NBA Games of the Week: Team names only

BOSTON - NOVEMBER 1: Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving and Celtics guard Jaylen Brown celebrate Brown's 26 foot three pointer on an assist by Irving for the 78-54 lead during the third quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Sacramento Kings in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Nov. 1, 2017. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

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BOSTON – NOVEMBER 1: Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving and Celtics guard Jaylen Brown celebrate Brown’s 26 foot three pointer on an assist by Irving for the 78-54 lead during the third quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Sacramento Kings in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Nov. 1, 2017. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

Monday, Nov. 6: Boston at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET

Never let it be said this piece doesn’t require research every week. Did you know the hawk is an important symbol in the Celtic culture? They have great respect for the bird of prey and even assigned it one of their astrological signs. A hawk, anyone born from March 18-April 14, is highly alert to its surroundings and is able to see the big picture. A hawk is able to see how life connects together and can use it to reach its highest success and potential.

In the real world, a hawk was a powerful omen. If a hawk was seen circling, it foretold victory and death — your typical oxymoronic prophecy phased out during the Age of Enlightenment.

In basketball, the Celtics and the Hawks are bookends of a weak Eastern Conference. The Celtics have performed better than expected without Gordon Hayward. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum look like legit NBA players. Kyrie Irving is enjoying the ball movement and playmaking and Al Horford continues to be a beast in all facets.

The Hawks, on the other hand, have lost eight straight, including a gut-wrenching loss to the Sixers. Despite an early 17-point deficit, the Hawks fought back to take the lead in the second half, only to see it slip away into another double-digit loss. The Hawks still play so hard for coach Mike Budenholzer. They’re just talent deprived.

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