BOSTON -- It wasn’t pretty. Not the NBA lockout. Not the 0-3 start. Not the losses of Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox to heart surgeries. Not the two five-game losing streaks. Not the way Paul Pierce started the season, Ray Allen ended it or everything in between that involved Jermaine O’Neal. But it’s over.

The 2011-12 Celtics regular season is in the books, resulting in another Atlantic Division title to toss into the supply closet along with the franchise’s 21 others that mean little compared to the 17 NBA championship banners hanging from the rafters. All in four months work for Kevin Garnett.

"We’re a very, very motivated group," said Garnett. "Individually, we have a lot of pride. Together, we play hard as sh*t. Like I said, we’re a very prideful team. Like I always said, man, when you come in here and put that jersey on, there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that, and we don’t take that lightly in here."

The Celtics finished 39-27, capturing the fourth seed as the division winner, but finishing a game behind the Hawks (40-26), who will host Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday at 7 p.m. on TNT (full schedule here), presumably without injured centers Al Horford and Garnett’s personal favorite Zaza Pachulia.

"This Atlanta team is a very exciting team — athletic, a better team since we’ve seen them, a more mature team," said KG. "Smooth, Josh Smith, has played to me some of his best basketball. Joe Johnson is classic Joe Johnson. And they’re coming together as a team. … They’re feeling good about themselves, and that’s a thing we have to reckon with. And we’re going to prepare for them starting tomorrow."

I hate doing this but i think this is a trade idea the Hawks should consider.Deron Williams + MarShon Brooks ( maybe draft pick) for Joe Johnson and Teague. NOTE Obviously, Deron would have to sign a multi year deal ( even a max deal) with the Hawks.I am sure he would not mind playing with Josh and AL.

Why the Hawks should do it.

1. It gets Joes huge contract off our books therby giving us flexibility to sign additional players.

2. We will be able to re-sign Josh if he commands a bigger deal than maybe Horf.

3. We will have a legit big 3( Al Josh and Deron) of about the same age getting into their prime at the same time locked up for at least 4 years.

4. We would have one of the best point guards in the league.Good for putting people on the seats.Also, the stats of players like Marvin, AL and Josh will likely improve because of the upgrade in the PG position.

5. With the right bench players, we would have a legitimate shot at competing with Chicago and Miami.

6. Signing Deron to a max deal will be cheaper than Joe in the short run and will likely turn out to be money well spent.

Why the nets should do it.

1. i am making the assumption that Deron doesnt want to stay at NJ through the rebuilding process.

2. They become a instant playoff team with Joe, Lopez and Wallace .

3. They dont lose Deron for nothing

4. They have the cap room to take Joes contract and also sign other players. With the move to NY and a legitimate team, other players would not mind playing for the nets.

What do you think? Good idea?

Ok...go ahead and admit it. You were wrong when you criticized management. There is a reason those guys get paid a lot ot money to do what they do. So here you go.. things that the fans were wrong about and management was right about.Note I am looking at this season alone since no one can predict the future.

1.JOE JOHNSON SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RESIGNED FOR 123M. Well this is really a controversial point but you have got to say that he played pretty well this season i.e. He played up to his salary for the season. My way of judging the deal today is that can the hawks trade Joe? Ths answer is YES!. There are a lot of teams that will gladly take Joe today with his contract. New Jersey, Orlando,Golden State,Milwaukee,Washington,Sacramento etc. All these teams will gladly take Joe and his huge contract. So right now, the contract is worth it. Plus , you have to admit that not resigning joe would have made us a lottery team this season.

2. AL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER ON THE HAWKS TEAM. Sorry guys as much as you would like to not admit it, the honor still goes to JOE!!!. Joe is still numero uno. Yes even ahead of Josh. He is the only Hawks player that can create his own shot and demands a double team.

3. RENT A BENCH WAS NOT THE BEST STRATEGY . Given the short season, the best strategy for the Hawks was the rent a bench strategy. Signing guys like Sy and Benson would have been a bad idea given the limited time that he would have had to learn the game and the limited contribution they would have had this season. The vets have done it for a long time and were more than able to hold their own.It really helped the Hawks the season. It turns out that the best strategy for a short and compressed season is using vets on the bench. No time to "groom" players.

4. THE KIRK DEAL FOR 2 PICKS WAS A BAD DEAL. Based on how kirk played this year and the fact that crawford is at best a backup and the pick from what is turning into a very weak 2011 draft, it is safe to say that the trade was not bad. There is no way either crawford or the pick would have been a rotation player, plus can you imagine the Hawks with the current Mike Bibby ?? ugghh

5.LARRY DREW WAS THE WRONG CHOICE. Larry Drew being on the short list of coach of the year already proves that he was obviously not the wrong choice.

So go ahead and admit it..>YOU WERE WRONG!!!

i am a joe fan but sometimes he seems to be disinterested in playing and josh has to carry the team. his contract should be incentive enough to go out and lead this team every game like all other super stars, basketball is an agressive game and the teams that win are agressive every game,a superstar can't take games off. maybe management needs to really take a look at the mental makeup of this team.we fans are sick and tired of atlanta sports teams just trying to get to the playoffs,and i am hereing this all over the city,if the owners are just useing these teams for rightoffs on taxes, please move them somewhere else, we are sick of it!!!!

-There has been some discussion as to the Hawks' chances at making it to the Eastern Conference Finals or beyond. Barring a serious upset in the first round, this road would run through the Heat and the Bulls. Although I am an avid fan of the local team, I love following the NBA league-wide, always trying to watch as many national games as possible, as well as taking advantage of a free week of the NBA League Pass and other opportunities. I would love for the Atlanta Hawks to be talked about as a serious contender and an elite team, but most would not classify them as that this season.

-In this Fanpost, I will attempt to evaluate our chances at an upset of the Heat or Bulls. I'll try to do this as objectively as possible in evaluating the quality of the teams through the use of advanced stats. Now I don't proclaim to be John Hollinger nor can I set up simulations like he and other statistical analysts do, but I'm going to use Hoopdata.com as my source of data (as of April 18, 2012).

-Just how good are the Hawks in comparison to the Heat and the Bulls? A couple of disclaimers: I do realize we have been saddled with many injuries, most notably Al Horford. The Bulls have been without Derrick Rose and Rip Hamilton for some time as well so the stats may not be completely representative of the teams' potential in the postseason when healthy, but it's certainly a good starting point.

-After the jump is a quick and dirty advanced statistical look at the three teams discussed:

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The Dream Selected Tiffany Hayes, a 5'10" Guard from UCONN with their 2nd round pick, and Isabelle Yacoubou, a 6'3" Center from Benin (but plays for the French National Team) with their 3rd round pick.

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Here's my review on Philips Arena. I was wondering if any of you had anything that you feel should be added to the review. Overall I really liked the arena inside and out. My only true knock on the arena is the center hung scoreboard. It just isn't up to par with other NBA arenas I've been to.

Make sure to place your vote for Philips Arena in the poll near the bottom of the page. your vote will be calculated and put into the fan rankings.

Thanks! Philips Arena Review

I think he's a good guy and he probably has fans in every fanbase. But let's be honest the case can be made he is injury prone.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/7794937/derrick-rose-chicago-bulls-walking-boot-game-time-decision-tuesday-source-says

* history of knee tendinitis

Derrick Rose was in a walking boot on Monday after injuring his ankle during Sunday's loss to the Knicks, according to a source.

Rose will be reevaluated on Tuesday morning and his status for Tuesday's rematch against New York is uncertain.

* Rose had missed the previous 12 games due to a groin injury.

* Rose dealt with an ankle injury during last season's playoffs.

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In which professional sport does the Head Coach have the least effect on the team and winning games? I have always had this debate with a number of sports fans and I will hold my opinion to myself so not to affect one's individual opinion on the question. I do believe their are some sports where the team would survive without even having a head coach. Let me know what you think by answering the poll and then we can have a nice little debate as to why you might feel that way. Thanks

(Editor's Note) Let's have some fun this NCAA Title Monday -- Promoted from FanPost -- What say you, Hawks Nation? Ready to cash in Al Horford's Two-Time All-Star stock?

I asked this question on the AJC blog and got more nos than yeses. Let's see what y'all got.

Would you trade Al for Granger straight up?

(more after the jump)

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