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If the Hawks weren't in such desperate need of a victory against the Celtics Sunday, forward Josh Smith might have sat this one out.

“I would probably be more cautious with the decision but this is a must-win game for us,” Smith said before Game 4.

So Smith played with a sore left knee and center Al Horford returned after four months out following pectoral surgery. The Hawks were healthier than they'd been in a long time and encouraged by pushing Boston to overtime in Game 3.

It took a little more than 18 minutes for the Celtics to make all of that irrelevant and send the Hawks to the brink of playoff elimination.

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