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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Hawks last stand
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BOSTON - The Hawks must be in love with this city.
Why else would they blatantly play for a return trip here the way they did Wednesday night?
Was it just me or were the Hawks lacking the necessary fire and energy necessary to win a potential series clinching Game 5 on the Celtics’ floor?
There’s no way you can take for granted that you’ll get another crack at running down the Celtics on their home floor - not after 23, 19 and now 25 point losses at TD Banknorth Garden.
After eight straight quarters of fast-paced success against the Celtics, eight quarters of dictating tempo and forcing them to chase you up and down the floor, the Hawks reverted to familiar road philosophy of taking punches instead of delivering them.
It started in the first quarter and continued all the way until the final buzzer.
Sitting here at Logan International Airport this morning, I’m still trying to figure out why it is they didn’t press the issue. You have to knock the champ out if you want the title (and I know the Celtics didn’t win anything other than the best regular season record). Dancing with him for 12 rounds and putting up a decent showing, for a while at least, never gets you anything other than a tail whipping and a long flight home.
Yeah, the Hawks have Game 6 to bank on Friday night. The last stand, if you will, comes a little more than 24 hours from now - hopefully the shot clocks and buzzers are all in working order.
But I wouldn’t have allowed my season to come down to a win or go home game on my home floor. Not if I had the momentum on my side for Game 5 and a chance to go for the jugular against a supposed juggernaut with a weak stomach (and make no mistake, the Hawks exposed some chinks in the Celtics’ armor that future opponents will exploit during these playoffs - namely their inability to defend in transition anywhere close to the way they can in the half court).
It was there for the taking, all of it, Game 5 and a legitimate shot to win this series. And the Hawks stood around and watched the Celtics snatch it away without so much as a forearm shiver to stop them - it worked in Games 3 and 4.
They’ll regret it later.
They probably do now, having watched the film and realized how things gradually slipped away in the second half Wednesday night.
Because they won’t get another shot like the one they had Wednesday. And once the moment passes … well, it’s just gone.
If there is a Game 7 here Sunday afternoon, and there is no guarantee of that, it will be nastier than anything these young Hawks have seen thus far.
Of that you can be sure.
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