The Boston Celtics hold a commanding 2-0 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round playoff series.
On Friday, April 21, the two teams will face off for their first game in the State Farm Arena, with both Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon set to play in front of a hometown crowd. However, during a post-practice media session, Brogdon revealed that despite growing up in Georgia, he wasn’t much of a Hawks fan, as the fanbase itself isn’t very dedicated.
“For me, I’m tied to this city, I love Atlanta. This is home,” Brogdon said. “This will always be home. I will always have some type of house or tie here. As far as this franchise, no, I mean historically, these fans haven’t always been the most dedicated, including myself coming up. I was always an NBA fan, but not Hawks specifically.”
Yet, the Hawks will be hoping for a rapturous crowd as they go toe-to-toe with the reigning Eastern Conference champions, as another loss would all but seal their fate as a first-round exit.
Malcolm Brogdon Discussed Winning 6MOY Award
During the same media session, Brogdon was asked about being named the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year, with the veteran guard praising his teammates and coaches while also discussing the sacrifices he made throughout the season.
Malcolm Brogdon talks about being named NBA 6th Man of the Year last night…
“Man [I’m] just happy,” Brogdon said. “Lot of sacrifices this year. A lot of hard work building up to this year. A lot of excitement and anticipation, not for the award but for the season…This team, this group of guys, this organization has been what I thought it would be and what I wanted it to be so, you know, I’m in a really good situation. This team, this organization, my teammates have been the biggest part of the reason why I won that award so it’s a team award. Everybody’s sacrificing.”
Brogdon, 30, has been exceptional off the Celtics bench this year, ending the regular season with a statline of 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 44.4% from three-point range.
Derrick White Aims to Keep Celtics Focused
Another guard who has been impressing Celtics fans recently is Derrick White, with the veteran ball-handler earning himself a spot in the starting rotation due to his all-action displays throughout the final few weeks of the season.
Often seen as a quiet competitor, it would appear that White is beginning to embrace a role as one of the leaders of the Celtics roster. During his post-game press conference following the Celtics’ April 18 victory over the Hawks, White ensured to remind his team that their upcoming road trip to Atlanta would pose some difficult challenges.
“The real challenge of the playoffs is winning on the road”
Derrick White says the Celtics still need to play better if they want to close out this series
“We did what we were supposed to do. [We] held [home court advantage] and now we got the real challenge of the playoffs which is winning on the road,” White said. “I know they’re going to play better at home and we’re going to have to step up our level of play.”
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Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon Shades Hawks Fans Ahead of Game 3