Everything might be falling in favor of the Boston Celtics, who took a 3-1 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks with their Game 4 win Sunday night.
In the final seconds of the 129-121 Celtics victory in Atlanta, Hawks guard Dejounte Murray was noticeably fired up as both teams made their way off the court at State Farm Arena. The 26-year-old veteran pulled a sore loser move, bumping his chest and making contact with league official Gediminas Petraitis as the final buzzer sounded.
The hissy fit, however, could prove to be costly for both Murray and the Hawks. Whether or not the contact was inadvertent, making contact with a referee in such an aggressive manner does warrant the question as to whether or not the NBA will suspend Murray for Tuesday night’s Game 5 in Boston.
This could be an inadvertent helping hand for the Celtics.
Murray is a crucial offense contributor for the Hawks, averaging 25.3 points with 7.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists through four playoff games against the Celtics. He’s also not particularly impressive shooting from beyond the arc but has turned it up, knocking down 39.4% from 3-point range. And while his mind tricks directed at Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla have proven to be useless, this move could surely impact Boston in a way that could simultaneously lead to a quicker elimination for Atlanta.
In Game 4, Murray scored 23 points with nine rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block in 40 minutes played, serving as the Hawks’ strongest two-way threat to throw against the Celtics.
If Murray is suspended, the punishment could prove to be a nail in Atlanta’s coffin.
