NBA Slugfest: Boston-Atlanta Series

There is a rivalry on the horizon in the Eastern Conference playoffs. There was already intensity and bad mouthing going on between Cleveland and Washington, but the real talk is going on between East Coast powerhouse Boston and Ultimate Underdogs Atlanta.

Let's keep it short and just go on the last three games.

Game Three: Hawks 102, Celtics 93

Josh Smith dished out his own version of sweet justice when this series arrived in Atlanta. In front of a sellout crowd, Smith grabbed 27 points and performed his own slam dunking contest against the Boston Three Party as the Hawks got their first postseason victory in Phillips Arena history by turning the Celtics "sweep dreams" into a Talon-filled nightmare.

KG grabbed 32 points, but age proved to be a factor as the younger Smith made Garnett feel more like father time. Even Mike Bibby felt good to be home after feeling the burn of the Boston fans thanks to his comments about them before the series started. So did the Celtics bounce back in Game Four?

Game Four: Hawks 97, Celtics 92

Guess that answers the previous question. Though the Big Three tried to win in the end, the Hawks proved to be too much down the stretch. Led by Joe Johnson's 35 points (including 20 in the fourth quarter alone) and Mr. Smith's 28 points and seven blocks (yes, Atlanta's dynamo dunker), the Hawks took the physical battle to Boston in every way possible.

Ray Allen and KG tried to keep this moment from happening. Now these guys could be on the verge of suffering from the "Curse of Ruth." So with the series heading back to Boston, what is going to happen when these two teams play back in Beantown?

Game Five: Celtics 110, Hawks 85

Fireworks. Red Sox. Bruised Bruins. Jacked up Patriots. Sounds like a weird sports orgy gone horribly wrong. But in the Celtics eyes, there's no place like home. Irish eyes were smiling on Wednesday night as the Celtics bounced back from two straight road losses to regain the series lead and momentum heading back to "Hot-lanta" for Game Six.

Game Six had everything that came with the privilege of playing in the postseason. Flagrant fouls and quadruple technicals filled games three-five, and Al Horford found himself in the middle when he added to the list of WWE-like takedowns in the playoffs.

Game Six: Boston vs. Atlanta

The Hawks got a pair of wins against the Celtics at home. The series now shifts back to Hot-lanta where the fists will be flying and everyone will be throwing bows. This series will bring more heat than Roger Clemens "mysterious black book."

But all good things must come to an end, and tonight will most likely see the end of a dream for someone. In this case, Atlanta's dream of an upset will come to a crashing end tonight.

But that doesn't mean that this won't be a slugfest. After the pregame jaw jocking is over, the real UFC/WWE-Style battles begin. Does it get any better than that? I didn't think so.