Celtics overcome 16-point deficit to beat Hawks, tie series at 2-2

The Boston Celtics are supposedly star-less and, until Friday evening, were win-less in the postseason. Staring down a 16-point deficit at home against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, however, the mitigation hardly mattered.

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The C’s rode the hot hand of All-Star Isaiah Thomas’ 28 points in a 104-95 Game 4 win in Boston, tying the first-round series at 2-2. Four other Celtics players – Marcus Smart (20), Evan Turner (17) Jonas Jerebko (16), and Jae Crowder (12) – also finished in double-digits, as the team overcame Hawks forward Paul Millsap’s playoff-career-high of 45 points.

Millsap seemed to be everywhere, stepping out defensively on Boston’s potential slashers, owning the boards with a game-high 13 rebounds, while swatting four Celtic shots. His all-world effort wasn’t enough to save a Hawk team that shot 26 percent from the floor without him, though, while continuously allowing Boston open room to penetrate on the other end.

It wasn’t as if Atlanta didn’t have its chances.

Not only did the team squander a double-digit lead in the waning moments of the third quarter, it whiffed on several open looks offensively as the final period droned on. Al Horford, Kyle Korver and even Millsap (guarded by a point guard, at times, in Smart) all missed makeable shots down the stretch, and the Hawks clanged on all six of their fourth-quarter 3-point attempts prior to Jeff Teague’s two makes with under a minute left to go in regulation.

Millsap couldn’t score in overtime, however, and the Hawks notched just three points in the extra period while Boston’s small lineup gave them fits. Teague hit for the team’s only three points, while a desperation 3-pointer from Kent Bazemore was waved off upon referee review after it was determined that he released the attempt after a shot-clock violation.

The Hawks never made it easy on themselves. The squad turned the ball over five times in the first quarter alone and 11 times in the half prior to settling things down. Boston feasted on those miscues, as the extra chances were the only reason the C’s entered the second half down only two points. The Celtics’ ball movement would seem to fly in the face of an Atlanta team that thrives on meeting the pass to the expected pair of hands, but Boston was superb in its execution: The Celtics notched 25 assists on their 40 field goals.

Still, Atlanta seemed to have Game 4 caught in its talon prior to the 8-0 Celtics run that ended the third quarter. Per usual, Turner (at 7-19 shooting) was hardly the model of efficiency, but the Celtics let him work as point forward at times, and he notched six assists while delivering to Boston’s cadre of shooters. Reserve guard Smart was a little excitable himself with four turnovers, but his big play underneath (both the post defense, and eight rebounds) helped Boston turn the corner down the stretch.

Meanwhile, Thomas was stellar throughout. He was just as effective at playing off the ball as he was dominating the rock, scoring 28 points on 23 shots, registering only one turnover in 43 minutes. His defense wasn’t the main reason Hawk point men Dennis Schroeder and Teague combined to shoot 11-31 (35.4 percent), but his fly-byes certainly didn’t help things for the Hawks.

This never should have been a sweep of a series for Atlanta, but the Hawks should be let down. The team squandered numerous opportunities after arriving in Massachusetts with a 2-0 series lead on Friday, and though the Celtics should be credited for dogged play (especially without the help of defensive ace Avery Bradley), the Hawks had plenty of chances to put this series away. Atlanta has now clanged its way into a trip back to Boston on Thursday, with the at-best hope of clinching the series on the road following a Game 5 win in Georgia on Tuesday.

The Pyrrhic victory for Atlanta comes in the recognition of Millsap’s brilliance, however. The oft-overlooked All-Star’s 45 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and two steals didn’t come about because he was afforded the extra five minutes to pad his stats in overtime. The league’s most underrated player turned in what was easily the top performance of the 2016 playoffs thus far, and there is absolutely no reason why he can’t pull something like this off again in Games 5 or 6.

Two contests the Hawks should be kicking themselves for even having to play.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops