Josh Smith is perfectly clear on what should happen Sunday afternoon in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the first-round playoff series between his Hawks and the Boston Celtics.
"I know, I know, on paper we don't have a chance," the Hawks' power forward said. "But if you look at that same paper, it says we weren't supposed to be in the playoffs. And we weren't supposed to be in this series past four games. It says all sorts of stuff. And we couldn't care less.
"We don't have to be the better team all season. We don't even have to be the better team the day or night before the game. The better team for 48 minutes is the one that's moving on. And that's our mission. Forty-eight minutes, man, it's all on the line for 48 minutes."
Forty-eight minutes to indeed "Shock the World."
Forty-eight minutes to pull off arguably the most stunning upset in NBA playoff history.
Forty-eight minutes to erase years of misery with a victory that could vault a team few people outside of Atlanta knew much about until last week even further into the national spotlight.
"You dream about this stuff," said Hawks swingman Marvin Williams, who sprained his left knee late in the Hawks' Game 6 win Friday night at Philips Arena, but said he expects to be in the starting lineup at tipoff Sunday afternoon at TD Banknorth Garden. "All you want is a chance to see if you can do the unthinkable. And we think we can."
If the Hawks seem a bit caught up in the moment, it's because they are. Hours after that thrilling Game 6, the Hawks were boarding a flight back here knowing full well that the home team has won all six games, thus far, in the series.
A Hawks win would shake the basketball world to its supports. Only three times in league history has a No. 8 seed upset a No. 1 — the most recent being Golden State's upset of Dallas in the first round last season. Denver stunned Seattle in 1994, and New York did the same to Miami in 1999.
A Celtics win saves the city of Boston from yet another colossal letdown, one similar to the almost perfect Patriots falling to the underdog New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Whichever team wins, LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers await the winner in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday in either Cleveland (if the Hawks win) or Boston (if the Celtics win).
Hawks coach Mike Woodson hasn't focused his attention anywhere but on the Celtics, though. He also can appreciate the historic nature of the challenge ahead of his team.
"Don't sell these guys short," Woodson said. "Anybody doing that hasn't paid attention to the guts these guys have shown to get here. This isn't something they're taking lightly. We're embracing this opportunity and going for it just like any other team would in a Game 7."
The Hawks' status as the last team to make this year's playoff field certainly enhances their Cinderella story. The Celtics won 29 more games during the regular season than did the Hawks, who finished eight games under .500.
Every time they've hit the floor here they've been pummeled, having suffered five consecutive losses to the Celtics on their home floor this season. The Celtics have dominated the Hawks in this series, winning by an average of 22 in three home wins in this series.
But in three of four games this week, all three at Philips Arena, the Hawks walked off the floor the winner. That's why they simply refuse to believe that they'll come up short Sunday, with the eyes of the basketball world watching the 1 p.m. ABC broadcast.
"This is crazy," Hawks rookie center Al Horford said. "This is what you play for, that opportunity to make a statement on the biggest stage. It's Game 7 and I know we've struggled up [here] in the past. But I feel like we have some momentum coming in, especially with the way we won [Friday].
"And there's no pressure on us. We're going to try and come out there and do what we do and get the job done."
Labels: Atlanta, Celtics, Game 7, Hawks, Playoff
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 10:12 AM
