The Boston Celtics will move on to the second round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs after defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 83-80, in Game 6 on Thursday night. The game was hard-fought throughout, but fittingly Boston prevailed after a Kevin Garnett jumper gave his team the lead for good with 30 seconds remaining.
Garnett was arguably the best player on the court Thursday, filling the stat sheet with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. He had some help from Paul Pierce (18 points, seven assists, five rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (14 points, eight assists).
Josh Smith and Joe Johnson paced the Hawks with 18 and 17 points, respectively, but shot 7-for-18 and 7-for-17 to get there. Marvin Williams went 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc to counteract the Celtics' 10-point advantage from the free throw line, but ultimately the Hawks simply weren't as stout defensively. For the game, Boston blocked 11 shots and recorded eight steals as a team.
The Celtics advance to play the Philadelphia 76ers, winners over the Chicago Bulls earlier in the night, in the second round of the playoffs.
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