It’s the first time in nine years that the Hawks are in the playoffs and, avid fan that I am, I didn’t make it past halftime. I work early in the morning, you see (I have to be at work at 7:30 a.m., and that’s fighting Atlanta rush hour), and didn’t have a very good “feel” for what was going on last night.

I watched us get down big in the first half, come back to within two, then get down again. As close as we were keeping it, it felt to me as if the game was only close because Boston was making silly mistakes. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith weren’t flying around doing crazy things that had everyone saying, “My God, the Hawks can win this series;” rather, Boston was clumsily throwing the ball out of bounds, missing open layups, jumpshots and threes, and generally not looking in rhythm most of the first half.

When you play your worst and you’re still up nine points at halftime, then there’s a problem.

I didn’t see the second half, but I’m glad. Based on the stats, I didn’t miss much, and a nine point lead turned into 23 before the final buzzer sounded. The one bright spot of this soon-to-be-very-ugly-series: Al Horford, the dominant rookie that had 20 points, 10 rebounds and one block in 40 minutes of play.

Ray Allen led the Celtics with 18 points, Paul Pierce and KG both had 16, and three other players scored in double figures for Boston. The series is now at 1-0, will soon be 2-0, and if my prediction is right, will end in five when they get back to Boston.