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Hawks-Celtics Preview

Jan 10, 2010 - 11:24 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Atlanta (23-13) at Boston (25-9), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Doc Rivers didn't mince words following the Boston Celtics' second loss of the season to Atlanta, saying the Hawks were the superior team.

The Celtics won't have to wait long to prove their coach wrong.

Three nights after that defeat, Boston seeks revenge against Atlanta at TD Garden on Monday, with the Hawks looking to bounce back from a lopsided defeat that followed their win over the Celtics.

Rivers' team swept a four-game series from the Hawks last season by an average of 5.5 points. Atlanta (23-13), though, has turned the tables on Boston (26-9) in 2009-10, holding the Celtics to 85.5 points in winning both meetings.

The Hawks shut down the Celtics again Friday at Philips Arena, limiting Boston to 40.8 shooting while getting double-figure scoring from six players in a 93-85 victory.

"I thought the Hawks were more physical than us, and they really attacked us, especially in the second half," Rivers said. "I thought we played well early, but then they took over the game from there. Right now you have to give it to them. They are the better team."

Jamal Crawford scored a team-high 18 points and is the league's second-leading bench scorer at 16.9 points per game.

"It feels good. It shows we can play against the league's elite," Crawford said. "The Celtics have our respect. We respect them so much, but we don't fear anybody. When we go out there, we know it's kind of a bar to see where we're at."

Atlanta has not measured up against Orlando, which blew out the Hawks for the second time this season Saturday, 113-81. The loss was Atlanta's worst since falling 121-87 to the Magic exactly one year earlier.

Boston got back to looking like one of the elite clubs in the Eastern Conference on Sunday in Toronto, where it played its fifth straight game without Kevin Garnett, who is sidelined with a hyperextended right knee.

Fill-in Rasheed Wallace had his best game as a Celtic with 29 points, while Rajon Rondo had 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in a 114-107 victory over the Raptors.

"He's our energy beacon," Rivers said of Rondo. "Without him, I don't know where we're going to get it from."

Boston will likely need more from Wallace and Rondo if it is going to beat Atlanta. The two combined to average 16.5 points in the two losses to the Hawks, while Ray Allen averaged 12.5 points on 41.7 percent shooting.

Paul Pierce is one of the few Celtics to have success against Atlanta of late, scoring at least 20 in his last four meetings.

Five Hawks have averaged at least 14.0 points in the two games versus Boston, led by Crawford and Joe Johnson at 18.0.

Good games from Crawford and Al Horford, though, are the most critical factors to Atlanta's success. The Hawks are 15-6 when Crawford has at least 16 points and 19-5 when Horford scores 11 or more.