Boston's 112-99 Game 1 win got unnecessarily close. Second-half sloppiness, along with some improved shooting from the Hawks, nearly allowed Atlanta to make a real game of it.
But even with Atlanta's late offensive push, they only held a lead for 39 seconds in Game 1. That's it.
Even with the hiccups the Celtics had throughout the game — careless turnovers from Jaylen Brown (29 points), the occasional wildly loose handle from Marcus Smart (11 points and seven assists) and Malcom Brogdon (five points and five rebounds) — this was pretty much a wire-to-wire win for Boston.
However, Boston's 16 turnovers cannot be ignored — six of which were credited to Brown. That was one of the few areas the C's weren't better than the Hawks, who finished with 11 turnovers. Moreover, 19 of Atlanta's points came off of turnovers.
But again, for all the mistakes and the second-half shooting struggles, the Hawks still lost by double digits and couldn't even hold the lead for a minute. The Hawks have talent, but they are a disorganized team that's lucky to be where they are.
Not that it should be squandered, but Boston has even more room for error in this series than initially anticipated.
