Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics Preview
Monday, January 11th, 2010
TD Garden – Boston, MA
7:30 PM ET Tip
Lets face it, so far this season the Hawks have had the Celtics number. In fact, the past 2 seasons, Atlanta has come into this matchup with zero fear of Boston. Tonight the Hawks come into the Garden after getting demolished by the struggling Orlando Magic. Atlanta will be looking to get back on track tonight with a victory over the Celtics. The Hawks fly into tonight having lost 5 of their last 7. One of those victories as we all know came against the green. The C’s, on the other hand are coming into tonight on the 2nd game of a back to back after putting up a solid win in Toronto. The Hawks stand at 23-13 while the Celtics bring in a record of 26-9.
Boston Celtics Probable Starters:
PG: SG: SF: PF: C:
Same old, same old, with Kevin Garnett out of the lineup. Sheed surely made his presence felt in yesterdays game so we will have to see if he can keep it up and do the same against the Hawks tonight. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both shot the ball decent on Friday night, but will have to do just a little more when we play the elite clubs like we do tonight.
Atlanta Hawks Probable Starters:
PG: SG: SF: PF: C:
6th:
Without question the Hawks are 6 men deep. The starters all put up solid numbers everynight, while Jamal Crawford comes off the bench and goes point for point with them. On Friday night, Crawford in my mind was what led the Hawks to victory. He was a huge spark of the bench, and was very big for them in the 4th quarter. Did he hit some shots he shouldn’t have? Maybe, but he is still a great shooter.
The starters for the Hawks, like has been said before, are all very athletic. They are not afraid to get up and run with the likings of Josh Smith who loves to go up, up, and away. All of these starters are very consistent in the way they put up points on the board.
Key Matchup: Team vs. Team
Both of these squads are extremely team oriented. Not one player is forced to get the job done everynight. With that being said, it is not up to any individual on any team to hold off another individual on the other team. The Celtics will have to all play well to stop the Hawks, and the Hawks will have to all play well to stop the Celtics. Although both teams have scorers with great 1 on 1 ability, they get the majority of their work done via the pass, fast breaks, and hustle points. The C’s are the better TEAM, its just a matter of if they will come out to play that way.
This game is a tough game as it is on the end of a back to back against a top tier team. The good thing about it is they are atleast playing it on their home floor. The Celtics will need to take this one, or they will put themselves in danger of being swept by the Hawks in the season series as the next time these two teams play will be in the 2nd game of a back to back, where the Celtics will be coming off playing at Orlando. This is the game of the week by far for the Celtics, and if they get it done tonight, will be in great shape to finish off the week with 4 wins in 4 games.
For an in depth Preview to tonights game from the opposing side, visit the new blog Soaring Down South. Kris is just beginning his blog but already has some great material up so make sure to check it out.