The Celtics also got 15 points and 12 rebounds from Kevin Garnett and overcame Joe Johnson's 22 points.
Fourth quarter, 1:15, 85-78: Pierce poured in 36 points, but one of his most important plays may have been pulling down his 14th rebound. Pierce outjumped Willie Green for a rebound of a Joe Johnson miss, preventing another Atlanta scoring chance and allowing Pierce to extend the lead to a three-possession game.
Fourth quarter, 2:19, Celtics 81-77: The Hawks looked finished. Ivan Johnson fumbled the ball in the lane, because Ivan Johnson should not have the ball in crunchtime, but Pierce double-dribbled after scooping up the ball.
Then Ivan Johnson — who, again, should not have the ball in crunchtime — pump-faked Pierce and drew the contact on a jump shot 18 feet from the hoop. Johnson's jumper actually found net, allowing the Hawks to find some life.
Still, it is unbelievable Ivan Johnson ended up with the ball in his hands on back-to-back plays in crunchtime. Smith left the game with what has been called a left knee sprain, but Teague, Joe Johnson and others were still around.
Fourth quarter, 3:29, Celtics 79-72: The Celtics looked stagnant, moribund, sluggish… pick an adjective. But the bench carried them through some rough patches and Pierce owned the beginning, and it looked like he would own the end as well.
Pierce finished off a break with a dunk, then surprised Atlanta with a quick step-up 3-pointer that found net. The trey gave Pierce 32 points in the game, with nine coming in the fourth.
Fourth quarter, 5:08, Celtics 74-72: The Celtics defense became a different animal in the fourth quarter. The C's forced the Hawks to miss two of their first 11 shots, including both 3-point attempts. The Hawks' two turnovers in the fourth might not seem like a lot, but this is not a team that turns the ball over a lot, period, nevermind in the fourth quarter of close games.
Smith, probably having the best all-around game of any player, missed his first three shots in the quarter.
Fourth quarter, 9:37, Hawks 66-64: This game could be there for the Hawks' taking, if they wanted it. They simply did not seem to grab the opportunities when they were there.
The Celtics missed a few opportunities of their own, such as when Bradley missed a free throw that would have made it a one-point game. For the most part, though, the Celtics were able to slow the game to a crawl and capitalize on the minimum number of chances available. The Hawks did not seem confident playing at such a deliberate pace.
End of third quarter, Hawks 66-61: Keyon Dooling drained a 3-pointer with 6:34 left in third quarter, giving the Celtics their first 3-point field goal of this series. You read that right.
Dooling drilled another one a short while later, giving them quality play off the bench. The Celtics were in need of a performance like that from a backcourt reserve, of course, and it made it possible for the Celtics to stay close despite shooting only 39 percent and committing 11 turnovers through the first three quarters.
The pace of this game has been sloooooooow, which favored the Celtics.
Third quarter, 3:08, Hawks 65-54: The breakdowns were piling up, and they extended to the offensive end as well. The highlight, or lowlight, was two Celtics rushing to cover Ivan Johnson down low and leaving Joe Johnson — who, you may be aware, can kind of shoot — wide open for a 3-pointer.
Third quarter, 9:24, Hawks 51-43: The stated reason for the Celtics' struggles in Game 1 was their failure to win the hustle plays. That same problem reappeared in the opening minutes of the third quarter in Game 2.
The Hawks tracked down loose balls and were just plain faster getting to spots, leaping out to a 7-2 run to begin the second half. Pierce, Garnett and Pietrus all looked off somehow, but it was tough to tell whether it was physical or mental.
Halftime, Hawks 44-41: Even with no Rondo, the Celtics shared the ball well in the first half and kept down their turnovers. But they stayed cold from beyond the arc without Allen, missing all seven of their 3-point attempts. Boston was 0-for-18 through the first six quarters of this series.
The Good: Paul Pierce put the scoring load on his shoulders, dropping a team-high 16 points. It took him 14 shots to do so, and he committed three turnovers, but the Celtics need Pierce the scorer on this night. … Jeff Teague had another explosive half of basketball, scoring 12 points punctuated by a roaring dunk off a pick. … Josh Smith did not have a double-double by halftime, but he was on his way to another one once the final two quarters are finished. The Hawks ever-improving forward had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Bad: Atlanta's bench combined to shoot 0-for-9 from the field in the first half. Sasha Pavlovic's four points accounted for all the bench scoring for either team.
The So-so: Joe Johnson continued to flash his all-around game, proving that he is more than just a volume shooter. Johnson had a game-high five assists in the first half to go along with his nine points.
Second quarter, 4:22, Hawks 38-34: Several defensive breakdowns by the Celtics enabled Atlanta to take the lead with a 9-0 run. Surprisingly, Garnett was the biggest culprit of the breakdowns. He is normally a close to flawless defender, but he lost Jason Collins and then Smith for easy baskets at the hoop.
Second quarter, 6:49, Celtics 34-29: Avery Bradley looked a little anxious in his first career playoff game. Not so in his second.
Bradley scored six of the Celtics' first 10 points in the second quarter to lead Boston into a wider lead over the Hawks. Teague was once again having an explosive game, but the matchup was not one-sided as Bradley was up to nine points for the game.
Second quarter, 8:58, Celtics 28-27: Doc Rivers went heavily to his bench in the late first and early second quarters. The reserves did just as they did in the late-season meeting in Atlanta by keeping the Celtics close.
If the Celtics' starters could be as effective as their bench was against Atlanta's reserves, the Celtics would be in good shape.
End of first quarter, game tied 24-24: The Celtics ended the first quarter with Ryan Hollins, Sasha Pavlovic and Keyon Dooling all on the floor. This is what happens when an already understaffed team loses its point guard to a suspension.
The eligible Celtics availed themselves well in the first 12 minutes, allowing Boston to stay even with the energetic and athletic Hawks. Jeff Teague showed off his youthful exuberance and legs by blocking a Dooling 3-point attempt late in the first quarter.
Pierce finished the first frame with 13 points, but no one else in a green jersey had more than four points. He will need help carrying the scoring load for the Celtics to win.
First quarter, 4:38, Hawks 17-15: Somebody may want to cover Kirk Hinrich. After his shooting display in the first game, the Hawks off-guard dropped two of his first three shots in this game. He was given a gift 3-pointer when Pierce simply did not guard him in the corner, giving Atlanta the lead.
The Celtics moved the ball well in the opening minutes without Rondo, registering assists on four of their first seven field goals. Sasha Pavlovic was forced into early duty after Mickael Pietrus picked up three early fouls, but Pavlovic is just as reliable a defender as Pietrus would be.
First quarter, 8:01, Celtics 9-8: Paul Pierce came out like a man intent on winning a basketball game. Pierce his four of his first five shots, accounting to all the Celtics' scoring in the first four minutes.
7:28 p.m.: Calling it now. Garnett will have a monster game in this one.
The Big Ticket played too poorly in Game 1 and endured too many verbal hits from the Hawks and the media for his performance to not come up with a big showing in Game 2. That is not a guarantee the Celtics will win — they still are missing two of their five best players — but a feeling that Garnett will be vintage Garnett.
If he is not, you may find this passage conveniently deleted from the final version of this live blog.
6:10 p.m.: Raise your hand if you thought Jason Collins would make a mark on this series.
Liar.
Collins played 32 solid minutes in Atlanta's Game 1 win over the Celtics, playing tough defense on Kevin Garnett and chipping in six points and five boards. He will be back in the middle for the Hawks to begin Game 2.
While the Hawks have been discovering new heroes, the Celtics are just trying to put together a full unit of players. Mickael Pietrus will replace the suspended Rajon Rondo in Boston's starting lineup. Both Pietrus and Avery Bradley will probably play wing positions in this game while Paul Pierce assumes a point forward role.
The probable starting lineups appear below.
Celtics
Kevin Garnett
Brandon Bass
Paul Pierce
Mickael Pietrus
Avery Bradley
Hawks
Jason Collins
Josh Smith
Joe Johnson
Kirk Hinrich
Jeff Teague
8 a.m. ET: The big four has been whittled down to the big two, and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will need to carry a heavy load in Game 2 against the Hawks.
Rajon Rondo joins Ray Allen on the bench after Rondo drew a one-game suspension for chest-bumping referee Marc Davis in the final minute of Game 1. Allen, already sidelined with bone spurs in his right ankle, has not been upgraded since missing Sunday's series opener.
Perhaps more importantly for Boston, the Celtics must find a way to slow down Hawks forward Josh Smith, who torched Boston with 22 points and 18 rebounds in Game 1. Smith has come into his own this season and got off to a fast start in what could be a breakout postseason for the 26-year-old from College Park, Ga.
Join us for updates and analysis during the game, which tips off at 7:30 p.m.
