The simmering emotions between the Hawks and Celtics overheated several times in Game 3 Saturday night, particularly in the final minutes for Hawks rookie center Al Horford.

After sinking the game-clinching shot with 22.2 seconds to play Horford shouted at Celtics captain and All-Star Paul Pierce, who hit the floor on the play and was still on the ground when Horford went at him.

If the Celtics weren't fired up before then, they surely are now. "He don't need me to fire him up," Horford said afterward. "It's emotional out there. I made a big shot, and I let him know how I feel. But it's nothing personal with Paul. Paul's a good guy."

Memorable night in the building

The first playoff game in Philips Arena was a moment Hawks forward and Atlanta native Josh Smith said he didn't want to miss.

"I've been thinking about what the arena was going to be like since we left Boston the other night," he said. "We [wanted] it to be crunk out there. We [wanted] the fans amped up.

"This is the first of what we hope will be many more playoff games here, but you never forget the first one."

Smith played like he meant it, leading all scorers with 13 first-quarter points, including three dunks that sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy.

And there was no shortage of big names in the building, a diverse and colorful Who's Who of Atlanta's past, present and future.

Andrew Young sat courtside, as did Jermaine Dupri, T.I., Young Jeezy, Akon, Polow Da Don< and Jazzy Pha. Also spotted in the crowd were former Hawks Al Harrington, Royal Ivey, Anthony Johnson and Glenn Robinson.

Officials toot their own horns

What would a playoff game be without a Philips Arena technical glitch? With 5 minutes and 40 seconds to play in the first half, the shot clock operator discovered a short in the shot clock's cord.

That wasn't the only snafu, though. After halftime, the shot clock over the basket nearest the Hawks' bench went out, delaying the start of the second half for a few minutes.

The game officials finally decided to use air horns to signal the end of the shot clock rather than hold up the game any longer waiting for someone to fix the malfunction.

Coaches react to latest firing

News of Sam Vincent's firing in Charlotte early Saturday put both coaches in sour moods.

"We're a big fraternity, coaches," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "You don't wish that on anybody. They had a lot of injuries in Charlotte this year, something we dealt with last year. It has a major impact on your team that I don't think a lot of people outside of the team can fully comprehend."

Boston coach Doc Rivers was stunned that Vincent got just one season on the sideline in Charlotte.

"That's our profession, I'll tell you," Rivers said. "There are good days and bad days. That's a bad day."