After an 82-game season that flew by way too quickly, the Boston Celtics are about to enter the playoffs in search of that elusive 18th championship. The first roadblock will be the Atlanta Hawks, who shocked the basketball world by defeating the Miami Heat in the seventh vs. eighth-seeded play-in game to secure a series against the defending Eastern Conference champions.
No matter how I view it, I can’t see where Atlanta has an advantage. There are no elite wing stoppers, a defensive turnstile of a star guard, and a rim-running big that is on the wrong side of his career curve.