Boston Celtics ‘flicked aside’ Hawks’ best shot in dominant Game 2 comeback

At one point during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals’ No. 2-No. 7 matchup on April 18, the Hawks doubled up the Boston Celtics’ score — holding a 22-11 lead in the first quarter. That didn’t last long, with the Cs roaring back and taking the lead by the end of the frame via a buzzer-beating Malcolm Brogdon halfcourt heave. They never gave that lead back.

In describing that first quarter, CelticsBlog’s Trevor Haas said that it felt like the Celtics took the Hawks’ best shot and “flicked it aside.”

“The final score doesn’t tell the whole story, but it does show how dangerous the Celtics can be even after aa sluggish start,” Haas wrote. ‘The Hawks jumped out to a 22-11 edge, as Trae Young and De’Andre Hunter got in a rhythm early and hit shots that Atlanta missed the bulk of Game 1. Robert Williams responded with three straight layups, spearheading an 11-0 run to tie it. Brogdon nonchalantly banked in a half-court heave as time expired, helping the Celtics take a 28-25 lead through one. It felt like the Celtics got the Hawks’ best shot, but they flicked it aside as if it were nothing and seized command.”

The Boston Celtics showed signs of a team ‘more than capable of winning it all’

Haas, like most observers, felt that the second straight spread-covering double-digit victory over Atlanta made the Boston Celtics look like a bona fide contender. The CelticsBlog writer said that the Cs showed signs of a team “more than capable of winning it all.”

“Every time the Celtics needed to make a play, they did – the sign of a team more than capable of winning it all,” Haas said.

Boston now heads to the Hawks’ homecourt in the Peach State with a chance to take a commanding lead on Friday, April 21 in Game 3.