The Atlanta Hawks have a nasty habit of blowout losses in the postseason.
In their 27 postseason defeats, beginning with the 2007-2008 season, the Hawks have lost 22 playoff games by double digits. In 12 of those 22 double-digit defeats, the Hawks lost by 20 points or more.
The shocking trend continued in Game 4 of the 2012 first round, in Boston, Massachusetts, where the Celtics rolled the Hawks 101-79 to take a decisive 3-1 series advantage.
The Hawks' season is on life support, and the squad is pushed to the brink of elimination after losing three consecutive games in the series.
The Hawks should not be in this position. They let the Celtics steal Game 2 in Philips Arena without Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen.
In Game 3, the Hawks took the Celtics into overtime, but they could not muster any offense in that extra period.
In Game 4, Atlanta was never in the ballgame, as Boston could not miss early on and jumped out to a halftime lead of 64-41.
As a result, the Hawks will have to win three consecutive games against the Celtics if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the fourth consecutive season.
These Hawks have overcome adversity before, but this is a daunting task.
In the 2010 first round against Milwaukee, they won two straight elimination games, including the series-clinching victory in Game 7.
But the Celtics are much better than those Bucks, and the Hawks don't have any answers right now for Boston's quartet of offensive weapons.
Rondo continues to carve up the Hawks' defense while Atlanta is playing off him, daring him to shoot and allowing an open passing lane to find teammates. Rondo is averaging 15.67 points and 13 assists per game in this series.
When the Celtics shoot the way they did early in Game 4, no team in the NBA can beat them.
In addition, the Celtics are playing tremendous defense by forcing the Hawks to shoot erratic shots with the shot clock winding down and forcing bad turnovers.
Atlanta is averaging 81.5 points per game in this series. Boston passed that plateau midway through the third quarter in Game 4.
Joe Johnson, the man earning a max-deal with the Hawks, only took four first-half shots. Al Horford, the man who hadn't played in months, was a bigger part of the offense than Johnson.
While Horford and Josh Smith's return for Game 4 were nice going forward, neither player provided Atlanta with an emotional lift, and both struggled from the defensive side of the court.
Unless Atlanta can complete a 180-degree turnaround in Game 5, their playoff run will be over.
Brian Wilson Eli Whiteside Mike Fontenot Brett Pill Pat Burrell Jhan Marinez
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