Joe Johnson scored eight of his game-high 35 points in overtime as his Atlanta Hawks went on to outlast the Portland Trail Blazers 99-95 last night at Philips Arena. The Hawks have started off the year red hot with regular season record of 9-2.  The team believes themselves to be definite contenders in the East for 2010.

“The last two years being in the playoffs has put this team in a totally different light,” said coach Mike Woodson. “Now when they go on the court, they know they have a chance to win. It’s kind of nice sitting on the top of the division.” Josh Smith collected 20 points and 16 rebounds to help Atlanta earn their fifth consecutive victory, a streak that includes a tough road win in Boston against the Celtics.

The Trail Blazers have also improved immensely over the years. So far this season they hold an 8-4 record with young talent LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller, and Greg Oden leading the way. Aldridge notched 18 yesterday with Miller and Oden following up with 14 and 11, respectively. Portland is set to host the Detroit Pistons Wednesday as the Hawks take on the Miami Heat in Atlanta.  

Atlanta Hawks 81, Miami Heat 71.

Azaza Pachulia dominated the glass for the Hawks with 18 rebounds, helping Atlanta regain their home court advantage with a 81-71 win over the Miami Heat.  The Hawks scoring was basically split between Bibby, Johnson, and Smith scoring 15, 14, and 13.  Atlanta coach Mike Woodson stated that Pachulia was the crucial factor to the win.  “Zaza was huge throughout the whole game,” said Woodson. “I mean, 18 rebounds, 12 points for us, and we needed all that tonight to survive.”  Dwayne Wade scored 22 for the Heat and Jermaine O’Neal contributed 20, but Miami was never ahead and only shot 38 percent.

Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 63.

Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 26 points and was taken out in the fourth quarter due to the 58 point blow out over the New Orleans Hornets.  The victory matched the biggest lopsided contest in NBA playoff history, which came in 1956 when the Minneapolis Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks 133-75.  The Hornets will need their All-Star point guard Chris Paul to step up in order for them to stay in the series.  The Nuggets held Paul to just 4 points and 6 assists.  Denver leads the series 3-1.

Los Angeles Lakers 107, Utah Jazz 96.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to finish the series in 5 games with 31 points against the Utah Jazz last night at the Staples Center.  The Lakers were in control the whole game, winning every quarter in scoring aside from the fourth.  Utah made a run at the end cutting the 20-point deficit to just six with 3:15 remaining.  From there Lamar Odom came up with two clutch finishes after LA kicked in its defense to officially decide the series.  “We out did them,” said Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. “I thought it was a disappointment to them but they played hard; they played together and you have to give them credit.  I thank them for giving us a run and a good, hard series.”

2009 NBA Playoff Tickets are available now!

The Atlanta Hawks seemed to be in control when the 4th Quarter started last night. Kevin Garnett had other plans. KG was only 2-10 shooting from the floor in the first three quarters, but exploded with a dominant 5-5 fourth. In a low-scoring, high-defense game, the C’s managed to drop 29 on the Hawks in the final quarter to seal a 88-85 win. Many sports writers had this game picked out as the most possible streak-ender for the C’s - The Hawks held Boston winless in Atlanta last year in the playoffs.

The win puts the Celtics in a great position to make a run for not only the longest NBA winning streak, but also the best record in NBA history.

Boston Celtics tickets are available now!

It took three more games than most people expected but the Boston Celtics have finally put away the Atlanta Hawks to advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Waiting for the Celtics are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who will travel to Boston for game 1 on Tuesday 5/6.

In this seven game series the home team won every game with the Celtics really dominating at home and the Hawks winning tight games in Atlanta. Sunday’s game seven became a statement game for the heavily favored Celtics. After losing three to a young, average team many began to doubt the Celtics’ chances at winning a Championship. Boston wanted to leave no doubt about what they are capable of. In Sunday’s win they did it all; score points, defend the ball, block shots, make free throws and hold their composure.

With 30+ point lead in the fourth quarter the Celtics were able to sit most of their starting five with an eye on Tuesday’s game with Cleveland. Celtics tickets are now available for Tuesday’s game as well as all potential playoff games.

After two convincing victories in Games 1 and 2 of their first round NBA Playoff series, it looked like the Boston Celtics would be able to easily wrap everything up in a quick 4-game sweep. The Atlanta Hawks had other plans and defended their home court with pride, capturing convincing wins in Games 3 and 4 to even the series at 2 games a piece. Wednesday’s Game 5 match up in Boston followed the same pattern, with the home team coming away with an impressive victory. The Celtics continued to dominate at the TD Banknorth Garden with their 110-85 victory and now have a 3-2 series lead.

Just when Boston fans started to think that could this really be happening to them, the Big Three came to the rescue. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all played like the veteran stars they are, lifting the Celtics in an impressive effort on both ends of the floor. After being held to a .427 combined shooting percentage in games 3 and 4 (67-157), the Celtics found their stroke again going 45-84 (.536) from the field and outscored the Hawks in every quarter.

Pierce scored 22 points on 10-17 shooting from the floor, Garnett netted 20 pointed along with 7 assists and 5 boards and Allen contributed with 19 points on 5-8 shooting from 3-point land. Allen nailed three consecutive 3’s to crush a late 3^rd quarter Hawks run, that would ultimately seal the deal for the win.

With the victory, the stage is set for Game 6 which will be in Atlanta on Friday night.

“We still haven’t won a road game, guys,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We have to do it again. We have to do it on the road now. We have to go in there and play like tonight.”

Easier said then done as the team found out in the back-to-back losses in front of a raucous Atlanta crowd. The stakes will be high and as always when something is up for grabs, tempers will flare as we’ve already seen happen in the series.

“I won’t say we lost our composure,” Hawks guard Joe Johnson said. “It’s tough when it feels like things aren’t going your way. Temper tantrums tend to fly, and that’s part of it.”

In the past two games, technical fouls have been issued to both teams regarding on court altercations. The NBA announced that there would not be any suspensions or fines based on the activity on the floor from either night.

When watching the game tapes of the series thus far, one has to take note of the tempo of play initiated by the Celtics in their wins compared to the two road losses. In every win Boston has established that they will push the ball when they have a break, but pull back and run a half court set when the fast break isn’t available. Down in Atlanta, the C’s were trying to force the break and attempted too many shots, too quickly with lots of time left on the shot clock.

The key to winning on the road will be to control the style and tempo of the game, while not getting caught up with the Atlanta home crowd. It’s a different and hostile environment, but Boston needs to maintain their composure and play their style of basketball, and not try to run with the Hawks because much of Atlanta’s success comes from their up-tempo, run and gun style of offense led by Johnson and PG Mike Bibby.

Also, the Celtics need their bench to continue to contribute with solid minutes, as they have done very well in the three wins during the series. Veteran PG Sam Cassell gave impressive minutes in the Game 5 win and looks to keep his team’s emotion and energy high for Game 6.

“This is my time of the year,” said Cassell, who was a mid-season addition to the roster. “I love playoff basketball. I understand what it means. I understand what it takes to be successful during this time of year.”

Cassell and the Big Three will certainly be fired up for Game 6 and hope to bring the Celtics organization one step closer to reaching Green 17!

After dominating Games 1 and 2 of their first round NBA Playoff series, the Boston Celtics and anyone who watched the massacres began to write off the Atlanta Hawks. The only problem with that is it looks like the Hawks never got the memo after beating Boston convincingly in Game 3 and pulling out another gutsy 97-92 win in Game 4 to even the series at 2-2 to bring the match up back to Boston for a crucial Game 5 on Wednesday night. Read the rest of this entry »

It has been a long time since fans in Boston have been excited about playoff basketball, so this time around they’re enjoying every minute of it. Celtic supporters were raucous in all 4 quarters of Boston’s second playoff victory over the Atlanta Hawks, in which they cruised to the 96-77 victory last night at the TD Banknorth Garden to take a 2-0 series lead.

Five Celtics scored in double figures, led by Kevin Garnett’s 19 point, 10 rebound performance which came on the night when he was awarded the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year trophy in pre-game ceremonies. When he was handed the trophy at mid-court, he motioned for his teammates to come over and join him as he accepted the award.

“It’s not one person but it is all of us that make up this award,” Garnett said.

The team then went out and backed up Garnett’s statement, contributing very evenly up and down the line up in another showing of pure domination over a Hawks line up that just can’t hang with the big boys.

“This has been an experience,” said Josh Smith of the Hawks, who dropped 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the loss. “When we return home, we are going to need our fans as much as ever.”

The Boston fans played a big role as the 6th man in games 1 and 2, getting into the head of Hawks starting point guard Mike Bibby. Bibby, a ten year veteran of the NBA, made some surprising comments regarding the local fan base after the game 1 loss saying that they were ‘fair weather fans who jumped on the bandwagon’.

Bibby certainly heard it last night from the Garden crowd, receiving boo’s every time he touched the ball, chants even reigned down on him in the 4th quarter when he was on the bench like, “Where is Bibby?” and “Rondo’s Better.” Combined in games one and two, Bibby shot 4 for 17 from the floor and only had 2 assists. Rondo, on the other hand, has been a leader on the court shooting 12 of 20 in both games with 17 assists and only 1 turnover.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers had high expectations of the young point guard for the year, but never imagined this type of immediate production and contributions Rondo has made to the team.

“He puts so much time into his game so it’s nice to see a guy who works on it and see it come to fruition,” Rivers said. “He’s so ahead of the curve. He started last year with a great IQ, which always helps because then you have something to work with. And then he has this self motivation that he wants to be good, that he wants to be the best. And he has the stubborn streak that sometimes gets in his way, but he has learned to move that out of the way and allowed himself to be coached.”

On nights like last, the players make Doc’s job easy. The Celtics held Atlanta to another awful shooting night from the field at .383 % and out rebounded them 58 to 40. It was simply another display of dominance by the Eastern Conference favorites and makes one wonder if the Hawks are tying, or if this first round of the playoffs is simply a formality for them.

Along with Garnett scoring in double figures, the Celtics received 15 from Ray Allen, 14 from Paul Pierce, 12 from Rondo and 10 from Sam Cassell off the bench. Kendrick Perkins added 8 points and 9 rebounds in another solid game in the low post.

The series will now shift to Atlanta for games 3 and 4, with the Hawks hoping to have better luck in front of their home crowd. They will need to win at least one game to keep the series alive. The Celtics have other plans, and look to keep their quest for Green 17 alive.

Celtics Playoff tickets available for all potential games and rounds. Full refund for any game not played.

The NBA has released the schedule for the Celtics/Hawks first round matchup. The Celtics matched up against the Hawks three times during the regular season, winning those games handily by an average of 14 points. If the Hawks’ ten point loss to the Celtics’ backups on last Sunday is any indication, this series may very well end in a sweep.

Game 1
Hawks @ Celtics
Sunday, April 20th - 8:30pm

Game 2
Hawks @ Celtics
Wednesday, April 23 - 8:00pm

Game 3
Celtics @ Hawks
Saturday, April 26th - 8:00pm

Game 4
Celtics @ Hawks
Monday, April 28th - 8:00pm

Game 5
Hawks @ Celtics
Time TBA

Game 6
Celtics @ Hawks
Friday, May 2nd
Time TBA
Game 7
Hawks @ Celtics
Sunday, May 4th
Time TBA

The Hawks will enter Sunday’s contest having lost three in a row, and 5 out of the last 7. The C’s will take a 4-game win streak with them, including three games in a row without the big three. If they manage to end the series early, the C’s starters will get even more rest before round 2.

Celtics Playoff Tickets are Available now

P.J. Brown, newest member of the Boston Celtics, sat out for his second straight game on Sunday.  “Physically, I’m in shape. But I’m not in NBA shape,” said Brown. “The two biggest things are timing and stamina. It’s not going to be overnight, but I’ll put in a lot of work and work my tail off. … When the time comes and my number is called, I’ll be ready to go.” Brown will likely see his first action on Friday against his former team, the Chicago Bulls.  In addition to P.J. Brown, the Celtics are ready to add Sam Cassell to their roster as soon as he clears waivers on Monday.  Both players will add depth on the bench, and allow the ‘Big 3′ to get some extra rest before the playoffs.

On Sunday the Celtics extended their win streak to five straight, winning a tight game against the Atlanta Hawks at home.  Kevin Garnett had his best game since coming back from an abdominal injury, scoring 20 points and pulling down 16 rebounds.  Ray Allen contributed 17 points, and Kendrick Perkins put out his best effort of the season; 11 points, a season-high 12 rebounds, and a career-high 6 assists. Paul Pierce had a game-changing 17 points in the 3rd quarter, 30 total on the game.  The Hawks could not wrestle the lead back, and the C’s would go on to win their 5th straight game.

The Celtics and Detroit Pistons will play on Wednesday, possibly a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The 2008 NBA trade deadline is over and has left some teams feeling confident about making a run into the playoffs, and left others wondering how long it will take the potential talent they traded for to actually turn into the superstars they were hoping they might become.

Sorry Timberwolves fans, but that’s just never going to happen for you.

Unlike years past, the league saw some big names relocate from struggling franchises onto playoff contending teams which is not only great for those organization’s playoff hopes, but its great for the NBA as well. Maybe for one month now we can forget about how overpaid Isaiah Thomas and the Knicks are and focus on the fact that there is actually a race going on in the West this year for the top spot in the playoffs, and the best team is the league, the Celtics, are coming out of the East. Who would have thought?

A huge winner in this years’ trade deadline has to be the L.A. Lakers. Landing Pau Gasol makes them instantly a Western Conference finalist contender. The Lakers have gone 8-1 since they acquired the big man, and that is without a healthy C Andrew Bynum. Pretty much all they had to do to get Gasol was give up Kwame Brown, yea remember him, first pick in the 2001 draft (HA!). That may go down as the worst first pick in the history of the NBA draft, but regardless, dishing him out to Memphis was brilliant because his contract expires at the end of the year anyway.

Another huge trade that was really unexpected, and at this point no one knows how it will pan out for either team, was the Shaquille O’Neal trade to the Phoenix Suns. Shaq is averaging career lows in points and rebounds, hasn’t been completely healthy for two years, and is going to be 36-years old in a few weeks. The Suns gave up former all-star power forward Shawn Marion and a talented point-guard in Marcus Banks to the Miami Heat in exchange for O’Neal. The former league MVP leaves the team with the worst record in the NBA to join the Suns who have the 2nd best record in the West. If neither team makes out in the deal, the person who did was Shaq.

Ben Wallace has found a new place to call home… again. The defensive specialist joins Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers after he was dealt from the Chicago Bulls for four players in total including Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. The Cavs also traded for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith so the team chemistry may be off for a few weeks, but hopefully they begin to click before the playoffs. The moves they made are definitely an upgrade, but you may not see the results this season.

The biggest name to move right before the deadline may have been future hall of fame point guard Jason Kidd. Kidd was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in an eight player deal that left the New Jersey Nets hurting…even more then they had already been, but with $3 million dollars more in their pockets. The deal also left the Mavs excited for the second half of the season to get underway with Kidd running the show. Mavericks GM Mark Cuban finally got something he wanted, if he couldn’t buy the Cubs, well at least he could buy Jason Kidd… like Jay-Z really needs the money!

Some other moves that were made that wouldn’t be considered blockbuster deals, but are definitely worth mentioning include the San Antonio Spurs landing PF/C Kurt Thomas from the Seattle Supersonics. It’s not a flashy name, but a good move for the Spurs who needed some more size to compete with Shaq and Gasol who they will now be seeing more often playing in the West.

Mike Bibby was traded to the Atlanta Hawks which is an upgrade at point guard from Tyronne Lue who is now with the Sacramento Kings, and the move shows that Atlanta still has signs of life in them and wants to try and sneak in the eight and final spot for the Eastern Conference playoffs. They will need to play better basketball on the road where they are currently at a pathetic 6-19, but Bibby’s leadership could help turn that around.

So when all is said and done with, who were the biggest winner and loser after this year’s trading deadline?

Biggest Loser: The Minnesota Timberwolves – They traded away Gerald Green whom they had just traded for in the off-season when they gave away Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. It seems like this team has been rebuilding for ten years now, and its not going to stop anytime soon.

Biggest Winner: The Los Angeles Lakers – Pau Gasol is going to take a little pressure off of Kobe Bryant, help their team defense, and be the spark to drive the Lakers to the top spot in the Pacific Division. They didn’t give up hardly anything, and they became instant contenders with his addition.

The final two months of the NBA season are going to be filled with lots of action so make sure to contact Ace Ticket if you want to be there and a part of it all!