Paul Millsap leads East top dog Atlanta Hawks past Boston Celtics

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BOSTON – Paul Millsap’s eurostep could not be contained Wednesday night. The all-star power forward skipped through the lane all night as his short-handed Atlanta Hawks beat a Boston Celtics roster that has nearly completely turned over in the past few weeks.

After a strong win against a dynamite Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans, Brad Stevens’ team came out flat in the second half and never could catch up to Millsap and the Hawks. Mike Budenholzer crafted a smooth and efficient offense that was so effective that it hardly missed a beat without two of their most important players in Al Horford and Kyle Korver.

Millsap finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but the numbers couldn’t quantify how easily he could carve his way through the Celtics defense. He and Jeff Teague reenacted Ender’s Game.

A Teague crossover collapsed all five defenders into the paint as the three point shooters laughed to each other. A Millsap eurostep made his dribble drive look like a bi-lateral trade agreement.

But it all couldn’t have happened without the unsung glue in the middle of the lineup in Demarre Carroll. The dreaded swing man has made a habit of outrunning and out-thinking the Celtics since he cracked Atlanta’s rotation. Wednesday night saw him score a game-high 22 points. But what stood out was the crafty intellect of every step and every move he made. No ounce of energy is wasted in his game.

This truly is the first Atlanta Hawks team I have enjoyed watching in my life.