Celtics beat back Hawks in Game 5

If they need to, the Boston Celtics could wrap up their series against the Hawks without ever winning a game in Atlanta.

Or, they could make things easier and finish off the Hawks in six.

"We just have to do it there,'' Celtics forward James Posey said Wednesday night after Boston beat the Hawks 110-85 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and earn the chance to clinch on Friday in Atlanta.

The first five games have all gone to the home team.

"We still haven't won a road game, guys,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "We have to do it again. We have to do it on the road now. We have to go in there and play like tonight.''

Paul Pierce scored a playoff-high 22 points, and Ray Allen turned back the Hawks' final charge with three 3-pointers in a 3-minute span of the third quarter in Game 5. Kevin Garnett scored 20 and Allen had 19 to put the Celtics within a victory of advancing to the second round.

In the other playoff game Wednesday night, Washington beat Cleveland 88-87 to cut the Cavaliers' series lead to 3-2.

Boston got a huge lift from its bench in the second quarter, when Sam Cassell scored nine points and Leon Powe had seven with five rebounds while holding Al Horford to a pair of baskets.

"This is my time of the year,'' said Cassell, who was signed in March as a veteran backup for second-year point guard Rajon Rondo. "I love playoff basketball. I understand what it means. I understand what it takes to be successful during this time of year.''

Joe Johnson scored 21, and Horford had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta. Mike Bibby continued to struggle in Boston, scoring six while recording one assist for the third straight road game.

A seventh game, if necessary, would be played in Boston on Sunday, an advantage the Celtics earned with their NBA-best 66-16 record in the regular season. Boston would like to avoid that and get a break from a physical series that saw another flagrant foul when Horford took down Garnett late in the first half and another double-technical when Garnett and Johnson were jawing in the third.

Josh Smith and Hawks coach Mike Woodson also picked up technicals in the aftermath's of Allen's takedown on Horford with 3 minutes left.

"I won't say we lost our composure,'' Johnson said. "It's tough when it feels like things aren't going your way. Temper tantrums tend to fly, and that's part of it.''

The top overall seed wasn't expected to have this much trouble in the first round with an Atlanta team that went 37-45 to grab the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Game 4 featured pushing and shoving that wasn't settled until the league announced on Tuesday that there would be no more fines or suspensions.

Pierce was fined $25,000 by the NBA for a "menacing gesture'' _ allegedly gang-related _ during Game 3. Did it affect Pierce, who scored 18 on 5-for-14 shooting hours after learning of the fine?

"It can't help,'' Rivers said.

Before Wednesday's game, Pierce issued a statement denying it was a gang sign. Then he went out and put his hands to a more useful purpose.

After picking up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, Pierce held out a dismissive arm toward Rivers as if to say: "Relax.''

"I won't foul out,'' he mouthed.

But Rivers took him out, anyway.

And they didn't need him.

Not anymore.

"Pierce got it started for them early,'' Smith said. "Lately he hasn't been getting himself involved in the offense early on, and that's probably been the cause of him not doing well.''

Boston led 60-43 when Atlanta scored the next 11 points to pull within six. But Garnett made a turnaround hook shot, then he passed off to Allen to set up a 3-pointer. Pierce drove for another basket and, after Horford's dunk slowed things down temporarily, Kendrick Perkins answered with a follow dunk that made it 69-56.

After a timeout, Garnett blocked Josh Childress and then Allen hit a 3. Allen threw the ball away and helped the Hawks cut the deficit to 12 points, but then he hit another 3-pointer to give Boston a 75-60 lead.