Eastern Conference Playoffs Preview: Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics

                                (4) Atlanta Hawks (48-34) vs. (5) Boston Celtics (48-34) 
   
     Predicting the outcome of a 4-5 matchup is like taking a stroll through Central Park in the middle of the night. You have no idea what will happen. The possibilities are endless. You might meet the friendly lady from Home Alone 2 that spends all of her time with pigeons because she's too afraid to have her heart broken again, you might meet a murderer, or you might meet a troll.

     While I don't see this series involving pigeons, a murderer, or a troll, I'm perfectly honest when I say that I could see this series going in any number of directions. The Hawks might pummel the Celtics due to their experience, Isaiah Thomas might have a breakout series and lead the Celtics to victory, or this series could go back and forth with it coming down to a seventh game in Atlanta.

     To help make sense of this toss up series, I will quickly explain what each team needs to do in order to win this series. In regards to the Hawks, what they need to do is defend their home floor. Atlanta isn't known for being a tough road environment. If there's any place in the NBA to choose to go on the road in a playoff game, Atlanta might be atop the list. Al Horford and Paul Millsap need to set the tone in Game 1 of this series and make sure their team defends their home floor. If the Hawks come out and have a dominant performance on their home floor to start the series, odds are good they win the series. They have home court advantage and they better take advantage.

     As for the Celtics, what they need is for Isaiah Thomas to step up and take control in the playoffs. Isaiah Thomas is averaging 22.2 points per game and is clearly the star of this team. The question that the Celtics are yet to have answered is whether or not Isaiah Thomas has what it takes to lead them to a playoff series victory. If Isaiah Thomas proves to be the best player in this series and takes control, odds are good the Celtics win the series in six or seven games.

      Given that this series is really hard to predict, I'm going to pick the Hawks to win in seven games.  The Hawks have home court advantage and they have more experience. The trio of Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague will come up big in Game 7 and find a way to get their team to the second round.
   
     Note: Game 1 of this series is Saturday at 7:00 PM EST on ESPN.