Home-court advantage is a valuable thing in the NBA playoffs, and the Boston Celtics have protected it with ease in the first round. The C's downed the Hawks 119-106 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before they head down to Atlanta for Game 3.

Both wins for the Celtics have featured large leads that the Hawks have had to cut into. While Atlanta managed to bring Boston's 22-point lead down to nine early in the fourth quarter, the C's always had an answer.

The Hawks came out firing in Game 2 and looked much better than in Game 1, yet the Green Team was still too much for them. Here are three takeaways from the Celtics' pivotal Game 2 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.

Celtics can beat you in a variety of ways

During the 2022-23 regular season, the Celtics lived behind the 3-point line. Per StatMuse, Boston took 42.6 shots from deep per game, which was the second-most attempts in the entire NBA (and only behind the 3-ball-oriented Golden State Warriors).

So far in the first round, the C's have averaged 33 shots from beyond the arc per game. In fact, they took 15 fewer 3-pointers than the trigger-happy Hawks in Game 2.

Despite not utilizing the 3-ball as much in the playoffs, the Celtics are still finding ways to win. They completely owned the paint in Game 2, as the C's outscored the Hawks 64-40 in that crucial area. Over the course of the regular season, Boston averaged just 46.5 points in the paint per game.

The playoffs are all about taking away the strengths of your opponents. Atlanta seemingly did that on Tuesday night when they allowed just six 3-pointers in the first half, but the Celtics found another way to win.

The C's will be in good shape if they continue to diversify their play style when necessary as they did in Game 2.

Derrick White is the X-factor

Coming into this series it seemed like Celtics guard Derrick White would have a chance to shine. With all the defensive focus on either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, White might get more looks.

Through two games, White has debatably played better than anyone else on either team.

Whenever the Hawks diminished Boston's lead, White was there with an answer. He had 26 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in 33 minutes of play.

The former San Antonio Spur has been Mr. Reliable all year, and he's done it on both ends of the floor. He's vastly improved his shot from beyond the arc and recorded more blocks this season than any other guard in the league. The 28-year-old even swatted Atlanta star Trae Young to create the highlight of the night:

Speaking of Young, White has played solid defense whenever assigned to him. Although he's not the only Celtic tasked with guarding him, he hasn't had much trouble containing the talented point guard. Plus, White has actually outscored Young in both games of the first round much to the Hawks' chagrin.

Jayson Tatum doing more than just scoring

Everyone knows Jayson Tatum can score. He had more points in the regular season than anyone else and became the first Celtic ever to average more than 30 points per game.

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In Game 2, Tatum did more than just score, which was a major key to Boston's success. The Celtics star put up 29 points as well as 10 rebounds and six assists.

Those rebounds were especially crucial, as the Hawks were getting a lot of 50-50 balls on offense that led to second-chance points. If not for Tatum, Atlanta's 49-44 rebound margin would've been a lot wider.

As for his assists, Tatum averaged a career-high 4.6 per outing during the regular season. He surpassed that mark with ease during Game 2 and made big passes down the stretch. For example, this amazing assist to Celtics center Al Horford all but sealed the win for Boston:

In order for the C's to thrive, Tatum has to continue to make the right play under heavy defensive pressure. The Hawks were showing him a lot of double-teams, but luckily the 4-time All-Star has a lot of talented teammates to swing the ball to.

The Celtics reveled in the luxuries of home court in Games 1 and 2, yet now they'll head down south. They'll take on the Hawks in Atlanta on Friday night at 7 P.M. EST for Game 3 of the first-round matchup.