Author’s Note: This preview was written before the Boston Celtics game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
How the mighty have fallen. The Celtics come to town riding a three-game losing streak. Those losses—to the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, and New York Knicks, respectively—have dropped Boston’s record to a piddling 9-9. If they weren’t in the Eastern Conference, they wouldn’t be in the playoff picture. This is a team that took the LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.