Boston — Leave it up to Mike Bibby to light the fire with the Boston fans.

The Hawks point guard lit into Celtics' fans before practice Tuesday, calling them "bandwagon jumpers."

"They were kind of loud at the beginning," he said. "But a lot of these fans are bandwagon jumpers trying to get on this now. I played here last year, too. And I didn't see three fourths of them. They're for the team now and they might get a little rowdy but that's about it."

When asked if he thought they were fair-weather fans, joining the party only after the Celtics' offseason trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to town, Bibby didn't hesitate to pour more gasoline on the fire.

"You could say that," he said. "I remember them having bags on their heads [last year]. It's a different look. I guess that's what happens when you win."

Bibby and Josh Smith were the most noticeable targets of a small section of fans at TD Banknorth Garden Sunday. They got into a verbal sparring match with some of the crowd as they left the floor at the end of Game 1.

"It's good that they know I'm here," Bibby said. "It was just a little confrontation to get them involved a little bit. But they are fair-weather fans if you ask me."

If Bibby thought things were sticky Sunday (he shot 2-for-10 from the floor and had just five points and one assist in the Hawks' 23-point loss), they ought to be downright wicked Wednesday night.

"Coming off a 2-for-10 shooting performance, you expect a guy to say something like that," Kendrick Perkins said. "We have the best fans in the world, but we don't expect other players to like our fans."

Garnett's reaction was relatively benign.

"That's Mike Bibby speaking his mind. I wouldn't say it's the smartest comment, but that's Mike Bibby," Garnett said. "I'm not going to get into any comments going back and forth. If I was in my younger days, I probably would have said something, but I learned that you let your play do your talking."

Although the Hawks have yet to sell out Philips Arena for Game 3 Saturday, Perkins is under the impression that the crowd will be bigger than usual in Atlanta.

"It's about time," he said. "It takes us going down there to pack their building out."

Sixth again

Smith finished sixth in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year, losing out to Garnett.

Smith received one first-place vote, six second-place votes and 11 third-place votes for a total of 34 points.

Smith finished second in the league to Denver's Marcus Camby for the blocked shots crown for the second straight year. Camby, last year's Defensive Player of the Year winner, was the runner-up to Garnett.

Belkin in town

One of the observers in Boston for the Hawks' playoff series is Steve Belkin. The part-owner of the Atlanta Spirit lives in Boston. He is currently in litigation with his partners of the Atlanta Spirit in a ownership dispute.

Belkin decline an interview request with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday saying; "As you probably are aware, I have decided to not speak to the media until the ownership of Atlanta Spirit is resolved and therefore must decline your invitation. I will tell you that I am excited that the Hawks are in the playoffs and thrilled for the team, the organization, the fans and the city of Atlanta. Hope you enjoy your time in Boston."

Belkin was at Game 1 of the playoff series, a Celtics win, and said he would attend Game 2. Michael Gearon Jr. occupied the owners seat.

— Staff writers Matt Winkeljohn and Mark Bradley contributed to this report.