BOSTON — The Celtics led the Hawks by 30 points at halftime in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series when Cedric Maxwell called to Dominique Wilkins across the media dining area in TD Garden's underbelly.
"Nique!" the former Boston star turned broadcaster, holding his laughter, hollered to his Atlanta counterpart.
"I don't think we were really ready," Atlanta guard Dejounte Murray said of a Game 1 any No. 7 seed should know is crucial to beating a No. 2 seed."Just that competing word. I don't think we were really competing." Young missed his first six attempts and ended his night with 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting, good for a team-worst -14 rating. Murray needed 25 shots to get his team-high 24 points. They committed five of their six turnovers in the first half and recorded the majority of their 16 assists once the outcome was apparent.
Meanwhile, Atlanta executed roughly none of its defensive game plan, which Young and coach Quin Snyder revealed was to coerce Boston into long 2-pointers — not exactly a novel strategy. The Celtics attempted 82 of their 88 shots from either the paint or the 3-point line, registering an effective field-goal percentage of 56.7%. Five of their six mid-range attempts occurred after halftime, when they took their foot off the gas.
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