Atlanta-Boston: Hawks Fall Short Again, Rivalry With Celtics Still In Question

Before Wednesday night’s Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics game, Paul Pierce mentioned bringing the “A game” whenever they came to play the Hawks.

In last season’s playoffs, the up-start Hawks pushed the Celtics series to seven games, winning all three games at home.

It was enough to get Atlanta excited about its Hawks again and there began whispers of the r-word—“rivalry.”

Some of the rivalry talk harks back to the Hawks’ original glory days, featuring Dominique Wilkins and current Celtics head coach, Doc Rivers.

The most memorable of all Hawks-Celtics 80’s playoff showdowns came in 1988. Games six and seven featured thrillers that came down to the wire and showcased the team’s biggest stars—Wilkins and the Celtics’ Larry Bird.

Game seven was concluded with Wilkins on the line, down by three, with five seconds remaining. The strategy was to make the first free-throw, miss the second, come down with the rebound, shoot and score, tie, and force overtime.

It didn’t happen that way and the Hawks were sent packing.

After the thrilling Hawks-Celtics game earlier this season, which saw Paul Pierce hit a jump shot with .5 seconds remaining to give the Celtics the one-point win, the rivalry talk started up again.

Surely Dec. 17 was marked in red in the Hawks’ locker room since that game. It proved to be another memorable game, but unfortunately for the Hawks, concluded the same way.

The Celtics entered the game having won 15 straight. The Hawks, after spending a week on the road, had won two straight at home—one against the East’s other hottest team, the Cavaliers, and the other against one of the league’s worst teams, a title arguably held by Atlanta not too long ago, the Charlotte Bobcats

With two seconds remaining, Joe Johnson toed the free-throw line for an opportunity to tie the game at 86. The 82 percent free-throw shooter was expected to make both. He missed the second and Kevin Garnett came down with the rebound, in a conclusion oddly similar to that Game seven in 1988.

These Hawks know nothing of that rivalry. Joe Johnson was eight years old at the time. Josh Smith, Atlanta’s do-it-all man and Atlanta native, was just two years old.

However, Atlanta was unable to come away with wins against the Celtics.

And that raises the age-old question: If a team can’t beat its “rival,” is it really a “rivalry” and does anyone, other than the loser, really care?

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?