Game wasn't a blockbuster

Celtics determined after film session

After sitting through a film review of their Game 3 loss, Celtics players Leon Powe (left) and Sam Cassell try to work out the kinks in the lobby of their Atlanta hotel. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

ATLANTA - The Celtics spent about 90 minutes yesterday watching a film they knew had a bad ending.

Practice yesterday at Morehouse College was canceled, and the team had possibly its longest film session of the season at its hotel instead. The detailed viewing came on the heels of Boston's 102-93 Game 3 loss to the Hawks Saturday at Philips Arena. The Celtics, the Eastern Conference's top seed, hold a 2-1 lead over eighth seed Atlanta in the best-of-seven first-round series, with Game 4 here tonight.

"Obviously, it was a long one," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers about the film session. "No. 1, we couldn't get anything [done] by going out on the floor. We needed to watch film and just look. No. 2, [the Hawks] are not going to go away. We have to play . . . we just didn't think we did things in our team character."

Rivers said the coaching staff did something it rarely does by breaking up the session into offensive and defensive segments from quarter to quarter. While saying there were too many points made to mention them all, Rivers did emphasize several things.

"Offensively, we were walking to our spots," the coach said. "No sense of urgency. No picks. Our cuts were soft.

"Defensively, very much the same. Even if we are in character, we still have to fight to win the game. But we were so out of character."

Immediately after the loss, Rivers said that while Boston played hard, it was more of an individual effort than a team effort on both ends. His players didn't disagree.

The Hawks shot 47.4 percent from the field and nailed 10 of 18 3-pointers. Every Atlanta starter scored at least 12 points. Boston was outrebounded, 43-35, and allowed 18 second-chance points. The Celtics were outscored, 28-18, in the third quarter and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined for 10-of-27 shooting from the field. Allen said that having a sense of urgency tonight was discussed strongly during the review of Game 3.

"We'll come out with a better sense of urgency," Pierce said. "I think we'll come out a little more physical than we did. Once we watched the film, [we realized] that's not the team that we are. We know what type of team we are. We have to get back to that.

"That's one of the more extensive [film sessions]. But that's what you do in the playoffs, you focus on one team, especially after you make as many mistakes as we made. It was good for us to really get in there to see what we were doing so we could correct it."

Forward Kevin Garnett, who had 32 points and 10 rebounds in Game 3, said: "Oh man [watching the mistakes] was terrible. They say the film doesn't lie. It was productive and it was good. It put everything in perspective."

The rejuvenated Hawks had a walkthrough and a 30-minute film session at Philips Arena yesterday. Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said he didn't believe Boston took his team lightly.

"In a playoff series, a team that has the home-court advantage, they have to take care of business at home," Woodson said. "I was so anxious to see how we responded, to see if we could answer the bell. And we did."

Said Rivers: "I didn't think [the Hawks] were going to go away. They shouldn't go away. They are in the playoffs. They are at home. No one has done anything in this series. There have been three games and the home team has won [each time]."

"[Tonight's] another day, another big day," Woodson said. "If we can win, now the pressure is back on them."

Allen said: "It's an urgency feeling. You're just desperate. Desperation-like, you got to get the loose ball, you got to get the rebound, you got to make the easy play and get back on defense.

"Just simple stuff done well over and over again."

Peter May of the Globe staff contributed to this report.