The Celtics are a Two-Face (like the Batman villain, if that helps you)

From the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (telegram.com):

The NBA is promoting its playoffs with clever advertisements featuring two half-faces forming one head. In one ad, half of Kevin Garnett’s face makes up one side and half of LeBron James’ face forms the other side.

Apparently, the Celtics enjoy the ads so much, they’ve decided to display a split personality.

At home, Boston makes up one side of the face, playing like the team that compiled the NBA’s best regular-season record. On the road, however, the Green show a different side and haven’t been able to beat the worst team to make the playoffs.


At 8 tonight at Philips Arena, the Celtics have a chance to shed their reputation as a two-faced team. The top-seeded Celtics visit the No. 8 Hawks, needing a victory to capture the best-of-seven opening-round series. If the Hawks beat the Celtics for the third time on their home court in the series, Game 7 will be played on Sunday at Boston’s TD Banknorth Garden.

The Celtics built the league’s best road record (31-10) during the regular season, but have gone 0-2 in Atlanta in the postseason. As Garnett pointed out, Philips Arena has rocked during the playoffs like he’s never seen it before, but every building is loud in the postseason. That’s no excuse for the veteran-laden Celtics not to handle Atlanta’s athletic, but young and inexperienced team.

By owning the homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, the C’s don’t need to win on the road to capture their 17th NBA championship. But they’d have to be perfect at home. That would be a tall order — and not just later on in the playoffs. The Celtics don’t even want a seventh game at home against the Hawks, and can avoid that pressure-packed situation by ending the series here tonight.

“It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere down there,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said, “and we’re going to have to go in there and play like (Wednesday). If the offense isn’t as good as it was (Wednesday), then we still have to win the game with our defense.”

In winning their three home games in this series, the Celtics have outscored the Hawks by average of 103-81 and shot 47.4 percent. The Hawks have failed to win any of the 12 quarters at the Garden so far.

In losing their two games in Atlanta, the Celts have been outscored by an average of 99-92 and have shot only 42.7 percent. The teams have split the eight quarters, but the Hawks have prevailed when it counts the most. Most importantly, Boston’s defense — the NBA’s best during the regular season — has allowed the Hawks to shoot 47.6 percent in Atlanta, compared to 39 percent in Boston.