It wasn't nearly as emphatic as the last time, but every bit as dramatic.

There's just something about these Hawks when they get on the floor at Philips Arena in the playoffs.

They won't lose.

Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson scored five of his team's final six points in yet another stunning home playoff win Friday. This one a do-or-die 103-100 Game 6 win over Boston before the largest Hawks crowd in arena history, forcing a deciding Game 7 Sunday at 1 p.m. in Boston.

Mike Bibby missed the first of two free throws with 7.4 seconds to play but made the second. Rajon Rondo's attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer fell a foot short at the buzzer for the Celtics, who'll have the added pressure of facing the biggest upset in NBA history on their minds Sunday.

"We knew even when we were down nine in the third that we'd done this before," said Johnson, who finished his night 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting. "Every guy on that floor stepped up. Guys were making plays and in the right spots at the right time. We couldn't have drawn it up better.

"And just because we're the eighth seed doesn't mean anybody is going to come in here and just walk all over us."

Johnson, quiet for much of the night because of a constantly trapping Celtics' defensive scheme, made the four free throws in the final 10.6 seconds. His 3-pointer over James Posey at the shot clock buzzer with 1:06 to play to give the Hawks a 100-95 lead was the real dagger. It was the Hawks' first made 3-pointer of the game after six misses.

Johnson didn't come close to match the production of his fourth-quarter heroics from Game 4, when scored 20 of his career playoff-high 35 points of that win.

But the Hawks aren't complaining this morning. Not with one last shot to pull of the most stunning upset in NBA playoff history.

"From Day One, I told this team that anything is possible once you get into the playoffs," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said, "and this team believe that. We are going to Boston, the crowd will be hostile, but if we stick with our game plan and not dig a hole early we will give ourselves a chance to win."

If the Hawks show any of the guts, togetherness and fearlessness they showed in rallying from that nine-point deficit Friday, a Game 7 win could be a very real possibility.

"Our confidence here at home is out of control," said Hawks rookie center Al Horford, who had 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks. "I really felt comfortable that we were going to pull it all together, get the stops we needed and do what we had to do. We have to develop that same swagger on the road and there is no better time to do that than right now. We have to be able to come in and play with that nastiness that we need to win."

The Hawks got that nastiness Friday from Marvin Williams, who jump started the comeback by giving the Hawks an 83-82 lead after back-to-back baskets with 11 minutes to play. Williams left the floor with nine minutes to play in the game with mildly sprained left knee, the result of a collision with Pierce and will be listed as doubtful for Game 7.

But before his injury Williams had played his best game of the series, piling up 18 points and four rebounds, leading six Hawks in double figures. He shot 6-for-9 from the floor, a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and dueled Pierce to a stand still up to that point.

"This was the game I knew I needed to have if we were going to keep this series going," Williams said. "We all came through and did the unthinkable. Now we get to see if we can do it again in Game 7."