The Boston Celtics toyed with the Atlanta Hawks en route to a 1-0 series lead Saturday afternoon, but even that wasn't enough to pry an overall pessimistic view out of guard Dejounte Murray.
The C's snagged a deceptive 112-99 victory in Game 1 over the Hawks, which didn't prove much. Atlanta couldn't knock down outside shots -- finishing 5-of-29 -- which wasn't anything new. The Hawks were among the league's worst 3-point shooting teams in the regular season, therefore chucking up Hail Mary attempts, coupled with no answer defensively for Jaylen Brown (29 points) or Derrick White (24) and you'll get exactly what came.
But, even despite plenty of red flags that could have turned the TD Garden from Celtic green to Hawk red, Murray has found an avenue for optimism.
"You take that second half when we competed and make it momentum going into Game 2," Murray said, per the Hawks.
So, is Murray's quest for a glimmer of hope at all justified by Atlanta's "momentum" of competitiveness?
Well, not really.
That second half, which Murray references, was really more the fourth quarter and reflective of the Celtics rather than whatever push the Hawks could've mustered in the final minutes. Boston shot 7-of-20 in the game's final frame, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. Technically, the Hawks outperformed the Celtics in the scoring column in the fourth quarter, but that doesn't overshadow the previous putrid three quarters of play beforehand.
The Celtics put on a clinic, putting 45 points up in the second quarter, allowing them to ever so slightly take their foot off the gas, leading to a meaningless push that most definitely does not warrant any sense of optimism to come from the Hawks locker room. In reality, they were never in it because they didn't compete when it mattered.
Murray finished with 24 points, shooting a mediocre 10-for-25 from the field and a dreadful 0-for-6 from 3-point range. The 26-year-old, who is 5-12 in the playoffs with just a single series win in his career, was critical when offering some self-evaluation.
"Not good, we lost, wasn't good enough," Murray told reporters, per NBA TV video. "Coulda got guys the ball more. Obviously, I'm not a guy that's focusing on making or missing shots, but I don't (apply) too much focus on how I play. I know I play hard. I'ma continue to play hard."
