For 24 minutes, it appeared as if the Atlanta Hawks would pick up a breezy victory in Game 1 of their first round series against the Boston Celtics. For the next 24 minutes, it was an exercise in danger, but the Hawks won the crunch time battle to pick up a 102-101 victory to take a 1-0 series lead.
From the opening tip, Atlanta's defense was locked in. Though the offense was slow to start, the Hawks were able to build a quick 9-2 lead on the strength of holding Boston to just 1 of their first 7 from the field.