The Hawks had to react after their totally failed Game 1. They did it at the start of the match, with a convincing start, but far too short. Then the Celtics’ steamroller kicked into gear. For long minutes, the Hawks will be crushed.
In the second half, Dejounte Murray revived his team with his winning shots. The Hawks come back like this but always stay at a distance, too close to let go, too far to be dangerous.
Finally, the Celtics do the job seriously, with an excellent Derrick White in the last quarter and win 119-106. After two matches, it’s not only 2-0 for the 2022 finalists, but also a huge sense of dominance from the Celtic side, so much room for Jayson Tatum and his teammates against this team.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– A playoff game for the Celtics. For several minutes, the Hawks started the game perfectly, leading by eleven points. But it didn’t hold. The Celtics, after missing shots at 3-pts, wake up with a 14-0! A run that will not be the last of this match. There will also be a 10-2 in the second quarter, then a 15-2 in the last act, to seal the victory. As soon as the 2022 finalists needed air, they were able to accelerate to drop their opponent.
– Too many misses in Atlanta. With 15 loose balls and only eight free throws attempted, including six for Trae Young, the Hawks lacked a lot in this Game 2. Especially in the first period, where the loose balls were perfectly exploited by the Celtics to run and score easy points. Atlanta must play to perfection to hope to win and for the moment, we are far from the mark…
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Derrick White. Boston’s Mr. “Clean” or Mr. “Plus”. He was narrowly excellent with 26 points at 11/16 in shooting, including 14 points in the last quarter. It’s already precious, but his presence on the rebound and in defense (3 blocks) was just as important.
✅ Dejounte Murray. It was he who gave the Hawks hope. His 3-point shots in the second quarter avoided too big a gap and those in the third act brought the Hawks closer. If Atlanta goes 12-2 at that time, it’s thanks to him. The former Spurs finishes with 29 points and 7/13 at 3-pts.
⛔ Trae Young. The point guard will have to show another face at home if the Hawks are to hang at least one game in this series. Uninspired, he missed his appointment. He was countered several times (9/22 in the shoot), lost stupid balls (five in total), including one with a pass to the referee. Anyway, he was the bad Trae Young again.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 3 in Atlanta, this Friday.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
