There was a time the Hawks aspired to be the Celtics, who then were the bullies of the Eastern Conference, and they dared to push back when it seemed as if they couldn't.
Things have changed for both teams since Boston outlasted Atlanta on the way to the 2008 NBA title. The Hawks are a perennial playoff team trying to break through to the next level and the Celtics now are among those in the pack chasing the Heat and Bulls in the East.
But Monday reminded that some things haven't changed when it comes to the Hawks and Celtics. They engaged in a typical grinding, physical contest until the Celtics broke it open late with a barrage of 3-pointers and won 79-76 at Philips Arena.
The game featured hard fouls, heated confrontations, and some blood. It's what Hawks coach Larry Drew expected considering the recent history of the series and also because the teams are bunched together in the East standings.
"I told the guys it's going to be playoff intensity," Drew said. "If it was going to be an ugly game, we we had to make make it an ugly game. Any time we play against the Celtics those are the type of games that should be expected."
The Celtics (24-21) won the latest skirmish to end their losing streak at two games. They locked down the Hawks (26-20) and made big shots in the fourth quarter to open up a 15-point lead and then turned back Atlanta's rally.
The game was tied 56-56 when Boston went on a a 17-2 run that included three consecutive three-pointers, two by Ray Allen and one by Mickael Pietrus.
“We had a miscommunication on one coverage, and it led to Ray making a couple baskets for them, and the next thing you know they were up [15] points," hawks guard Joe Johnson said. "But we responded and still had a chance. It’s just a tough loss altogether.”
The Celtics led 73-58 when the Hawks rallied once more.
Johnson made a pair of 3-pointers during an 11-0 run to trim Atlanta's deficit to 75-71 with 1:02 left. After Rajon Rondo missed a driving shot for Boston, Hawks forward Josh Smith missed a jumper. Johnson collected the rebound but Rondo stole his pass, leading to a free throw by Pietrus for a 76-71 Boston lead with 28 seconds to play.
When Johnson's 3-pointer cut Boston's lead to 77-76, Allen made two free throws with 10.9 seconds left. Atlanta's Jeff Teague got an open look for a 3-pointer but missed the basket by several feet.
"I overshot it," Teague said. "I thought I was farther [out] than I was. It happens."
Teague's miss ended what had been a fierce fight. The clashes started in earnest during the third quarter.
Smith didn't like a foul by Allen and let him know about it. Boston's Brandon Bass was called for a flagrant foul after he clobbered Zaza Pachulia on the head. Pachulia later went to the locker room for stitches after taking a hit to the head from Greg Stiemsma.
Hawks fans at Philips Arena got louder with each incident, drowning out the many Celtics supporters. They erupted when Teague dunked on Allen and then earned a technical foul for taunting him.
Teague's dunk capped a 6-0 run for the Hawks that staked them to a 47-39 lead, the largest by either team to that point. The Celtics cut their deficit to 51-50 on Allen's 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the period and opened the final period with a 6-0 run to lead 56-51.
The Celtics, heavily favored against Atlanta in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, needed seven games to advance. Most of the main players from that hotly-contested series were on the court for the latest meeting.
"Any time two teams with the history of the Hawks and Celtics play it's going to be a real physical game," Teague said.
In addition to the history, the game had significance for the standings.
The Hawks entered Monday in a virtual tie with Indiana for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and Boston was 2.5 games behind Atlanta. In the East, a fifth-place finish likely means avoiding Miami and Chicago in the first round of the playoffs.
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