It is halftime in Atlanta, and it's time for a jinx or two. The Hawks lead Boston 51-48, on the backs of Mike Bibby (18 points on 6 shots), Josh Smith (5 blocks in 13 minutes), and ... Solomon Jones, whom -- I am not ashamed to admit -- I had little idea existed before the 2-minute warning.

Jones shows only a single rebound and a single block in the ledger, but the rebound should have been worth three and the block was a massive one to end the half. Meanwhile for the Celtics, Paul Pierce has decided to be the snarliest jump-shooter ever, and Ray Allen has joined him in hitting some treys. But the C's aren't finishing in the lane ... something they are typically quite good at.

The best part of the game so far? The Hawks are a-yappin'. Zaza Pachulia looking like he's going to punch out Kevin Garnett, Al Horford trying to screen Ray into oblivion, assistant coaches talking about Boston losing its composure. Wild times.

(I really don't mean to jinx this, and several folks (Matt Moore, most vocally) have tried to talk me out of writing this post alerting the non-viewing population of this highly enjoyable fight. But it is my duty as an American to document this.)

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Celtics-Hawks game tonight.

1. You Got A Smart Mouth, Kid: Al Horford actually talked trash to Paul Pierce. A rookie! To Paul Pierce! If you want to keep your eye on something, keep an eye on those two. Now, the obvious thought is that Pierce is going to go out and light up the Hawks like a Christmas tree. But doesn't that seem predictable? You throw in the fact that Pierce hasn't broken 20 points yet and it becomes an interesting question. On the other side, do the Celtics hammer Horford to send a message? Or does Horford go off, fueled by the adrenaline? And if he goes off, at home, with the crowd going nuts, will the rest of the Hawks respond? Unlike Washington-Cleveland and the Bibby lameness, this kind of behavior is actually kind of intriguing. You've got Al Horford, who's not much younger than Josh Smith, vocally and publicly saying "I'm not scared of you." We'll see if his courage holds up tonight.

2. Not To Rouse The Green: I don't want to invite the hordes of Celtics fans to slog this post with "U R SO WRONG, THE CELTICS ARE AWESOME!" but we might want to discuss just how good this team has been this series. However, I know being up 2-1 after posting the best record in the league probably earns you some credit. So I'm going to point out something alarming for the Celtics, then talk about how awesome they are. Okay? I feel like I'm negotiating with armed madmen, here. Okay, so I know they blew the Hawks out in the first two games. But I feel like it's my duty to inform the Celtics nation that things aren't perfect so far. Of the Boston Big Three, only Kevin Garnett has scored more than 20 points in a game, and that was 32 points in the loss in Game 3. The Celtics are only shooting 2.8% better than the Hawks so far in this series, and the Hawks are hanging with them in rebounds and blocked shots. I'm just saying, this is the 8th seed. Boston needs to play like it, blowouts or no blowouts.

Ah, Mike Bibby. Have you learned nothing from DeShawn Stevenson? Don't get me wrong, I find it very refreshing to hear NBA players call out the opposing team's fans or star player. But if you don't perform after doing so, prepare to feel the wrath of those you taunted. In DeShawn's case it was Damon Jones of all people; in Bibby's case it was the Celtics' fans.

In case it wasn't abundantly clear, that was a chant of "Rondo's better" that rained down from the Celtics' faithful. I'm not sure how much of a burn this really is for Bibby, considering the fans are merely pointing out what has been -- at least in this series -- simply an irrefutable fact.

[video via Odenized]