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| May 2, 2008 - 10:59 pm |
 Andrew Perna/RealGM -
The Atlanta Hawks used a strong fourth quarter to beat the Boston Celtics , 103-100, and force a dramatic Game Seven this weekend.
Mike Bibby posted 17 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds and Josh Childress tallied 15 points and 6 boards for the Hawks, who shot 48% from the field and outrebounded Boston by three.
Trailing by three entering the fourth quarter, Atlanta used a 24-18 edge in the final twelve minutes to steal a victory away from the NBA's best team from the regular season.
Kevin Garnett had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Ray Allen contributed 20 points and 5 boards for the Celtics, who went 4-for-19 from the three-point line and attempted twenty-two fewer free throws than Atlanta.
Paul Pierce, who posted 17 points and 6 assists, fouled out with a few minutes left in the game. He hooked Zaza Pachulia in the lane after a made Atlanta basket.
Boston's Allen missed a three with 10.6 seconds left on the clock that would have given Boston a three-point lead.
Johnson grabbed the rebound and calmly drained two free throws to give the Hawks a four-point lead.
Following a timeout, Boston opted for a quick two as Garnett made a layup to cut Atlanta's lead to two points with 8.7 seconds left on the clock.
The Celtics fouled Bibby, a notoriously questionable foul shooter, and he canned one of the two attempts.
With a little less than eight seconds left on the clock, Rajon Rondo dribbled the clock down and threw up a three from well-behind the arc that didn't even reach the rim.
Game Seven will be in Boston on Sunday afternoon. [READ]
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