It should not have taken the Boston Celtics seven games to beat the Atlanta Hawks.
The Celtics, holders of the best record in the National Basketball Association at 66-16, blew out the 37-win Hawks at home but could not beat them on the road.
And that provides a big opening for the rest of the teams on the Celtics' road to the finals: Steal a game at the Garden and you just might send the C's home for good.
What's going on when the Green have to play outside of the Garden? It's hard to say but they just don't look like the same team. That's surprising given that the Celtics compiled a road record over the regular season of 31-10 — the best in the league.
The Celtics will need to fix their playoff road problems fast. Tonight, they begin the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that with LeBron James has a superstar to match Kevin Garnett. The Cavaliers (45-37) are a much better team than the Hawks. The Celtics split the regular season series with the Cavs, 2-2.
Good luck and go Celts!
