston. There’s Smart, White, Brogdon, Brown, and Tatum, all of whom can also target Young with the ball in their hands on the offensive end.
Young averaged an impressive 31-4-11 on 44/33/92 shooting splits in his two games against the Celtics this season, a marked improvement over last year’s 25-4-8 in 38/24/96 splits. He acquitted himself well in limited minutes against two more prospects, totaling 26 points on 17 shots and 11 assists against one turnover in less than a quarter time versus White and Smart, according to NBA tracking data. This did not give the Falcons a chance to bat in either encounter, but it was their only hope.
The bigger problem is what to do with Young on defence. There is no place to hide. He spent the bulk of his time against Boston this season defending White, who worked him to 14 points on 6-of-9 in the game. The Celtics have scored 126.7 points per 100 possessions with Young on the court this season — more than even the toughest offense can beat — and it doesn’t get any easier for him in the playoff series.
The Celtics will plan to hound Young’s defense and focus on his offense, time and time again. How much he trusts his teammates and how much the playmaking industry can support them will determine whether or not this series turns out to be interesting – and maybe even whether or not this is the last time we see him in Atlanta.
Boston Celtics (-1000)
(+650) Atlanta Hawks
Series schedule (all times ET)
Game 1: Atlanta in Boston on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Game 2: Atlanta at Boston on Tuesday (7 p.m., NBA TV)
Third game: BOSTON AT ATLANTA FRIDAY, APRIL 21 (7 p.m. ESPN)
Fourth game: BOSTON AT ATLANTA SUNDAY, APRIL 23 (7 p.m., TNT)
* Game 5: Atlanta in Boston on Tuesday, April 25 (TBC)
* Game 6: Boston in Atlanta on Thursday, April 27 (TBC)
* Game 7: Atlanta in Boston on Saturday, April 29 (TBC)
*if necessary
prediction
Celtics in five.
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