Well, I'm not bored anymore. Tonight will be interesting to say the least. This is the first test of the post season. I hope they pass.
- Can't help but think that the emotion of game 3 was a carryover from game 2. The Hawks made things chippy with their physical play and the Celtics let them know in no uncertain terms who was winning by 20 points. Atlanta's pride was challenged and they wanted to come out and make a statemtent. Playing at home in front of their own crowd just gave them one more boost. They played their hearts out and played perhaps the best game of their lives. Basketball is a game of confidence and runs. They got going early and never let up. Hats off to them.
- That said, it is also true that the Celtics played a very poor game. I don't know if you can ever call a KG led team unfocused, but they might have underestimated the Hawks a bit. They may have thought of the Hawks as a team that loses by 20 instead of a team that has the talent to beat you by 15 on any given night. Regardless, they came out flat and the shots (many of which were bunnies) just didn't fall. They got outplayed, pure and simple.
- So the only thing left is how this team responds from here on. Just about every other time they've been tested this year, they've responded emphatically. I fully expect the team to come out firing. My only concern is perhaps the team getting a little too amped. The Horford taunt obviously really got under Paul's skin. There's one school of thought that thinks that could fire him up to have a great night. There's another that worries that he'll be too concerned about proving himself and not concerned enough about sticking to the gameplan that got them to 66 wins. That's true for the whole team. Yes, they have to use emotion to fire themselves up to win this next game, but here's hoping that emotion is properly channeled and focused on the task at hand.