The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks are set to face one another in the first round of the NBA’s 2023 Eastern Conference playoffs. The general consensus of how the series should go is both short and in the Celtics’ favor given Boston’s depth and level of talent far outclasses the Hawks.
But this is not the same Atlanta squad Boston faced for much of the season. The Hawks replaced coach Nate McMillan with former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder with about 20 games left in the season. The new-look Hawks haven’t found their footing under Snyder, but they have shown flashes — such as their win in the play-in game against the Miami Heat that got them into this series with Boston in the first place.
Could the Celtics make their season-long mistake of taking “lesser” teams too lightly?
While it seems improbably Boston could lose, there’s a solid chance the first round might go longer than the gentleman’s sweep some see coming. To learn more about the Hawks and how they’ve played lately, check out the latest episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast.
Guest Pat Benson of Sports Illustrated gives us everything you wanted to know about Atlanta but were afraid to ask — and then some.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
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