But this wasn’t just any old road game.

The Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics – in Boston – by the score of 97-86.

The Hawks dominated the game the old fashioned way…by controlling the boards.  Atlanta outrebounded the Celtics 47-29 – including 16 offensive rebounds which resulted in the Hawks attempting 11 more field goals than the Celtics.  Although Boston shot better from the field than Atlanta, it was the extra attempts than made the difference for the visiting team.

Battles between the Hawks and Celtics are always physical contests.

But even more than that, the Celtics – known for having 3 All-Stars on their roster – did not have a player who was capable of taking over the game at the end.  Since joining forces prior to the 2007-2008 season, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have played together as a melodic, cohesive unit.  Seemingly lost in that melody was their abilities to make plays as individuals, which they were so accustomed to throughout the majority of their careers.

To the contrary, Atlanta had Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford foaming at the mouth to take control during the key possessions down the stretch.  And with their best ballhandlers directing the flow of their offense, the Hawks only committed 3 turnovers in the second half.

The Celtics may have lost more than just their second home game of the young season.  Boston may have also lost their imidation factor over one of the up-and-coming teams in the East.  During the Celtics championship run in the 2008 NBA Playoffs, it was the Hawks who forced them to a 7-game series (as a #8 seed).  At that time, they were a ripe team that wasn’t ready for the spotlight and subsequently got crushed in Game 7 against a veteran team on the road.

Two years and some key additions later,the Hawks are trying to force their way into conversations regarding the best Eastern Conference teams.  More wins like this will give their critics little choice.

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