The Atlanta Hawks are inspiring. Their play in home games has been simply fantastic, as if they are an experienced team in control of their own destiny. Strangely enough, they are. This was not supposed to happen. This was supposed to be JV vs. varsity. Danny Almonte vs. younger kids. Steroids vs. clean. In a word, unfair. But the Hawks are having none of it.

Game six in Atlanta was, like game four, a shocking display of youth playing it cool and, more importantly, correct. They got the crowd going to a fever pitch midway through the fourth quarter. Those who watched a game in Atlanta in the past decade know what a big deal this is. Joe Johnson has ice in his veins. Al Horford is playing beyond his years while Josh Childress is making himself useful against the best defensive team in the NBA. Remarkable. The Hawks didn’t get away with anything or benefit from bad calls late in the game. They simply stuck with the Celtics and then managed to seriously outplay them in the final quarter.

How a team this overmatched (that is surely what they are on paper) won without creating turnovers is obvious, though still puzzling. The Celtics shot 46%, had 14 offensive rebounds, and only nine turnovers (Atlanta’s numbers were eerily similar). Any fan knowing that before the game started would chalk it up as a sure Celts win. Bring on the Cavs. But no. The vaunted defense and now reigning defensive player of the year could not keep the Hawks off the free throw line and gave up too many open looks early. Atlanta shot 47 free throws. Each starter went to the line at least six times and Pachulia somehow made it there seven times. It all added up the 36 points and a trip to Boston.

Because of the poor defense, it is easy to overlook and explain away the Celtic’s faults. They had chances at the end of this game except Paul Pierce was not available to cash in on them. Again, credit the Hawks for taking him out of the game. Neither Allen nor Cassell could fill Pierce’s shoes, with the former missing seven threes. I question Doc Rivers’ decision to shoot a three with an ice cold Allen with approximately twenty seconds left. A quick inbound and score from Garnett, as happened on their next possession, was the way to go.

While the Hawks’ defense was solid in the last period, Rajon Rondo looked like he forgot about the final 7.4 seconds that were ticking off the clock or he got nervous. Why was he in the game?! The Celtics undoubtedly practice a free throw inbounds to three pointer play. They had the time to set it up and get the right screens, yet no pass was made. Rondo just dribbled back and forth for five seconds and took a horrible shot. Not a particularly inspiring performance.

The historic suddenness of Boston’s rise to the top makes them, like Atlanta, an upstart, though of the arrogant type. The Celtics thought this would be easy, but they have run into some prized, if crude, NBA talent. The favorites are paying the price of complacency. On a basic basketball level, the Hawks are great to watch. They are truly “putting it all out there.” I hope they pull it off. Prepare, boys in green, or these Hawks might swoop you up and drop you where you don’t want to be: on vacation.

As an aside, what does Johnson’s and Smith’s play predict about LeBron’s potential against the Celtics?