The series moves to Atlanta for Game 3 of the opening round with the Celtics leading the series 2-0. The Celtics have looked very strong in their first two home games, but the Falcons will likely play better at home with their fans behind them. In the regular season, the Hawks were only 17-24 on the road, but they were 24-17, showing that they are a much better team at home.
This game is key to the Celtics’ chances of winning the series. Teams that win the first two games of the best-of-seven series at home go on to win the series 94.0% of the time (236-15). Teams leading the best-of-seven series 2-1 go on to win the series 79.8% of the time (308-78). However, the teams that win the first three games of the best-of-seven series go on to win the series 100% of the time (127-0).
This is the thirteenth time these two teams have met in the playoffs. Boston has won 10 of the 12 series to date. Their last meeting was in 2016 when the Falcons won the series 4-2. In the off-season, the Celtics signed Al Horford away from the Hawks in free agency. The Hawks’ only other victory over the Celtics was in 1958 when the St. Louis Hawks won the series in 6 games. Since the Hawks moved from St. Louis to Atlanta in 1968, the Celtics have won seven of their eight playoff series in this game.
Both teams were fortunate to be healthy going into this series and two games later, most of them are still healthy. Biggest health concern is Jaylen Brown who was playing with a cut on his shooting hand which was healing but also causing him some problems. At this time, only Danilo Gallinari (knee) was on the Celtics’ injury list while the Hawks had no players listed.
Potential Celtics appetizer
Celtics reserves
Malcolm Brogdon
Grant Williams
Sam Hauser
Luke Cornet
Blake Griffin
Mike Muscala
Peyton Pritchard
Robert Williams III
Justin Champagne
2 players way
JD Davison
Mviondo Capangel
out / injuries
Exit by Danilo Gallinari (ACL).
Coach
Joe Mazola
Hooks likely beginners
Falcon reserves
be honest with you
Bogdan Bogdanovich
Bruno Fernando
AJ Griffin
Aaron’s holiday
Galen Johnson
Vit Craigsey
Therese Martin
Garrison Mathews
Mr. Okongwu
2 players way
Trent Forrest
Donovan Williams
out / injuries
Nothing included
Coach
Quinn Snyder
major matches
Marcus Smart vs. Tra Young
Young averaged 26.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the regular season. He shot 43.0% from the field and 33.5% from outside the arc. In two games against the Celtics this season, Young averaged 31 points, 4 rebounds and 11 assists per game. However, in the playoffs so far, he has averaged 20 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. He shot just 34.4% from the field and 22.5% from outside the arc in his first two games. He’s said he’s going to play better in this game and the Celtics should be ready for him to play harder and potentially shoot better.
Derek White vs. DeGonte Murray
Murray averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the regular season. He shot 46.4% from the field and 34.4% from outside the arc. In two games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Murray has played well in both matches so far. He averaged 26.5 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3.5 steals in his first two games. He shot 42.9% from the field and 36.8% from outside the arc. The Celtics will need to work hard on both sides of the field to get the most out of this matchup.
honorific
Malcolm Brogdon vs. Bogdan Bogdanovic
In the regular season, Bogdanović had 14 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists off the bench. He shot 44.7% from the field and 40.6% from outside the arc. In the playoffs so far, he has averaged 13.5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. He shot 47.6% from the field and 42.9% from outside the arc in his first two games. He’s a very good three-point player and he’s a player the Celtics need to defend well because he can heat up quickly if left open. Malcolm Brogdon is the newly-crowned Sixth Man of the Year, and the Celtics are going to need a good game from him.
game keys
defense Defense is always the key to winning matches and defense becomes even more important in the qualifiers. The Celtics have a Defensive Rating of 110.6 which is 2nd while the Falcons have a Defensive Rating of 115.4 which is 22nd. Despite having the second best defensive rating in the regular season, no Celtics team has received Defensive Player of the Year votes. Their defense has been good in the first two games and they have to continue to make defense a priority in this game and they have to play this solid defense for 48 minutes without letting up.
recovery Besides defense, rebounding is key to winning. Much of the bounce is effort and desire. The Hawks averaged 44.4 rebounds per game in the regular season (10) while the Celtics averaged 45.3 rebounds per game (7). In the three regular season games, Atlanta outscored the Celtics 143-136. The Hawks beat the Heat 63-39 in game play. The Celtics bounced back from the Hawks 54-45 in the first game, but the Falcons held off the Celtics 49-44 in the second game. The Falcons had 19 offensive rebounds for 13 second chance points in game two. recovery. They can’t afford to give the Falcons extra possessions by letting them grab rebounds.
Take care of the ball The Celtics averaged just 13.4 touchdowns during the regular season (7th). In the playoffs last year, they turned the ball over 353 times, which was the most of all playoff teams. They had over 30 more turnovers than Golden State. In Game 1, the Celtics recorded 17 turnovers, resulting in 19 points in favor of the Hawks. In Game 2, they had 16 turnovers for 14 points. The Celtics must stay focused, not make sloppy passes, and be careful not to let the Falcons steal with careless dribbling. They must take care of the ball and not give the Hawks easy points by turning it over.
Be aggressive The Celtics can’t afford to expect an easy win after defeating the Hawks in their first two games. That would be a huge mistake because the Hawks play hard and will come off strong in the Celtics, especially since they are playing at home. The Celtics should be the team that plays harder and wants to win more. They must be aggressive in diving for loose balls, in going to the basket, in getting stops on the defensive side, and in pursuit of rebounds. The Celtics need to play hard and aggressive for 48 minutes in this nonstop game.
X-factors
On the road The Celtics are playing on the road for the first time in this playoff. They won two games at home and now have to focus on playing their game and not get distracted by playing on the road, in travel, and at hostile crowds (although the last time the Celtics played in Atlanta, there were almost as many Celtics fans in the crowd as Hawks fans). The Hawks play better at home and so the Celtics have to work even harder to get a win on the road.
training The Hawks have a very veteran coach in Quinn Snyder, but he only coached the Falcons for 24 games. Snyder was the head coach Utah Jazz For 8 seasons before resigning there. This is Snyder’s seventh straight playoff, and the longest streak by any active head coach. Joe Mazzola won the first two games in Boston, but Game 3 is where coaching becomes most important. Snyder will watch the movie and make the edits and it will be up to Joe Mazzola to counter them.
verdict Synthesis is always an x-factor. All the game staff describe the game a little differently with some describing it as aggravating and others as letting it play. Some referees make head scratching calls while others try really hard to get it right. In many games, they call the game tight in the first half and then ease calls in the second half or vice versa. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is called and focus on playing the game and not on bad or no calls.