Josh Smith Injury: Atlanta Hawks Have No Chance with or Without Star Forward

The Atlanta Hawks lost a game they absolutely needed to win last night at home against the undermanned Celtics.

Now they will be traveling to Boston for the next two contests, and it’s unlikely they will be able to win either, even if superstar, do-it-all forward Josh Smith, is back from injury.

Smith had to leave the court late in the third fourth. He went to the locker room and his team followed in with their heads bowed shortly after, finishing a collapse and losing, 87-80.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, the perennial All-Star snub is suffering from a sprained patella ligament in his knee. He was reportedly able to leave the arena without help, but was not able to put much pressure on it.

He will undergo an MRI today to see the extent of the damage.

Even if Smith is 100 percent healthy and ready to go for Game 3 on Friday in Beantown, the Hawks will not be able to turn the tide of this series.

The C’s are a veteran team that have grabbed control and will not relinquish it. By pulling out a W without Ray Allen (ankle injury) and Rajon Rondo (one-game suspension), they proved they want it more and will do whatever it takes to advance.

Paul Pierce was absolutely brilliant when he needed to be, scoring 36 points, grabbing 14 boards, dishing four assists and hitting 11 of his 13 free throw attempts.

Kevin Garnett was just as dominate inside, grabbing 12 big rebounds and scoring a crucial 15 points while distributing five dimes.

With Rondo back, rested and ready to run the offense, the Celts will only get better. If Ray Allen is activated, they might as well end this series early because it is all but over.

This is the last hurrah for the Big Three era in Boston, and they will not let a pesky, but beatable, Hawks team knock them out in the first round. They have too much pride and veteran savvy to allow that to happen.

Josh Smith is a great player and has been a monster on the interior, but even he cannot stop this inevitable ending.