Philips Arena's roof was barely stapled down the last time the Hawks hosted a playoff game.

Saturday night Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Al Horford and the rest of the Hawks tried to make sure a raucous sellout crowd of 19,725 blew the roof off the joint. They did it with a rousing 102-93 Game 3 win over Boston, the Hawks finally drawing blood in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series that was hideously one-sided before now.

The Celtics lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 Monday at Philips Arena. The earliest the Celtics could win the series now is in Game 5 in Boston Wednesday.

If Smith plays another game Monday the way he did Saturday, who knows how long this series could last?

Smith, the 22-year-old Atlanta native, played the game of his young life, running the floor relentlessly in leading the Hawks with 27 points, nine rebounds, six assists and as many game-changing plays as one man could cram into the first home playoff game of his life.

"My heart was racing," Smith said afterward. "I was so excited, especially when we came out and saw how many Hawks fans were out there. We haven't been in the playoff for nine years and I wanted to give the city of Atlanta something to talk about and something to cheer about."

Folks are probably doing plenty of both now.

The Hawks led by as many as 15 points and Smith showcased every bit of athleticism and versatility before the home crowd. He drained three of his six 3-pointers as well as electrified the crowd with fast break dunks and blocked shot that he smacked so loud you could hear it in the upper deck seats.

"He was the motor out there tonight," Marvin Williams said after finishing with 13 points and six rebounds. "Josh got us going early and we never let up. Even when the game was tied (56-56) at halftime, we knew that if we cranked it back up in the second half we had something going."

The Hawks hadn't won a home playoff game since May 16, 1999, a Game 5 win over Detroit.

They hadn't hosted a playoff game since May 20, 1999, their last playoff game before snapping their eight-year swoon last weekend in Boston.

They made up for all the lost time Saturday, feeding off the crowd on their way to the biggest win in at least a decade.

"It's a fantastic feeling," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "And it couldn't happen to a better bunch of guys. I'm so proud of this team. For this to happen for the city of Atlanta and our fans that have supported us and been with us all season, it's unbelievable."

Not if you watched this game from the start.

Momentum was on the Hawks' side from the beginning Saturday, as Smith opened the game with a 13-point first-quarter barrage that the Celtics struggled to combat all night.

Smith consistently beat Celtics All-Star and league Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett up and down the floor, throwing off the Celtics' trademark defensive pressure by forcing their leader to scramble to keep up with him.

Garnett did torch the Hawks for 32 points and 10 rebounds. But he wasn't able to control the game the way he did in Games 1 and 2 with his defense and clutch scoring.

By the time Smith and Horford (17 points, 14 rebounds) got going again in the third quarter, Johnson and Bibby seemed to have finally solved the Celtics' defense, too.

Johnson finished his night with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, playing much more like the two-time All-Star he's been the past three years. Bibby added 12 points and eight assists, finally shedding Rajon Rondo long enough to make an impact.

"The Hawks beat us down the floor every time," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Give them credit. They got the offensive glass and got the loose balls. I thought we rushed ourselves offensively, which is not something you want to do in a playoff game."

The Celtics didn't go quietly, chasing the Hawks all the way into the final minute of the game, Horford's jumper with 22.2 seconds to play gave the Hawks a game-clinching 102-93 lead.

But with the crowd noise as their theme music, for once, the Hawks finished what they started.

"I haven't seen the crowd that electric since I've been here," Johnson said. "When we came out the tunnel it got our adrenaline rushing ... but we're not satisfied. We have to win our home court and we look forward to it [Monday in Game 4]."