The Hawks started celebrating a little too early.
Jeff Teague dribbled the length of the floor, rose up over Ray Allen and threw down a monstrous slam dunk and screamed in Allen's face while also giving the Hawks a 47-39 lead over the visiting Boston Celtics in the third quarter.
Allen laughed last, though, getting his revenge for being posterized during a 34-11 run the Celtics went on after that Teague dunk, the same run that helped them win this slugfest between playoff rivals that always brings out the (chippy) best in both sides.
Allen knocked down two of the Celtics' critical three-pointers (Mickael Pietrus nailed the other) during that run. He also drained the two free throws to seal the win in the final seconds. Teague, meanwhile, air balled a three-pointer in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.
It was an abrupt end to a game that left both sides worse for the wear, including Hawks center Zaza Pachulia, who needed two stitches to close up a gash on his face.
"It was the most physical game of the year," Pachulia said. "The Boston Celtics have been one of the best teams, won championships, gotten to the finals. They have a lot of great players. You have to play physical against them, because they're going to play physical against you."
That's exactly what they did to the Hawks, drawing them into a street fight and then showing them that they are still not ready to battle on the Celtics' proverbial turf.
They also kept their emotions in check, while Teague's reaction was what set the Celtics off and apparently turned the tide of this game.
"(Our offense) just got stagnant. Jeff had the breakaway dunk. We had to substitute Zaza too, he caught an elbow in the head. He had to go in the back and get stitches. We got a little bit stagnant after that. Against a team like Boston, you can't do that. You have to be consistent, particularly on the offensive end, for four quarters. They got after us a little bit defensively, and we didn't really respond to the pressure as well as I was hoping we would have. We had opportunities. We just didn't capitalize on them."
NOTES, QUOTES
-Josh Smith had his second straight ugly shooting game, going 5-for-20 from the floor and struggling to have his usual impact on the game.
Smith appears to be struggling to get the same looks he did when the offense ran through him now that Joe Johnson is healthy and back in the starting lineup.
The Hawks need them working in tandem, like the 1-2 punch they've been when things are going well. Until they get their on-court synergy, wins will be hard to come by.
-Not everyone was impressed with the ruggedness the Celtics were supposed to be known for. Johnson said he wasn't particularly moved by anything the Celtics did.
"I thought it was okay," Johnson said of the physicality of workouts and drills. "I thought our defense was pretty good. We wanted to make a run before they did. They jumped out. We had a miscommunication on one coverage, and Ray (Allen) hit a couple baskets for them, and next thing you know, they were up 14 points. We responded, and still had a chance to stay within the game, get it to overtime or take a lead... but it was just a tough loss."
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I thought this game was a grind. Calls weren't going our way in the second and third quarters, but we just stuck with it. You have to be mentally tough in these kinds of games, especially when you've been on the road this long." -- The Celtics' Paul Pierce, on toughness.
