Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was on hand as the Hawks and Celtics squared off in Game 4 at TD Garden. Paul Pierce#39;s transition three gave Boston a 17 point lead midway through the second. quot;The Truthquot; hurt his knee later in the period but he returned after intermission with his shooting touch still in tact. Pierce netted a game-high 24 points on 10-13 shooting in only 17 minutes of action ...

BOSTON (AP) Paul Pierce scored 24 points in 18 minutes and the Boston Celtics opened a 37-point third-quarter lead before coasting to a 101-79 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

BOSTON, May 6 (UPI) -- Boston#39;s Paul Pierce put in 24 points Sunday and the Celtics took a commanding lead in their first-round playoff series by whipping Atlanta 101-79.

Boston Celtics#39; Paul Pierce (34) is called for an offensive foul against Atlanta Hawks#39; Josh Smith in the first quarter of Game 1 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 29, 2012, in Atlanta.

The Boston Celtics have little to worry about with the regular season winding down. They have already earned a spot in the playoffs, will likely win the Atlantic Division, and Paul Pierce is on top of his game as shown by his 43-point performance in the Celtics#39; 118-110 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, April 17.