Hawks stun Celtics in NBA to pull even while Magic advances
ATLANTA, Georgia (AFP) — The Boston Celtics, who posted the best regular-season record in the National Basketball Association, were upset for the second game in a row by Atlanta, the worst team to make the playoffs.
Joe Johnson scored 20 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Hawks past Boston 97-92 here Monday, leveling their Eastern Conference first round best-of-seven series at two wins each.
"I just wanted to try to be the aggressor," Johnson said. "I knew that we were down by 10. Somebody had to step up. If I'm going to be the All-Star on this team, I have to step up. And I did."
Josh Smith had 28 points and seven blocks while Mike Bibby scored 18 points for the Hawks, who answered an 11-0 Boston run with a 19-6 burst to reclaim the lead at 84-79, a Johnson 3-pointer ending the key run on the way to victory.
"Everybody said we were going to get swept," Atlanta's Marvin Williams said. "When nobody expects you to win, it's easy. We knew what we could do. We've got the best team in the NBA at 2-2."
Orlando became the first team to reach the second round of the NBA playoffs, with Dwight Howard scoring 21 points and grabbing 21 rebounds to lead the Magic past Toronto 102-92 for a four games to one victory in their series.
Howard that lifted the Magic into the second round for the first time since 1996 when Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway were stars for the club.
"It feels great," Howard said. "We have worked extremely hard this year and to finally get over the hump and out of the first round means a lot to us."
But the East stunner came in Atlanta, where the Hawks trailed 75-65 entering the fourth quarter but outscored the Celtics 32-17 in the final 12 minutes thanks to Johnson and Smith, who combined for Atlanta's last 34 points.
"It's unbelievable," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "I cannot be more proud. To see where we started and where we are, this is so great for this franchise."
The Celtics claimed a home-court edge throughout the NBA playoffs with a 66-16 record while the Hawks had the worst record of any playoff team at 37-45.
But after two blowout victories at home, the Celtics find themselves coming back to Boston level with game five Wednesday and game six Friday at Atlanta.
"We have to find our team chemistry quick," Boston guard Sam Cassell said. "Game five is not going to be easy just because we are at home. The Hawks have confidence and think they can beat us so we're going to step it up back in Boston."
Celtics guard Rajon Rondo was mindful that last season's regular-season winner, the Dallas Mavericks, was ousted in round one by Golden State.
"You don't want what happened with Dallas last year," Rondo said. "We didn't expect this. But it's part of it. We have to move on."
The Boston-Atlanta winner will face either Cleveland or Washington in the second round. The Cavaliers lead Washington 3-1 in that series and host game five on Wednesday.
Ray Allen led the Celtics with 21 points while Kevin Garnett added 20 points and Paul Pierce added 18.
"(Johnson) just got hot," Allen said. "Defensively, we didn't do a great job when he got into our paint."
Johnson scored 10 consecutive Atlanta points to keep the Celtics at bay down the stretch, the last of the run being a free throw for a 91-87 Atlanta lead with 39.7 seconds remaining after James Posey's 3-pointer had pulled Boston within three.
"It was an incredible performance," Atlanta's Al Horford said. "I'm happy for our team, but especially for him. He's one of those All-Stars that everybody forgets about or doesn't give credit to. He's a killer."
At Orlando, it was the superb performance by Howard that led the way to the first Magic playoff victory since the 1996 Eastern semi-finals.
"It is just an incredible feeling," Howard said. "I can't explain it because we've done something that hasn't been done in a while."
The Raptors led 50-49 at half-time but the Magic outscored Toronto 25-18 in the third quarter and held off the Canadian club in the final quarter to capture the clincher.
Orlando will next face the winner between Detroit and Philadelphia in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Philadelphia and Detroit are level at 2-2 in their series with game five Tuesday at Detroit.
Jameer Nelson added 19 points while Rashard Lewis contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic.
"(Howard) is a phenom," Raptors forward Chris Bosh said. "He's probably the best center in the league. He is always on the offensive boards. He's always on the defensive boards. He's just always a threat."
Howard had three games in the series with at least 20 points and rebounds in the same game.
"He has been incredible," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.
Bosh led Toronto with 16 points while T.J. Ford and Carlos Delfino each added 14 for the Raptors.
