Celtics at Atlanta Hawks Game 5: Game thread

  • Hawks starters: Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Al Horford. Zaza Pachulia (foot) is out. All Celtics players are available.
  • Larry Drew on why he’s using this lineup: “One, just to give it a different look and see if it will kind of jump start us a little bit. It gives us an opportunity to move Joe back to some two. It makes us bigger so we can do a few more things defensively in making some adjustments in Game 5. And I just think its’ time. After you play four games in the playoffs, obviously it’s a game of adjustment, and you try to do things to benefit your team. It’s time to give us a different look and see if it will jump start us with Al back in the starting lineup, Marvin in the staring lineup, bringing Kirk [Hinrich] off the bench.”
  • Drew on Horford’s condition: “Physically he feels fine. I wouldn’t say he’s in tip-top shape but he’s in playing shape. He didn’t experience any discomfort with the pec the other day [Game 4]. There was a play early he went for the ball and it was pulled back. I thought that would be kind of the test with him. He said after the play he was fine and he wasn’t sore after that. That was kind of the test. I know coming back he was waiting for that moment to see if he could withstand a collision or pull-back with the injury.”
  • Drew on how he’ll use Horford: “He’ll only play a certain amount of minutes. I could have brought him off the bench but instead of letting his shoulder and chest stiffen up while he’s on the bench elected to throw him out there while he’s warm. We want to get off to a fast start and he certainly brings an energy.”
  • Drew on the benefits of the lineup for Joe: “He’s had to defend Paul [Pierce] all four games. I kind of want to give it a different look and see if that can generate more offense out of him. He’s been chasing Paul around for four games and that can put a little wear and tear on you. We’ve decided to give it a look.”
  • Drew on pushing the pace with this lineup: “When we are at our best is when [Al] and Josh rebound the ball and bring it out on the dribble. We’ve been missing that with him out of the lineup. It makes us a much better running team when we have all five guys involved in the break.”
  • Drew on switching defensively: “Whether we start the game with our switching remains to be seen but it does give us a flexibility. The sets we defend we are in more switchable situations. A lot of the things they do run we can play it a little differently now going a little bit bigger at the two spot.”
  • Drew on matchups: “They will have to make a decision who they match up with against Joe and Marvin. If they stay with Pierce on Joe, there’s a size advantage with Marvin on [Avery] Bradley.”
  • Drew said Josh (knee) won’t be on limited minutes: “This is a do-or-die situation. Al we will definitely keep an eye on, but those other guys probably will play extended minutes given the situation.”
  • Josh on his knee: “It’s pretty good. I’m in it to win it. I’m here to play so I can’t worry about my knee.”
  • Joe on if the new lineup will help: “I don’t know. Hopefully it works out for the best for us. At this point we really don’t know. I guess it’s just a gut feeling.”
  • Joe on if moving to shooting guard will result in more touches: “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
  • Josh on Boston’s D: “With the defense they play they tend to over-help at times and we haven’t made them pay yet. We’ve got to be able to take our time and knock down the open shot.”
  • Joe on Game 4: “We haven’t had a game like Game 4 in quite some time. It was mind-boggling, honestly. I couldn’t get why we came out and played so poorly after we were so close in Game 3. I’m still puzzled from that. Hopefully Game 5 will be different.”
  • Joe on if he thinks Game 5 will be different: “Honestly I’m not sure. I just have to wait until we get between the lines. It’s easy to talk it but it’s different when you get on the court. Hopefully we will take a sense of pride and a sense of desperation and try to make it back to Boston.”
  • Josh on Game 4: “To me, to be honest, we played pretty good defense. We was with them on every shot, every catch, and they shot the ball extremely well, especially Paul Pierce in that third quarter when we were trying to make a push. We have got to to try to meet them right before they past halfcourt i guess to give ourselves a chance.”
  • Drew on Game 4: “When you lose a game like that, it’s deflating. But like I told our players I think we’ve had a great season in spite of that one game. That game is no reflection on the rest of our season. It happened. We’ve watched film, we’ve learned form it and now it’s time to move on. Yesterday I was still sensing guys were a little down. After our meeting we had yesterday it seemed to kind of rejuvenate them again. And then coming into shootaround today they were back to themselves.”

Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat

1,176 comments Add your comment

Atl teams = CHOKE

May 8th, 2012
10:36 pm

Gotta make these FT”S

Rev in Tampa

May 8th, 2012
10:36 pm

oops. forgot about the foult to give

What's gone rondo?

May 8th, 2012
10:36 pm

Put Ivan in the game and let him finish Pierce and Joe for the remainder of the series. I’ll pay his fine. Isn’t that what it means to play with attitude? We need attitude. Get Pierce out of this game. Let him ride his stationary under the bleachers.

Najeh Davenpoop

May 8th, 2012
10:36 pm

Josh left Pierce on the switch to help inside because someone left KG wide open underneath the hoop. If Josh didn’t leave Pierce, KG had a wide open dunk.

bigdave

May 8th, 2012
10:36 pm

Marvin to inbound. I’ve seen this before…

Rev in Tampa

May 8th, 2012
10:37 pm

I would put Tmac in to inbound the pass

JSS

May 8th, 2012
10:37 pm

Still haven’t broken 90!!!

DawgNole

May 8th, 2012
10:37 pm

You know they’ll foul. FTs a MUST!

Luke Cage

May 8th, 2012
10:37 pm

Man put in Stack, Willie & Tmac, with Joe & Marvin, all are very good FT shooters

Najeh Davenpoop

May 8th, 2012
10:37 pm

To be honest, I would rather Josh shoot these free throws than Teague

Walt Frazier

May 8th, 2012
10:37 pm

Can Larry Drew coach his way out of a 10.9 second paper bag?

drmaryb.(*_*).

May 8th, 2012
10:37 pm

GIVE IT TO JEFF!!!!!!!!!!!! The Best Ball Handler and FT ( he is fine there)

Najeh Davenpoop

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

That is the most Hawksesque finish to a game ever.

Harry Hawk

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

What the…

Okay.

Slimjr

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

AMAZING/?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

drmaryb.(*_*).

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

great D by josh to end it!

Rev in Tampa

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

Atlanta wins!

Luke Cage

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

Celts let us off the hook after that steal but hey A WIN IS A WIN!!

Big Lou

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

Why did LD have Smith inbound!?

What a f!cking retard!

Geno

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! Hawks Wiiiiiiiiinnnn!!!!!

5150 UOAD

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

OH My GOD how LUCKY can you get. The HAWKS SUCK and get a LUCKY WIN.

Astro Joe

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

Who said that 87 points would win this game about an hour or so ago????????????

Najeh Davenpoop

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

Once again, unbelievable defense by Al Horford.

drmaryb.(*_*).

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

HAWKS hang ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luke Cage

May 8th, 2012
10:38 pm

That was AL on the DEFENSE!!

steven

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

Liked Joe’s excitement at the end of the game…………

High-sider

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

Josh Smith with the dumb pass. Josh is lucky Rondo mishandled his dribble.

Paradise Lost

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

Al was pissed at somebody!

Slimjr

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

Larry is one lucky coach…..

Harry Hawk

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

Rondo had to go at Josh and try to get to the basket. He didn’t, so Al cleaned him up in the corner.

bigdave

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

That’s why we luv em

Old Man Peabody

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

Haha, they popped confetti at the end lol

drmaryb.(*_*).

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

GAME 6! HAWKS 87 – 86

This is Gonna Get Ugly

May 8th, 2012
10:39 pm

WOW !! Rondo lol

Big Lou

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

drmaryb

You are clearly blind. Horford won the game. Take off those Josh colored glasses, honey.

The dude almost cost the game on the lazy pass!

JSS

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

Back to Boston and pray they can pull a Game 5 from 1987 out their butt!!!

M

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

The Hawks owe this game to Horford, plain and simple.

Kingd92

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

bigdave

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

Steven.. what he do?

5150 UOAD

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

So Boston gets to win on their HOME COURT? That will get some TV ratings.

tyger

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

JSmoove so dumb…

Harry Hawk

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

The Hawks have won this series now. They have all the momentum.

We’re going to the Finals, baby.

Kingd92

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

Can we have Tmac pass it in during clutch situations cause Josh is not reliable.

Luke Cage

May 8th, 2012
10:40 pm

For 1 night ya’ll need to get off Al and give him his props, now hopefully Zsa Zsa will be back and we get even more size

jo

May 8th, 2012
10:41 pm

Hawks beat Boston and the refs tonight! Great job!

steven

May 8th, 2012
10:41 pm

absolutely nothing. Not even a fist pump.

yodaddybrother

May 8th, 2012
10:41 pm

Hawks did everything in their power to lose this game and still came out on top

Astro Joe

May 8th, 2012
10:41 pm

Great team win and LD chose the right players for a tough, grind it out game. Good steady performance by Teague.

And of course, Al shoves his soiled diaper down the throat of all of his haters.

Hawks will win in Boston.

Hawkfan

May 8th, 2012
10:41 pm

A finish that only befits our Hawks. Bizarro. Sublime. Surreal. Not sure what happened, not sure I want to know. Going to Game 6 baby, never know what will happen now

Grandmaster JeJe (GM)

May 8th, 2012
10:41 pm

YES

Why did no one get open AFTER we called timeout to get it in???