Hawks Win Game 4 To Tie Series
The Hawks backed up their amazing game 3 win with an equally exciting victory in game 4, bringing the series even at 2 games apiece. After the way this team got double digits twice in this game and still came back to win, I'm beginning to think they could actually win this series. What scares me the most, however, is that they will have to win a game in Boston if they are going to win the series. Tonight's game started by looking like the Celtics wanted to show the Hawks that they couldn't play with them, as they jumped out to a quick and easy 13 point lead, at 16-3. But the Hawks came back with a 20-3 run of their own, and led most of the way until the 3rd quarter, when the Celtics once again started peeling away, and taking a 10 point lead into the 4th quarter. In the 4th, it was all Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, who scored all of Atlanta's final 34 points. The Hawks quickly erased the 10 point lead, and built a small cushion of their own. Late in the 4th, it came down to some great defensive stops and holding their own at the free throw line, which in my opinion was one of the most critical areas for the Hawks tonight. The Hawks shot 21/24 from the free throw line tonight, while the Celtics only shot 9/16. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith finished the night tied for the most Hawks points at 22, with Mike Bibby coming it at 18. With the physical nature of this series, some incidents are bound to happen, and one did with 7 1/2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. While going for a loose ball, Kevin Garnett threw an elbow at Zaza Pachulia, who promptly got right back up in Garnett's face. Although order was restored relatively quickly, 4 technical fouls were given (Zaza Pachulia, Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnett, and Sam Cassell), and more importantly it showed the Celtics once again that the Hawks are not going to be intimidated by them and roll over in this series. If the Celtics are going to win this series, they are going to have to fight for it. The series now shifts back to Boston for game 5 of Wednesday, where hopefully the Hawks can forget about the 19 and 23 point blowouts they were the recipients of. If they can play like they have the last 2 games, anything is possible. Either way, game 6 will be back in Atlanta on Friday.