Faced with a “win or stay home” scenario, the Atlanta Hawks nearly handed the Boston Celtics a win but hung in to earn a 87-86 victory in Atlanta.

After jumping out to a sizable lead early and weathering the storm late to beat the Boston Celtics in game one of their Eastern Conference matchup, the Atlanta Hawks found themselves in trap game heading into the second game of the series Tuesday night.

Although the Hawks claim to be ignoring the media, and all the talk of the Boston Celtics being the favorite in their first round playoff matchup, Atlanta certainly played with a chip on their shoulder in the first game of the series last night at Philips Arena.

The Atlanta Hawks capped off a back-to-back-to-back with a victory over the streaking Utah Jazz. Somehow the Hawks managed to get the win after four overtimes Sunday, despite hosting the New Jersey Nets Friday and flying to Washington to face the Wizards Saturday. Here is what coach Drew had to say afterwards.

Mikhail Prokhorov made some bold claims shortly after becoming majority owner of the New Jersey Nets. Despite being one of the most aggressive teams in the league in terms of pursuing trades, The Nets (16-4) have little to show for the efforts.

Perhaps things could be worse, but the Atlanta Hawks have definitely fallen out favor with the basketball gods this season. The loss of all-star center Al Horford was without question the biggest blow, but the team has had to deal with injuries to players at nearly every position and every role.

When Klay Thompson and Charles Jenkins were picked up by the Warriors in the 2011 NBA Draft, they could not have expected to have major roles in a backcourt that features one of the best shooters—Stephen Curry—and one of the best scorers—Monta Ellis—in the league. However, Curry’s health issues have opened up opportunities for the young players to temporarily take on bigger roles.

The Hawks have felt the sting of the injury bug, especially in the frontcourt with both Al Horford and Jason Collins being injured. Despite that, Atlanta has managed to stay afloat and then some, but it’s only a matter of time before their lack of frontcourt depth becomes a problem.

I had a chance to talk to Jodi Meeks of the Philadelphia 76ers. We talked about returning to play in his hometown, the recent success of the 76ers and his role with the team.

Last night’s game between the Portland Trailblazers and the Atlanta Hawks took on added meaning as Jamal Crawford returned to Philips arena for the first time since he and the Hawks parted ways.