C’s Get Bounced By Hawks In Opening Round

After an impressive season that showed the potential the young team possesses, the clock struck midnight on the Boston Celtics tonight as they fell to the Atlanta Hawks 104-92, losing the opening round series four games to two.

Boston struggled in the first quarter, unable to crack 20 points, as they shot a dismal 29 percent from the field. While the C's scuffled, they were able to keep it close with solid defense as the Hawks had just a 20-17 lead heading into the second quarter.

Atlanta's lead grew in the second, however, as the C's continued their ice cold play early. While the Hawks weren't certainly running away with it, Boston did itself no favors by shooting just under 28 percent from the field for the half.

For as bad as the Celts were in the first two quarters, they had to feel some sense of reprieve entering the break down just eight points, 41-33. All they seemed to need was to catch a bit of fire on their own home court and they could really have a chance.

That offensive boost never came, however, as they C's sputtered out of the gate and allowed Atlanta to take over.

At one point in the third, the Hawks had hit all 10 of their 2-point shot attempts in the quarter and had opened up the gap. Boston went on a 5-0 run late in the quarter, but Atlanta regrouped after a timeout and once again became the hammer to the C's nail.

By the end of the third, Boston's season was all but over, as they'd been outscored 39-26 and entered the final quarter down 21 points.

The fourth quarter saw more of the same, as the C's kept struggling and fell behind by almost 30. Head coach Brad Stevens tried to mix and match, get fresh bodies on the court and put his best defensive units out there but nothing allowed Boston to make a significant run and close the gap even in the slightest.

In the final minutes Boston showed grit and continued to chip away, giving it all that they had. In the end, the lead Atlanta had built up was just too insurmountable to overcome.

One Scorer Is Too Few

Probably the biggest issue all season long, regarding Boston, was their lack of scoring options, outside of Isaiah Thomas. That issue was magnified over the last two games of this series, especially tonight, as Atlanta decided to double, triple and even in some instances quadruple team Thomas every time he touched the ball.

By putting extra pressure on the diminutive guard, the Hawks and head coach Mike Budenholzer were pretty much daring someone else on the C's to beat them. As Boston fans knew but didn't want to admit all series long, the C's don't have a player capable of doing that on their roster.

Boston's other players were exposed as Thomas struggled to get his shots off all night. As they fell behind by 20 and more it was too much for the defense minded team to battle back.

With the issue exposed on this big of a level, it'll be president of basketball operations Danny Ainge's goal to fix that for next season, whether it be through the draft, trades or free agency.

A Bright Future Ahead

Though the C's were unable to advance to the second round, this season must be looked at as a success. A relatively unproven and unknown bunch of players led by a young coach, Boston battled at the top of the Eastern Conference all season long.

With the youth and flexibility they have on the current roster, this team is really one or two moves away from being a powerhouse in a weak conference. Add in the fact that they have a number of top picks ahead of them in the future and money to spend in free agency this summer and there are a host of reasons to be real excited about what the C's have going on.

While a nice playoff run would have been fun, the team has done enough over the past two seasons to prove to splashy free agents-to-be Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford that they are ready to take things to the next level.