A tougher test now awaits in the form of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Atlanta Hawks finally did the impossible by beating the Boston Celtics in a playoff series.
Emerging from Game 6 with a 104-92 victory in front of the stunned hometown crowd at the TD Garden, they refused to succumb to the franchise's historical futility against this particular opponent.
Before Thursday night, Atlanta's last Beantown victory in the playoffs came all the way back in 1988, when Dominique Wilkins, Kevin Willis and Doc Rivers all scored at least 20 points against the Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Before that, the Hawks hadn't toppled the C's on the road since Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson led the way on April 6, 1973.
But that's not where the victors' prior struggles end.
Entering the Game 6 shellacking, the Hawks had posted a putrid 28-42 lifetime record against their Eastern Conference foes, dating all the way back to the franchise's days in St. Louis. This is the 12th series between these two organizations, and it's only the second time the Hawks have ...
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Article written by Adam Fromal