BOSTON -- 11.
It is the number of three-point shots the Boston Celtics attempted -- and missed -- in their Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It is also the same number of three-point shots they made in their critical Game 4 victory to take a 3-1 lead in the first round series.
On Sunday night the Celtics went 11-for-26 from long range in their 101-79 win. Paul Pierce shot 4-for-6 in less 17 minutes while Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Keyon Dooling each added a pair. Avery Bradley also made a trey.
The offensive performance was a complete turnaround from just a week ago when the Celtics were outscored 21-0 from beyond the arc. In Game 2, they shot 3-for-14 (21.4) and continued to struggle in Game 3 (4-for-20, 20.0).
When you have Rajon Rondo as your point guard, youre going to get some open looks, said Dooling, who is shooting 4-for-8 in the series. Tonight we were able to knock some down. Obviously its been a problem in the series the first couple games, not being able to shoot the ball from the three-point line. But weve got Ray Allen back now. That always helps.
The Hawks took notice to the Celtics three-point attack. As they look ahead to a Game 5, they will focus on limiting the Cs long-range game as they fight to avoid elimination in Atlanta.
I tell you what, they were struggling but they hit some shots, said Al Horford. Everybody was hitting shots, it seemed like. Thats something that we need to get better at because we cant beat them if theyre shooting the ball from three that well.