Hawks take care of home court, stun Celtics 97-92

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinuanet) -- Joe Johnson scored 35 points, 20 in the fourth quarter, and Josh Smith added 28 points and seven blocks as the Atlanta Hawks -- a 37-45 regular season team --surprised the Celtics for a second time with a 97-92 victory Monday night to even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

"We took care of our home court," Johnson said. "Now we've got to go up to Boston and somehow steal one."

The Hawks had the worst record (37-45) of any playoff team, and they certainly played like it in the first two games at Boston, losing them by an average of 21 points. The Celtics, who won an NBA-leading 66 games during the regular season, came South looking to wrap it up.

"We've got to find ourselves real quick," Boston's Sam Cassell said. "We've got to find our team identity, our team chemistry, we've got to find all that real quick."

Johnson, who shot just 36 percent in the first three games, finally stepped up to claim his rightful place as Atlanta's go-to player. With the Celtics trapping on the pick-and-roll, he went to coach Mike Woodson with a suggestion.

"I asked him to space the floor and let me go," Johnson said. "It worked."

Ray Allen led Boston with 21 points, and Garnett added 20. But, after playing with so much confidence during the regular season, the Celtics must fight off the inevitable worries about a monumental playoff flop.

(Agencies)