Final: Celtics 119, Hawks 106 - C's pull away late to take 2-0 series lead

Celtics vs. Hawks 

Game 2, 7:00 p.m.

TD Garden, NBA TV, NBCS Boston

Line: Boston -10

Refs: James Williams (#60), Mark Lindsay (#29), Karl Lane (#77)

Injures: 

Boston- Gallinari (out). Atlanta- None 

Projected Starters

Boston: Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford

Atlanta: Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Clint Capela 

What I’m looking for:

Hot start: Come out with the same purpose as Game 1. Build up another big lead and let the Hawks know there's nothing they can do about that Boston offense and there's no way to score against the Boston defense. Set the tone early. 

Keep up the rebounding: I thought the rebounding was good. The Celtics held the Hawks below their regular season offensive rebounding percentage. I’d like to see them clean up those few multiple-offensive rebounding possessions and get their defensive rebounding up closer to 80%.

Maintain focus:  It’d be nice to see them stay focused for 48 minutes. Yes the Hawks will make a run, but let’s keep that run to something manageable, not something that makes everyone sweat. 

How I think it will go:

I think the Hawks will make more shots than they did early in Game 1, making this game a little closer at the half. But ultimately, I don’t think they’ll be able to hang for 48 minutes. 

Clint Capela admitted that “Horford, who’s really stretching me out the whole game, he’s not getting the shot, but just by having me out there makes my job harder to help my teammates in the paint.” The Hawks have no answers for that. 

We could see something weird like Capela on Marcus Smart in an effort to lure Smart into more shots. I would also anticipate some zone defense because that has given the Celtics some problems. But those are desperation moves, and if they don’t work, then we’ll see the Hawks quit. 

So it’s important for the Celtics to recognize what they are facing quickly and not get too caught up in the gimmicks and mismatches. Just do the right thing for the situation, exploit what the Hawks are doing, and then when they get dejected and start making mistakes, lay waste to them. 

The line is Celtics by 10, and I think they cover that again with room to spare.

Want to pass the time until the tip? Here’s the latest Locked On Celtics podcast with me and Tom Westerholm discussing how the Celtics are being fairly dismissive of the threat Atlanta poses.

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.