The Celtics wasted no time attacking the Atlanta Hawks tonight. By the end of the 1st quarter it was clear that the Hawks wanted no part of this fight. The final score: 99 - 76.
The 1st quarter numbers are staggering. The Celtics outscored Atlanta 39 - 13. They outrebounded Atlanta 16 - 3. They outshot Atlanta 72% to 23%. They out-assisted Atlanta 12 - 3.
Kevin Garnett had 9 of his 17 points in the 1st. Shaq had 6 points and 5 rebounds (finished with 13 and 11).
The Hawks starters embarassed themselves. Check the plus/minus numbers. They flat out quit.
Was anyone else concerned the Celtics might let the 22 point halftime lead slip away in the 3rd? Even with the big lead, they kept their defensive intensity (the Hawks helped by taking mostly jumpers) and held Atlanta to just 14 points in the quarter.
Tommy Heinsohn was grumpy tonight. Even as the Celtics stretched the lead to 30+ points at times, he would repeatedly criticize the Cs for not attacking the basket.
How about Delonte West hustling his ass off in the 4th quarter of a blowout? He had two blocks including one on the 6-11 Zaza Pachulia.
Anyone notice Shaq sitting on an elevated (stack of seat cushions) chair on the bench? I wonder if his hip is flairing up.
"We came out mad..." - KG on the team's fast start.
After the jump: Delonte's huge block on Pachulia