The Atlanta Hawks managed to overturn a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter led by the impressive Trae Young. The Hawks star was so good that he frustrated Celtics fans to the point of them shouting offensive chants toward him.
He wasn’t fazed by any of that, though, and scored 16 points in the last quarter, including a last-gasp three-pointer a foot away from the Celtics logo, guiding the team to a 119-117 win over the Celtics.
Boston is still ahead, but the Celtics now hold a much slimmer 3-2 lead in the series which now goes back to Atlanta for Game 6. As for the chants, Young called them “total respect,” as Celtics fans didn’t do that to everybody.
Interestingly, the surprise comeback also meant that Janet Jackson’s concert in Atlanta had to be pushed a day back and all Thursday tickets to be honored for Friday.
A Blow for the Celtics and a Lifeline for the Hawks
What made the Hawks’ victory so special for fans was that Celtics seemed to have things under control after the second quarter. After the break, Boston was in the driving seat and had a double-digit lead for most of the second half.
With a little over six minutes on the clock, Jaylen Brown scored a three-pointer and put the Celtics 13 points ahead, 109-96. However, that’s also when things started to go downhill for Boston, as the Hawks answered with an amazing 15-2 run. The two teams then traded the lead several times.
With 7.1 seconds on the clock, Boston was one point ahead, 117-116. That meant the Hawks had one last play to turn things around and get a lifeline in the series.
And so they did. Atlanta set up a play in which Young was playing against Brown. The Boston star was careful not to let Young go past him, as he was expecting a drive toward the basket due to the match being a one-point game at that stage. So, he gave Young a little more space, space Trae used to unleash a surprise shot from a distance and score.
That shot deflated the Celtics, as even if they win the series, which is in no way a given now, they would go against a rested Philadelphia 76ers team. The second-round series will start on Monday.
