Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) drives against Boston Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko (8) during the second quarter in Game 3 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Friday, April 22, 2016, in Boston.
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James converted a critical three-point play with 2:09 left for the Cavs, who fell behind in the fourth after leading by 18.
Cleveland easily took care of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals, sweeping the series in four games.
This was by no means easy, however.
The state of the Cavs seem to always depend on their next game. Game three was his most notable performance wherein he scored a career-high 42 points.
The Hawks open the second round on Monday at Cleveland.
Another key matchup in this series will be the battle of point guards. The Warriors will be much tougher for them to deal with.
Even Twitter doesn’t give the Hawks a chance. “No moral victories, but you want to keep your mojo positive”.
“It’s important that we’re completely transparent and we get the information out there and people understand that we’re upfront about it and we admit mistakes”, he said.
James’ three-point play, which he punctuated by flexing his biceps, came after he stripped the ball from Schroder and the Cavs kept their possession alive with a pair of offensive rebounds, one by Tristan Thompson, the other by J.R. Smith. But the Hawks may be better prepared to make things hard for the Cavs this time around.
Paul Millsap added 17 points while Kent Bazemore finished with 16 points for the beaten visitors. They were No. 2 in assists per game (25.6), secondary assists, or hockey assists, per game (7.3) and assists created per game, according to stats.nba.com.
With Cleveland’s sell-out crowd roaring, the Hawks looked to be in big trouble.
Whatever helps you wake up in the morning, said Bazemore, who will likely get the first crack at guarding James. Atlanta Hawks Mike Scott, left, gets five from Thabo Sefolosha after getting a defensive turn over against Boston Celtics Isaiah Thomas during the second half in Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketba… “We know we’re going to get attacks to the basket, so if other guys like Swish, Kyrie and Kevin are using the three, it’s probably to our favor”. While neither mentioned any name in their posts, fans believe that both All-Star players hinted at leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to seek a fresh start somewhere else.
As daunting as the task might be – offering what resistance one can while giving up an inch or two and 30 to 40 pounds against a postseason-locked-and-loaded James – it is one Sefolosha will cherish.
“I’m excited to be in this position”, Al Horford said. “I can’t catch a break with my shoulders”.
Feeling confident after an opening-round win over Boston but a big underdog against the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks returned to practice Saturday to begin preparations for the best-of-seven series. Furthermore, the Trail Blazers are a very good home team and they could look completely different once the series shifts to Portland. The Spurs beat the Thunder in game 1 by 38 points, and this was a series that many people thought would go to seven games. The Hawks are making their ninth straight playoff appearance, the second-longest streak in the National Basketball Association to San Antonio’s 19 in a row. They are playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
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The final score doesn’t show it, but the Cavs needed some clutch plays from James to survive this one. Every game is its own playoff series.
