Atlanta vs. Boston

Atlanta vs. Boston
Rajon Rondo Jersey and the Boston Celtics finally regained some much-needed swagger by beating the team with the NBA's best record, a win that could prove critical to their playoff seeding.
Even with their postseason spot all but decided, the Atlanta Hawks aren't underestimating their recent turnaround.
The Celtics continue their push for at least the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference on Friday night in Atlanta, where the resurgent Hawks look to keep building confidence with a fourth consecutive victory.
Boston (52-22) seemed like a lock for one of the East's top two seeds prior to trading Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City, but a 5-7 stretch that began March 9 dropped it from the conference's pole position into a tie with Miami for second place, 2 1/2 games behind Chicago.
The traits that put the Celtics atop the conference before the trade all but disappeared over the past three weeks. They averaged 88.5 points and 19.8 assists over that 12-game stretch while shooting 44.5 percent, far cries from the 98.2 points, 24.2 assists per game and league-best 49.3 shooting from their first 61 games.
On Thursday night in San Antonio, the old Celtics returned - and it again started with Rajon Rondo Jersey. Struggling since the Perkins trade, Rajon Rondo Jersey had 22 points, 14 of his team's 29 assists and no turnovers as Boston shot 54.8 percent in a 107-97 win to pull ahead of the Heat - and within two games of the Bulls.
"This is a good place to try and gather some momentum," said Paul Pierce, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. "You talk about the team with the best record. What better place to get back on track than here?"
Rajon Rondo Jersey averaged 7.4 assists during Boston's subpar stretch - well off his 11.3 season mark - but when he's finding Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are nearly impossible to beat. They're 21-2 when Rajon Rondo Jersey has 13 assists or more and 23-16 when he has 12 or fewer.
Rajon Rondo Jersey missed both meetings with the Hawks (43-32) with injuries, but Boston's done just fine without him. The Celtics shot 53.3 percent and rode a 39-13 first-quarter lead to a 99-76 win at Philips Arena on Nov. 22, then shot 53.0 percent in a 102-90 home victory Dec. 16.
Boston outscored the Hawks in the paint by a combined 30 points in the two wins despite being shorthanded up front, and they'll be missing another big man Friday. Just as Jermaine O'Neal returned Thursday for the first time since Jan. 10, Nenad Krstic exited with a right knee injury and is out indefinitely.
He'll return to Boston for an MRI Friday.
While the Celtics have spent the past month adjusting to a new rotation, the Hawks have often been going through the motions. All but locked into the East's fifth seed, Atlanta went 3-8 from March 4-23.
Even that spot was looking like it was in jeopardy, but the Hawks have turned it around with defense. Atlanta beat Orlando - its likely first-round opponent - 85-82 on Wednesday, a third straight win in a stretch it's held opponents to 84.0 points per game and 42.0 percent shooting.
"I don't know if we're sending a message, Rajon Rondo Jersey but we've got to let teams know we're coming to play," said Josh Smith, who had a game-high 26 points.
Smith has averaged 23.5 points and 10.0 rebounds the past four games, a boost of confidence he'll need against Boston. He's missed all 11 shots he's taken in the two meetings with the Celtics, totaling three points - his two worst individual performances in the past four seasons.