Hawks’ biggest adjustment might be mental entering Game 6

5:28 PM ET

ATLANTA –- Before this first-round series between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks started, Kent Bazemore had only heard stories about what it was like to compete in a playoff game in Boston.

To hear the Hawks swingman tell it, the experience sounded almost mythical — like something of legend. You could practically envision the black-and-white footage of the Celtics’ storied past and all the greats who have donned the green and white when he discussed playing a postseason game there for the first time prior to last Friday’s Game 3.

On Thursday, Bazemore and the Hawks return to TD Garden for Game 6 feeling more confident, even if they have lost their past two there. If they were the slightest bit in awe or affected at all by the Celtics’ mystique in Games 3 and 4 in Boston, the Hawks return saying they fully know what to expect now that they have lived the experience in one of the loudest and most hostile environments in the NBA.

“The intensity [in Boston],” Bazemore said after the Hawks crushed the Celtics 110-83 in Tuesday’s Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. “It is a different level up there. That franchise, that town, is used to seeing the NBA Finals there. They have a different aura there when you step into that gym.

“It is definitely a different atmosphere,” he added. “Some players thrive in it, and it is tough for others. With us going up there and losing two tough games, this one should be a tad bit easier on the mind knowing we have already been there and battled.”

Kent Bazemore knows the Hawks won’t be able to feed off the energy of their home fans in Game 6 in …

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