And then 1 again sometime in the second quarter... when Al Horford is in the fetal position and Pierce is running back on D shaking his head and blowing on his fingers, gunslinger style.
You can see the look in the Celtics eyes. They're pissed. Honestly... the scariest thing that was said last night after a marathon film session was from KG: “I’m looking forward to [Game 4] a lot.” That does not bode well for the Hawks.
Meanwhile, the Hawks continue to run their mouths. Said Joe Johnson:
"when they really couldn’t make a run on us. They’d come down, and we’d just stop (them). We’d come down and score. We were just making big shots after big shots. Then I thought they just finally kind of gave up a little bit."
Relatively minor... but added fuel for the Celtics fire. The Celtics clearly didn't understand how much one playoff win would mean to the Hawks. They didn't understand that these guys aren't playing to win a series... they're playing to justify their existence in these playoffs. They all know they're going to lose... which is why they celebrated so much after game 3... and its why they're all talking trash and sniping... while the C's are all talking about regaining their focus and doing what they need to do to finish the series off.
There's no further analysis needed. This isn't about matchups... this isn't about how we do versus a zone or man-to-man... this is about the Celtics imposing their will. They seemed to be in a fog in the second half of game 3. If the Celtics go out and play ball... this will be over by halftime.
Herald: For starters, Celtics must improve | Doc works towards a good mix | Celtics' rookies playoff tested | Globe: Hawks in no mood to turn down volume | Horford finding his voice | Game wasn't a blockbuster | ProJo: Seeing flaws | Hornets up 3-1 | Delonte's 3 gives Cavs 3-1 lead | Suns stay alive | Pistons even series with Sixers