Keys to the Game
Atlanta is a tough match up for the Celtics because they’re young, athletic and physical. The two most important Hawks to contain are Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford.
- Josh Smith is a big bodied guy and, like the rest of the Hawks, he’s very athletic and physical. The Celtics will probably throw a combination of guys at Smith- Perk, ‘Sheed and Baby, maybe. It will be important for these guys to stay out of foul trouble, because Smith is capable of putting up monster numbers. He’s also the one who could get the crowd revved up, and it’s always good to quiet the crowd on the road. I’ve always felt like Smith is his own worst enemy- sometimes he gets in his own way and loses control of his emotions, resulting in him making silly mistakes and getting in to foul trouble. I’m pretty sure ‘Sheed and Perk could help him get going in that area.
- Jamal Crawford is the Hawks sixth man and he can be pretty lights out. Unfortunately I just read that TA is under the weather and probably won’t be playing tonight. I had envisioned sticking him on Crawford because TA is quick enough and physical enough to play him effectively. Crawford is annoying because he can shoot from downtown and can also be a threat from closer in. Without TA and still down Marquis Daniels, the burden will probably fall mostly on Ray. He averages around 17 ppg, and it would be good to keep him in that range. He just dropped 29 on the Nets. That would not be ideal in this match up.
It will also be important for the Celtics to set the pace of the game. Atlanta will want to run and gun, so the Celtics need to set the pace and force the Hawks to play with them, and not vice versa. Last time these two teams played, the Celtics were out rebounded 47 to 29- including getting out rebounded on the offensive end 16 to 6. The Celtics need to box out and crash the boards. It’s rocket science, really. Another statistical malady from the last match up is the Celtics’ shooting 1 for 15 from downtown. It would be great if Eddie, Paul and ‘Sheed could get it going. Lastly, the Hawks are coming off of a little skid, losing 4 of their last 5. I think the Celtics are the most mentally tough team in the league. The maturation of Joe Johnson, the veteran leadership of Mike Bibby and the addition of another veteran presence in Jamal Crawford have done a lot to make the Hawks much more mentally tough. That being said, the Celtics can not sit around and hope that the Hawks are going to be intimidated by them and play badly. The Celtics seem to think that they can turn their game on and off as they please and still win the games, and they’ve also played down to teams that aren’t as good as them. That’s proven to be a pretty crappy habit, and continuing it tonight would be a good way to lose.
