By Taylor C. Snow | @taylorcsnow
Celtics.com
Key Moment
The Boston Celtics Monday night nearly joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as the second team to fall victim to the last-place Atlanta Hawks over a 24-hour span.
After holding off the defending Eastern Conference champs, 117-115 Sunday night in Cleveland, the Hawks were on the verge of upsetting the top-ranked Celtics at home. But unlike the Cavs, Boston had a player that was able to close out the Hawks.
That player was Kyrie Irving.
The four-time All-Star experienced plenty of success closing out games for the Cavaliers during his first six seasons in Cleveland, but now the Celtics are reaping the benefits of his crunch-time abilities.