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Atlanta Forces Unlikely Game 7

The Associated Press

Published: May 3, 2008

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Hawks just won't let go of their first trip to the postseason in nine years.

The playoff team with the worst record did it again to the team with the best mark, forcing an improbable Game 7 with the Boston Celtics, as Joe Johnson hit a crucial 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining and the Hawks held on for a 103-100 victory Friday night.

The Hawks, just 37-45 during the regular season, have now beaten the Celtics three times in the span of a week to set up a deciding game in a series that was supposed to be a sweep. After all, Boston went an NBA-leading 66-16 and defeated Atlanta in all three meetings before the playoffs.

But, against all odds, the Hawks are heading to Boston for Game 7 on Sunday.

"Seven! Seven! Seven!" chanted the record crowd of 20,425 at Philips Arena.

The Celtics are still the favorite, having won all three games on their home court in the series by an average of 22 points. But the Hawks have lasted longer than anyone would have expected.

BOSTON (100) - Pierce 7-12 2-4 17, Garnett 8-17 6-8 22, Perkins 5-5 4-4 14, Rondo 4-14 0-0 8, R.Allen 8-19 3-3 20, Cassell 2-8 0-0 4, Posey 2-4 0-0 6, Powe 2-2 5-6 9, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, T.Allen 0-0 0-0 0, House 0-0 0-0 0, Davis 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 38-82 20-25 100.

ATLANTA (103) - Williams 6-9 6-6 18, Smith 3-8 5-6 11, Horford 5-10 6-7 16, Bibby 6-17 5-8 17, Johnson 4-13 6-7 15, Childress 6-8 3-4 15, Pachulia 3-4 3-7 9, Law 0-0 2-2 2, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, West 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-69 36-47 103.

Boston	32	18	32	18	-	100
Atlanta	20	29	30	24	-	103

3-Point Goals-Boston 4-19 (Posey 2-4, Pierce 1-2, R.Allen 1-8, Rondo 0-2, Cassell 0-3), Atlanta 1-7 (Johnson 1-2, Smith 0-1, Bibby 0-4). Fouled Out-Pierce. Rebounds-Boston 46 (Garnett, Posey 7), Atlanta 50 (Bibby, Pachulia, Smith, Childress 6). Assists-Boston 25 (Pierce, Garnett 6), Atlanta 25 (Bibby 7). Total Fouls-Boston 33, Atlanta 23. Technicals-Cassell, Pierce, Johnson, Atlanta Coach Woodson. A-20,425 (18,729).
James Keys Cavs' Series Victory

WASHINGTON - LeBron James was everywhere and did a little bit of everything.

And, just as he seems to do every spring, he led the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs.

James compiled 27 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for his third career playoff triple-double, all the while helping slow Caron Butler at the defensive end, and the Cavaliers beat the Wizards 105-88 to end their contentious series in six games.

CLEVELAND (105) - James 8-17 10-10 27, Wallace 2-4 0-0 4, Ilgauskas 5-9 2-4 12, Szczerbiak 9-18 2-2 26, West 2-8 0-0 4, Varejao 1-2 0-0 2, Smith 4-7 0-0 8, Gibson 9-14 0-1 22, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Dw.Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Pavlovic 0-1 0-0 0, Da.Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 40-81 14-17 105.

WASHINGTON (88) - Butler 6-14 6-7 18, Jamison 9-22 3-5 23, Haywood 6-10 1-2 13, Stevenson 2-9 4-4 10, Daniels 2-5 4-4 8, Blatche 2-6 0-0 4, Mason 3-11 0-0 7, Young 1-1 3-4 5, McGuire 0-0 0-0 0, Pecherov 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-78 21-26 88.

Cleveland	27	29	23	26	-	105
Wash.	31	17	16	24	-	88

3-Point Goals-Cleveland 11-24 (Szczerbiak 6-13, Gibson 4-6, James 1-2, Pavlovic 0-1, West 0-1, Brown 0-1), Washington 5-21 (Jamison 2-5, Stevenson 2-5, Mason 1-7, Butler 0-4). Rebounds-Cleveland 51 (James 13), Washington 45 (Jamison 15). Assists-Cleveland 29 (James 13), Washington 11 (Daniels 5). Total Fouls-Cleveland 20, Washington 18. Technicals-James, West, Butler. A-20,173.

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