Gary Washburn stops by Arbella Early Edition to discuss Trae Young ahead of the Celtics’ first-round matchup with the Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are not an unfamiliar opponent for the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs.
In fact, their upcoming first-round series will mark the 13th time these teams have met in the postseason. Few teams have played the Celtics more often in the playoffs.
Celtics-Hawks tale of the tape: Key stats to know for Round 1 series
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SIGN UP HERE This rivalry is full of memorable games, performances and moments. The Celtics have dominated this matchup with a 10-2 series record. In fact, since the Hawks moved from St. Louis to Atlanta in 1968, the Celtics have won seven of eight playoff series in this matchup.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at each of the first 12 playoff series between the C's and Hawks.
1957 NBA Finals (BOS wins 4-3)
The Celtics won their first of 17 championships with a 125-123 Game 7 triumph over the Hawks at the old Boston Garden. Celtics rookie Tommy Heinsohn led the C's with 37 points and 23 rebounds.
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1958 NBA Finals (STL wins 4-2)
The Hawks got their revenge the following year and beat the Celtics to win the NBA Finals. However, the C's drew plenty of motivation from this defeat and went on to win eight straight titles from 1959 through 1966. We've never seen anything else like it in NBA playoff history.
1960 NBA Finals (BOS wins 4-3)
The Celtics won their third title with a 122-103 win over the Hawks in Game 7. Boston had six players score in double figures. Legendary Celtics center Bill Russell scored 22 points with a game-high 35 (!) rebounds.
1961 NBA Finals (BOS wins 4-1)
Bill Russell's 38 points and 31 rebounds propelled the Celtics to their third consecutive championship.
1972 Conference Semifinals (BOS wins 4-2)
John Havlicek scored 28.8 points per game as the Celtics eliminated the Hawks in six games. Boston's playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference Finals in a five-game series loss to the New York Knicks.
1973 Conference Semifinals (BOS wins 4-2)
The Celtics won a team record 68 games in 1973 and opened the playoffs with another six-game series victory over the Hawks. Boston lost to the Knicks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but bounced back in 1974 by winning the NBA Finals.
1983 First Round (BOS wins 2-1)
The 1983 playoffs were a major disappointment for the Celtics because they were swept for the first time in team history during an Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the Milwaukee Bucks. But before that matchup, the C's defeated the Hawks in Round 1. Larry Bird scored 26 points in a must-win Game 3 to close out the series.
1986 Conference Semifinals (BOS wins 4-1)
The 1985-86 Celtics are arguably the greatest basketball team of all time. They showed it in Game 5 of this series by outscoring the Hawks 36-6 in the third quarter en route to a 132-99 victory to advance to the conference finals. The C's at one point, between the second and third quarters, went on a 24-0 run. It was absolutely beautiful basketball and maybe the most impressive 12 minutes in franchise history.
The Celtics went on to sweep the Bucks in the conference finals before eliminating the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
1988 Conference Semifinals (BOS wins 4-3)
Game 7 of the 1988 conference semifinals between the Celtics and Hawks is one of the most memorable matchups in playoff history. It's known for the epic duel between Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins.
Wilkins had a slightly more impressive stat line with 47 points (19-of-23 shooting) with five rebounds and three assists. But Bird's points came in the clutch. He scored 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter as Boston earned a 118-116 series-clinching victory.
2008 First Round (BOS wins 4-3)
The Celtics surprisingly had a lot of trouble with the Hawks in the first playoff series of the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett-Ray Allen era. The C's lost all three games in Atlanta before returning to Boston and eliminating the Hawks with an easy 99-65 Game 7 win. The Celtics shot 3-of-18 from 3-point range and still won by 34. Paul Pierce led Boston with 22 points.
The C's went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals to win their first title since 1986.
2012 First Round (BOS wins 4-2)
Kevin Garnett's 28 points and 14 rebounds helped the Celtics eliminate the Hawks in Game 6. The Celtics defeated the 76ers in Game 7 in the conference semifinals before losing a Game 7 to the Miami Heat in the conference finals.
2016 First Round (ATL wins 4-2)
The Hawks' lone playoff series triumph over the Celtics after moving to Atlanta in 1968 was a 2016 first-round win. After the Celtics tied the series with a pair of wins at TD Garden in Games 3 and 4, the Hawks closed it out with victories in Games 5 and 6. Isaiah Thomas led the C's with 24.2 points per game in the series.
