Atlanta Hawks Can't Advance If Josh Smith's Injury Is Serious

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith left Tuesday's Game-2 87-80 loss to the Boston Celtics with a sprained knee, and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday, Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The status of Smith's knee and the timetable for his return is not yet known. 

Fortunately for Hawks fans, Smith hurt his right knee, not the left knee that he injured early in March. 

However, if Smith can't return, then the Hawks would be down three quality big men. Centers Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia continue to nurse various injuries, but are fairly close to returning. 

Three injuries at once are too much for any team to overcome. The Hawks can't advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals if Smith's injury forces him to miss any time this postseason.

Jason Collins would remain the center and Marvin Williams would likely play the power forward position if Smith misses time, giving the Hawks two major liabilities in the starting lineup. 

Collins provides little offense outside of an occasional tip-in and Williams' career has largely been a disappointing after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick back in 2005.

With Horford out almost all season, Smith has carried the load for the Hawks, having a career year. In the regular season, Smith averaged career highs in points (18.8) and rebounds (9.6), but still was snubbed on the all-star team.

Smith is also an accomplished passer and consistently leads the Hawks on the fast break as well as finishing on the break. Smith's pure athleticism creates matchup problems that the Hawks can exploit and riles up the fans in Philips Arena.

In addition, Smith's presence on the defensive end of the floor gives the Hawks a premier shot-blocker. Now, the Hawks have a major weakness inside and will have to rely on long jump shots if they want to have a chance.  

Without Smith, the Hawks are forced to play a half-court game that ultimately ends in iso-Joe or another one-on-one matchup. 

Those old Hawks' habit of poor shot-selection resurfaced in Game 2. The Celtics played extraordinary defense, particularly in the second half, forcing erratic attempts from the Hawks' guards. 

Atlanta is already playing three guards who each have similar strengths: The three-point line. If the shots fall, then the Hawks will be fine; so far, they're not.

Shooting guard Joe Johnson, the $120 million man, is shooting 10-for-32 thus far in the series. Point guard Jeff Teague is 11-for-28 in the series with only five assists. 

The Hawks lost a game in which the Celtics were without guards Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. Now, the Celtics hold home court and Rondo returns. 

Atlanta had a chance to take a 2-0 series lead, but blew an 11-point lead and looked shell-shocked for much of the second half. 

If Smith is out, the Hawks don't have much of a chance in Boston.