There was a point in this game when the Hawks got close. That moment was short lived. As the Celtics have done all season, they blew this game wide open in the second half.

- We've seen KG's intensity for the past 82 games and tonight he took it to another level. Just ask Leon Powe. Powe got up for a slam-- not just a dunk -- over two Hawks defenders and drew the foul. Sam Cassell ran over to help him up but Garnett beat him there. Rather than giving Powe a hand, he seemed to slap his teammate around. "I got a nice dunk and he was excited," Powe said, adding, "I thought he was going to help me get up, so I was trying to get up and he pushed me back down. He said, 'Stay down.' (laughed) But it's cool ... he was excited. He was juiced for the playoffs."

- Ray Allen got hot late in the game and was a highlight reel of long range shots. Mike Bibby called tonight "a game of runs" and said that Allen's streak really hurt the Hawks. "The ball floated my way," Allen explained. "We found a play that worked and we exploited it." He finished with 18 points.

- The Hawks are trying looking at this loss as just one game. The Celtics have years and years of playoff experience on them and that showed tonight. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams shot a combined 5-for-17 and struggled to find their offensive groove. "I'm glad we got it out of the way," veteran Joe Johnson said of game one. "These guys got the playoff experience and they know how it's going to be. I expect game two will be a different reaction."

- The Red Sox showed their support for their fellow Bostonians at the Garden. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Mike Lowell, among others, took in tonight's action. Most of them even blended into the crowd with their Celtics jerseys and t-shirts.

Game Two of this series is on Wednesday night. Stay tuned to HOOPSWORLD for in-depth coverage of this first round match up.

 

- I thought Opening Night was intense but tonight's pregame ceremony topped that. There were fireworks -- not once, but twice -- and the smoke still hadn't settled by halftime. The crowd wanted nothing to do with the Hawks' introduction and chanted "Let's go Celtics" as their starting lineup was announced. It seemed like everyone in the building was on their feet for the Celtics starters, including a cleanly shaved Scot Pollard who is making his first appearance at the Garden in recent memory.

- The Celtics jumped out to an early lead but the Hawks started to get back into this game at the end of the first quarter. With their double-digit lead slipping away, they responded in the last two minutes. Posey was there at the end of the first to take a charge from Josh Smith -- his second -- and sent him to the bench. Rondo got bumped by Horford on a fade away jumper but the refs waved off the basket. This sent the Garden into an eruption of boos and Rondo banked both free throws to make up for it.

- Atlanta opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run to get the game within two. Tony Allen entered the game early and attacked the basket for a tip in. Throughout the entire season, Allen has needed minutes to maintain his confidence so we'll see if this playing time will help him gain momentum. The Celtics went small with Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Cassell, Posey, and Garnett. Cassell was rewarded with a standing ovation for his do-whatever-it-takes style of play. He created shots when shots weren't there and played tough defense on Bibby. The Celtics kept the Hawks at bay in the second quarter and went into the half with a nine-point lead.

- Remember how Boston fans gushed over Gerald Green's leaping abilities? Josh Childress is just as fun to watch. He's like a grasshopper on defense, jumping for every loose ball and getting up to intercept each pass.

- Bigs in foul trouble: Perkins picked up two fouls in the first five minutes and Garnett was replaced by P.J. Brown with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter. Garnett picked up his third personal with four minutes left to go in the half and was subbed for Perkins, who also picked up his third before the half.

Check back later for postgame reaction ...

The playoffs are finally back at the Garden and Boston is ready for another run at the title.

When I arrived here three hours before game time the Garden was already buzzing with fans in green. On the court, Rajon Rondo practiced 20 foot jumpers while Tony Allen shot free throws at the other hoop. Later Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza Pachulia crowded the Hawks basket. The Celtics staff also queued up a new opening video featuring Paul Pierce. Everyone was ready to go.

The Celtics locker room was a zoo with so much media it was hard to move. Leon Powe had the right idea by standing alone in the corner eating an energy bar. (Walking over to his locker would have been like entering a lions den.) I caught up with him to talk about his recent success and he said his career night last Wednesday helped him find his rhythm heading into the playoffs.

Kendrick Perkins was one of the few Cs to hold court. He said yesterday's Spurs-Suns double OT game revved him up and he wanted to head over to the Garden after watching it. Perkins also said today felt different to him, especially when he arrived at the arena and saw how many people were already here.

Walking into the Hawks locker room was like night and day. There were hardly any reporters except for a few camera crews. I talked to Marvin Williams and Josh Smith about taking on KG and Pierce. (The two will switch off guarding them during the series.) Smith, one of the league's best shot blockers, said blocking KG is nearly impossible because he has such a deep offensive arsenal. Both agreed that Pierce is difficult to guard because he can "lull you to sleep," as Smith put it, before he attacks the basket. Smith, 22, and Williams, 21, will undoubtedly have their hands full stopping these two vets.

Tip-off is just a few minutes away and the Garden is guaranteed to be loud. Check back at the half for all the sights and sounds of the first two quarters …

All signs are pointing to an easy ride for the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. But Doc Rivers isn't buying into this. At yesterday's practice he scoffed at the notion that the Atlanta Hawks aren't playing for anything. They are, he pointed out, playing to win just like the Celtics. Both teams are under pressure tonight -- for the Cs, they have to live up the expectations at the number one seed. For the Hawks, it'll be a battle to triumph as the underdog.

Tip off is at 8:30pm EST on TNT. Post your questions and comments or shoot me an email at jcamerato@hoopsworld.com. See you from Game One of the Eastern Conference Playoffs tonight!