From Elias: Kevin Garnett had 28 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots on Thursday night, helping the Celtics eliminate the Hawks in the first round. Garnett was the first player to reach those three statistical levels in a series-clinching win since Shaquille O’Neal registered 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks for the Heat in Game Six of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals versus the Pistons.

(Source: ESPN)

From Elias: Josh Smith collected a game-high 16 rebounds, helping the Hawks achieve a 41-33 advantage over the Celtics in that category, as Atlanta survived by the minimum margin, defeating Boston, 87-86, in Game Five of their first-round series. Smith has 59 rebounds in the four games in the series in which he has played; his average of 14.8 rebounds per game leads all players on any of the 16 teams in this year’s playoffs.

Smith has had at least 12 rebounds in all four games in which he’s played in the series. The only other players to have a dozen or more rebounds four times in one series when facing Kevin Garnett are Shaquille O’Neal (twice, in 2003 and 2004) and Pau Gasol (in the 2010 NBA Finals).

(Source: ESPN)