Celtics vs. Hawks: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Odds and More for Opening Series

The fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks will play take on the fourth-seeded Boston Celtics in one of the more intriguing matchups of the 2012 Eastern Conference playoffs.

The two teams were battling for home-court advantage down to the last night of the season, but it was the Hawks who edged out the veteran Celtics, as both teams closed the lockout-shortened season with a win.

They'll have a few days off before taking to the court for the best-of-seven series starting Sunday, April 29.

Where

Philips Arena (Atlanta, GA)

TD Garden (Boston, MA)

Schedule

Game 1 - Sun. April 29, Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 2 - Tue. May 1, Boston at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3 - Fri. May 4, Atlanta at Boston, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Game 4 - Sun May 6, Atlanta at Boston, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Tue. May 8, Boston at Atlanta, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. May 10, Atlanta at Boston, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. May 12, Boston at Atlanta, TBD, TNT

*if necessary

Live Stream

ESPN3 for ESPN-broadcasted games

NBA League Pass

Listen

Boston: WEEI—93.7 FM, 850 AM

Atlanta: WCNN—93.7 FM, 680 AM

Odds

To be determined

Key Injuries

Ray Allen, Celtics: Questionable (Ankle) 

Al Horford, Hawks: Out (Pectoral)

Zaza Pachulia, Hawks: Out (Foot)

Jannero Pargo, Hawks: Questionable

What They're Saying

Peter May of ESPN Boston talks about home-court advantage and what it means to the Celtics:

"

Doc Rivers has insisted all along that he cares not a whit about the homecourt advantage at the expense of resting key players. Well, now we’ll see. To get Banner No. 18, this Celtics will have to do what only one other Celtics’ title team has done: win it all without having the homecourt advantage in any series. The 1969 team did it. More recently, the 1995 Houston Rockets did it, taking out the top three seeds in the Western Conference and the No. 1 seed in the East, Orlando. The Celtics and Atlanta will play Game 1 of their series on Sunday at Philips Arena. That became apparent because while the Celtics were rolling the Bucks, the Hawks were doing the same to the Mavericks in Atlanta.

"

The Celtics are a veteran team that can handle playing anywhere. 

Most Important Player to Watch: Rajon Rondo, PG, Celtics

The best player on the court in the series runs into the postseason with a 24-game double-digit assist streak on his hands.

He's proven he can take over games, and we know he's an absolute warrior in the postseason--and this year he'll have two good arms.

If the Hawks cannot stop Rondo, they'll be run off the court rather quickly.

Key Matchup: Celtics' "Bigs" vs. Hawks' "Bigs"

"Bigs" is in quotes because neither team truly has bigs right now. The Celtics play this way all the time, but the Hawks are without star Al Horford and could possibly be without Zaza as well. This means that Jason Collins and Eric Dampier will be counted on to defend Kevin Garnett and, when he's on the court and doing something, Greg Stiemsma.

Garnett has been playing better of late than he has in years, and if he's draining shots and pulling defenders out of the paint, the Celtics will have their way with the Hawks.

If Boston takes things seriously and wants to be done with Atlanta quickly, they will be.

Prediction: Celtics in six.