Atlanta guard Josh Childress tries for a block as Kevin Garnett drives to the basket during Game 1 of last night’s Celtics-Hawks playoff series at the TD Banknorth Garden.

C’s get the jump with Game 1 win

All-around effort the difference in blowout

NBA. The drive for an unprecedented 17th title got off to a fine start last night as the Celtics clipped the Hawks 104-81 at a raucous TD Banknorth Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

After breezing through the regular season with the best record in the NBA for the first time in 22 years, the Celtics didn’t disappoint in the playoff opener. They built an instantaneous double-digit lead, used contributions from their three stars and dismantled the Hawks with a complete performance on both ends of the court.

The Celtics will try to double their lead in the best-of-seven series when they host the Hawks in Game 2 Wednesday night.

Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 10 assists. Ray Allen scored a team-high 18 points, including 12 in the third quarter. And Paul Pierce added 16 points.

Pierce and the Celtics got off to a quick start, as the C’s captain hit three 3-pointers in the game’s first five minutes to push Boston to an early 14-4 advantage. While the Celtics fed off of the wild crowd, the Hawks looked rattled, throwing up shots that hit all glass if they hit anything at all and turning the ball over — often unabated — six times in the opening quarter.

Rajon Rondo, who had 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds, came to life midway through the first quarter, when he scored nine points as the Celtics led by as many as 14.

The Hawks crept back into the game in the second, though, taking advantage of inconsistencies in the Celtics’ second unit. Atlanta drew to within four points three times, but C’s backup point guard Sam Cassell, who scored seven points in the second quarter, knock-ed down a momentum-changing 3-pointer from the left arc to push the lead to 38-31. The C’s extended the lead to 44-32 on a Pierce free throw and led 49-40 at the break.

Allen lifted the Celtics with a dozen points in a four-minute span in the third quarter, and Rondo closed out the third on a personal 6-0 run to give the C’s a 73-55 lead. The Hawks never sniffed a potential fourth-quarter comeback.NBA. The drive for an unprecedented 17th title got off to a fine start last night as the Celtics clipped the Hawks 104-81 at a raucous TD Banknorth Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

After breezing through the regular season with the best record in the NBA for the first time in 22 years, the Celtics didn’t disappoint in the playoff opener. They built an instantaneous double-digit lead, used contributions from their three stars and dismantled the Hawks with a complete performance on both ends of the court.

The Celtics will try to double their lead in the best-of-seven series when they host the Hawks in Game 2 Wednesday night.

Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 10 assists. Ray Allen scored a team-high 18 points, including 12 in the third quarter. And Paul Pierce added 16 points.

Pierce and the Celtics got off to a quick start, as the C’s captain hit three 3-pointers in the game’s first five minutes to push Boston to an early 14-4 advantage. While the Celtics fed off of the wild crowd, the Hawks looked rattled, throwing up shots that hit all glass if they hit anything at all and turning the ball over — often unabated — six times in the opening quarter.

Rajon Rondo, who had 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds, came to life midway through the first quarter, when he scored nine points as the Celtics led by as many as 14.

The Hawks crept back into the game in the second, though, taking advantage of inconsistencies in the Celtics’ second unit. Atlanta drew to within four points three times, but C’s backup point guard Sam Cassell, who scored seven points in the second quarter, knock-ed down a momentum-changing 3-pointer from the left arc to push the lead to 38-31. The C’s extended the lead to 44-32 on a Pierce free throw and led 49-40 at the break.

Allen lifted the Celtics with a dozen points in a four-minute span in the third quarter, and Rondo closed out the third on a personal 6-0 run to give the C’s a 73-55 lead. The Hawks never sniffed a potential fourth-quarter comeback.