Talking to the guys in the locker room, they all think they need to try to get out and run more. The Celtics defense is the best in the NBA, but it is most effective in the halfcourt. If the Hawks can get some cheap ones by beating Boston downcourt, it may help them loosen things up and not find themselves in a situation where they are fighting tooth and nail for every bucket.

Bob Rathbun and I did a little playoff mini-podcast today, and we talked about the importance of taking advantage of every possession. The Hawks had a tough time scoring in Game 1, due in part to cold shooting. The inability to put the ball in the basket put a lot of pressure on Joe Johnson, who was really the only player able to get his own offense going throughout the game. If the team can get JJ and Mike Bibby untracked a bit early in Game 2, it will open things up for everyone else.

A few other interesting notes to pass along from practice today. First of all, during Bibby's conversation with some of the local media, he took a couple shots at the Boston fans. I have a feeling it'll probably get some play in the media up here as people love to look for bulletin board material, and I'm sure it will mean some boos for him in the game tomorrow, but that doesn't mean he was wrong. Apparently the Hawks were getting it pretty heavily from some fans behind the bench during Game 1, and Bibby's memories of fans dressed as empty seats from the Celtics' 22-win season a year ago haven't faded. Personally, I think Mike knew exactly what he was doing, and I think whatever response his comments end up eliciting will just give him fuel to redeem himself for the tough outing he had on Sunday.

Aside from practices, there's been a lot of time to kill the last couple days. I've seen several players walking around the area surrounding the hotel, and Salim Stoudamire and I each spent 20-30 minutes wandering aimlessly around a Whole Foods (seriously - there are way too many options there). But maybe the coolest thing anyone has done has been to hang out at David Ortiz's house, which is what Al Horford did last night. Big Papi and Big Al are both Dominicans, and have become familiar with each other over the past couple years though they've never really had the chance to hang out. So Ortiz had Horford over last night, and according to Al it was as if they'd known each other for years. Big Papi had some words of encouragement for Al, and Al invited him to visit him in Atlanta some time (though the Red Sox don't play in Atlanta any time soon). I wonder if Boston fans will take kindly to a Boston athlete potentially rooting for an enemy player?

Horford isn't the only one who spent some time with the stars though - while I was running on the treadmill this morning at the gym, none other than Bruce Willis came in to work out with his trainer. Not bad, eh?