Hawks have blueprint for upsetting Celtics

[HMFFL]

The MapQuest directions for the challenge facing the Hawks in the first-round playoff series against Boston have already been leaked to the public.

Baron Davis and the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors showed it could be done last year, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs and shocking the basketball world in the process.

So it's not like the Hawks won't have any role models when they take on the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics in a series that begins this weekend in Boston.

"We'd be fools to think it's not possible," said fourth-year Hawks forward Josh Smith. "We'd be bigger fools not to believe in ourselves, especially after the way people have bashed us the past few years. Why shouldn't we think we're going to shock the world? The Warriors showed everybody that it's not impossible."

Impossible? No. But it's certainly improbable.

The Warriors were the first No. 8 to upset a No. 1 in the opening round since the league went from a best-of-five format to its current best-of-seven for the opening round.

The Hawks certainly aren't intimidated by the Celtics and their gaudy, league-leading 65 wins. The Celtics' All-Star trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen is healthy and primed for a deep postseason run.

Their bench, led by veterans Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown, is capable of handling lesser teams on their own; much the way they did the Hawks in the fourth quarter of a Celtics comeback Saturday at Philips Arena.

Stubborn as ever, though, the Hawks are just crazy enough to think they've got a shot.

"We feel like it's a great matchup for us," Josh Childress said. "I don't think there's any position where you can say we are severely undermanned against them. We don't feel like it's a situation where you can say it won't be a competitive series, because we've played and played well against some of the best teams in the league."

The Hawks defeated nine of the other 15 playoff teams this season, including a home win over the Western Conference No. 1-seed Los Angeles Lakers.

Those wins, however, just like much of their chest-puffing playoff bravado, aren't rooted in actual postseason experience, which highlights a dramatic edge the Celtics will have.

Captain and All-Star Joe Johnson (15 games) and point guard Mike Bibby (51) are the only Hawks players with NBA postseason experience.

Cassell alone has played in nearly twice as many postseason games (115).

"That's the one place where we know they'll have a decided edge," Johnson said. "We can't make up the experience gap. So there's no need in us even worrying with that. What we have to do is come out aggressive and attacking. We're the team with no pressure, with nothing to lose."

That's also why Hawks coach Mike Woodson has tried to continue to stoke his team's passion after they had already clinched their playoff berth with two games to play.

"We're facing a team that's been on a mission from the day they put that group together," Woodson said. "Our challenge is to match their intensity and play at as high a level as we can for a sustained period. As a young team, that's always a difficult thing to do."

Link

[tontoz]

I know how we can beat the Celtics. Just hire this guy....

[conleyorbust]

Bad math, Cassell hasn't played in twice as many games. Advantage Hawks.

[Retrovision]

OK: So for the real blueprint. Mario West go punch Pierce. J-Rich jump on Ray Allen's back. King Solo (1-0-0 TKO) do a zaza on KG.

[evildallas]

OK: So for the real blueprint. Mario West go punch Pierce. J-Rich jump on Ray Allen's back. King Solo (1-0-0 TKO) do a zaza on KG.

You forgot someone to take out Woodson as well. If he's on the bench I still favor the Celtics even without the big 3.

[Al n' Perk No Layups!]

Bad math, Cassell hasn't played in twice as many games. Advantage Hawks.

Bad literacy, the article said nearly.


Anyways, Dallas of last year and Boston of this year are not alike. An eight beating a one doesn't provide the blueprint for all eight seeds against all one seeds. This is a lazy article.

[JoshB914]

^^^ Come on, dude, it's just the lead to the article. And the article is about how the players think they can win (obviously) so what do do you expect? There is nothing lazy about that.