Stats tell the home/road story
It’s a world of difference.
The Celtics are 3-0 at home in their first-round playoff series with the Hawks, but they lost both games on their last trip to Atlanta. The C’s try to reverse that trend tonight at 8 p.m. in Game 6 when they face the Hawks at Phillips Arena.
The Celtics had the league’s best road record (31-10) during the regular season. That mark was four games better than any other team. So coming into the playoffs, the C’s didn’t seem to have any aversion to playing away from home.
The Hawks, to their credit, took care of their home court during the regular season. They were 25-16 at Phillips Arena, a stat that pops even more when you consider they were 12-29 on the road during the regular season. Atlanta’s performance at the TD Banknorth Garden has not been surprising. Games 3 and 4, however, came as a bit of a shock to fans of the Green.
The difference in the teams’ performance in the two venues has been striking. The Celtics averaged 103 points and 47 percent shooting in their three home games this series. In those three games in Boston, the Hawks averaged 81 points on 39 percent shooting.
It was a different story in Atlanta.
In Games 3 and 4, the Celtics averaged 92.5 points on 42 percent shooting. The Hawks shot 48 percent in those games and averaged just under 100 points, a 19-point increase from the games in Boston.
Boston’s defense has been the difference. The Celtics held opponents to 41 percent shooting during the regular season, best in the league. For the Hawks to shoot 48 percent in Atlanta is an especially disturbing figure for a team that prides itself on defense.
Joe Johnson and Josh Smith stepped up for the Hawks in Atlanta, with both players scoring more than 23 points in each contest. Kevin Garnett was the only Celtics player to top 20 points in both games.
Celtics fans looking for an easy excuse as to why the Celtics lost Games 3 and 4 aren’t going to find one. The Hawks did indeed shoot well from three-point range in Game 3 (10 for 18), but the Celtics lost that game by nine points. In Game 4, the Hawks were just 4 of 18 on threes.
Free throws, a stat directly related to a team’s effort and ability to attack the basket, may be a more telling measure. The Hawks shot 17 more free throws than the Celtics in Games 3 and 4. The Celtics need to correct that if they want to emerge with their first road victory of the playoffs in Game 6.
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