Boston Celtics Cruise to 3-1 Series Lead over Atlanta Hawks Behind Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce scored 24 points in 17 minutes of action to lead the Boston Celtics to an easy 101-79 win over the Atlanta Hawks and a commanding 3-1 Eastern Conference quarterfinals lead.
The Celtics' only scary part of the night was Pierce's knee injury, sustained late in the first half. It wasn't serious as Pierce came back for the start of the second half, made two three-pointers and left for good with eight minutes left in the third quarter and the Celtics ahead by 37 points.
Boston came out firing on all cylinders, taking a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter and extending the lead to 23 points at halftime. Boston shot the ball as well as they have all season. Pierce, who had shot 2-for-14 on three-pointers in the series coming into the game, was 4-for-6 from long distance and 10-for-13 overall from the field. Kevin Garnett shot 6-for-8, Ray Allen 5-for-9 and Rajon Rondo was 8-for-11.
Rondo made 2-of-3 three-pointers and was actually fouled on a three-point attempt by Kirk Hinrich. Rondo was masterful running Boston's offense, with 16 assists and only one turnover. It was Rondo's 28th consecutive game with 10 or more assists.
Both Josh Smith and Al Horford came back from injuries to play for the Hawks. Smith played 32 minutes (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Horford was on the floor for 20 minutes and scored 12 points. However, the Hawks just couldn't compete in this game and had no answer defensively for the Celtics' efficient offense.
Atlanta shot only 20 percent (4-for-20) on three-pointers, while Boston connected on 11-for-26 from long distance.
Boston was able to rest all of its key players through much of the fourth quarter. Allen (19 minutes), Pierce (17 minutes), Avery Bradley (19 minutes) and Garnett (27 minutes) all received some much needed rest before Game 5 is played in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Atlanta has an uphill climb to prevent Boston from advancing to the next round of the playoffs. This series looks just about over.
