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The Boston crowd to burst into a cheer near the end of the third quarter when the final play of the Sixers-Bulls game was shown on the scoreboard. Even the Celtics players were checking it out. Instead of having to face Chicago on the road -- even without injured star Derrick Rose -- Boston will have home-court advantage against eighth-seeded Philadelphia.
The Hawks went 5 minutes without scoring early in the fourth quarter as the Celtics turned a two-point game into a 74-65 lead. But Atlanta scored 10 of the next 12 points, with Horford scoring the last three baskets, making it a one-point game on an alley-oop pass from Smith with 3:52 left.
Smith faked at the top of the key and went right down the lane for a dunk that gave Atlanta its first lead of the second half, 77-76. Horford drove to the basket to give the Hawks a three-point lead.
Atlanta still led 79-78 when Garnett made a turnaround jumper in the lane over Smith to put Boston ahead by one. Smith missed a long rainbow jumper and Ray Allen got the rebound with 10 seconds left, but he made only one of two free throws.
Johnson drove to the basket but Pierce blocked his shot and Garnett tipped it out of bounds with 3.1 seconds left. The Hawks got the ball to Horford in the lane but as he went up for the dunk or layup, Daniels, who played just one minute in the game, wrapped him up and kept him from scoring.
The first foul shot went off the rim, costing Atlanta a chance to tie.
NOTES: Pierce injured the knee during Sunday morning's shootaround and hurt it again when he tried to get around a screen set by Smith during Game 4 that night. ... Rivers became just the third coach in Celtics' history to record 50 postseason victories, joining Red Auerbach (90) and K.C. Jones (65). New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was at the game. ... The Hawks lost to the Celtics in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, a series that went seven games. Boston went on to win its NBA-record 17th championship. ... Allen, the NBA's all-time 3-point leader, was 1 for 7 from beyond the arc. ... The Hawks are 1-11 in playoff series against Boston. They last beat the Celtics as the St. Louis Hawks to win the 1958 NBA title. ... Rondo had three assists and two baskets during a 16-0 run in the second quarter. Pierce, who came back off the bench in the middle of the run, had five points and a steal over the span of 4 minutes.
[Associated Press;
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