Hawks' John Collins: We Weren't 'Timid' or 'Scared' in Game 1 Loss to Celtics

There was nothing pretty about the Hawks' playoff opening loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden.

They looked like the team that barely snuck into the postseason as they were dominated to the tune of an 112-99 loss, which doesn't symbolize how lopsided the game truly was.

Boston, the No.2 seed in the East, led by 30 at halftime as Atlanta missed their first 10 three-point attempts and were a far cry from the team that took down the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament on Tuesday night.

This series wasn't expected to be one of the more competitive fixtures of the first round, but it could get ugly quick if Trae Young and Co. don't get their act together.

Despite the big loss, the Hawks aren't a team void of playoff experience, they were in the conference finals just two years ago. According to forward John Collins, tonight was just a really, really bad night at the office.

"We weren't timid. We weren't scared," Collins said. "We just came out with a lack of mental focus. We weren't locked in enough. Sometimes that just happens. As a team we definitely knew what to expect game plan-wise but on the court sometimes it's harder to execute. Not scared. Not timid. None of those negative phrases from us. We're together.

If there's one good takeaway for Atlanta following the blowout it's the way it tried to fight its way back into the game despite a 32-point deficit. It managed to cut the Celtics lead down to 12 points before ultimately falling short of the comeback.

On the other hand, the Hawks' defense was a bleak omen of potential things to come over the rest of the series.

Boston's star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 54 points on a relatively off shooting night. They were 22-of-46 from the floor, far from their best offensive night, which is a scary thought for Atlanta.

Derrick White also had his way, arguably being the Celtics' best player in Game 1. He finished with 24 points with seven assists on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Hawks were also dominated on the glass, they were out rebounded 46-31 after the glass was the key to their success in the win against Miami.

But, of course, this isn't Miami, this one of the titans of the Eastern Conference in the Celtics, who are looking to make their way back to the NBA Finals.

If Atlanta can't find a way to "lock in" fast, it won't be a very long series.