James converted a critical three-point play with 2:09 left for the Cavs, who fell behind in the fourth after leading by 18. Atlanta’s offense bogged down in crunch time and the Hawks only scored two field goals in the final four minutes.
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Had Game 1 ended after 44 minutes, the Hawks would have won it. It didn’t and they didn’t. I really liked the way the Hawks bounced back against the Celtics to close out the series but I don’t have them winning any more than one game at the most in this series. “If you lose four in a row, then you’re out of the playoffs”. Cleveland swept Atlanta in last year’s Eastern Conference finals and has won eight consecutive over the Hawks.
Meanwhile for the Hawks, reserve point guard Dennis Schröder stood out scoring 27 points, which came along with three rebounds and six assists. They handled third quarters much better against the Pistons in the first round, but ran into problems again Monday night late in the quarter after building an 18-point lead with about 16 minutes to play.
Carroll, who the Hawks used to face-up against James a year ago is gone and the matchup of Carroll vs. James a year ago didn’t work with DeMarre working with only one good knee.
The Cavs haven’t played since finishing off the Pistons in Game 4 on April 24, and James wants to keep the Cavs focused. The league has so many bad teams that a team like Atlanta can win 48 games and comfortably qualify for the playoffs, which the Hawks did.
The Cavs took control early, establishing a comfortable lead, and seemed like they were going to run away with the victory. Its just a step for us in the right direction..
TWITTER TOUGHNESS: Bazemore doesn’t like James and vice versa.
Tyronn Lue immediately groaned last week when I mentioned how the Cavs have managed to neutralize Kyle Korver for the last two years. “We needed all the extra possessions we could get”.
Bazemore relishes the chance to match up with James and needs an edge to do so. “I think we go for the head of the snake now, which is LeBron, make it tough on him, get out to the shooters when possible, just make it tough on them all around”. You cant go in humble, I guess. He comes with everything he has. “You have to do the same to hang in there”.
Millsap and Horford will need to out rebound the Cavaliers’ big men.
“Delly has actually been a thorn in our side”, Bazemore said. Additionally, his demeanor can be described as having a rather large chip on his shoulder with his heart on his sleeve. Plays hard. He isn’t afraid. Youve gotta respect that, especially myself. The Cavs conceded Game 1 and Game 3 against the Bulls in the last seasons Conference Semifinals.
Add J.R. Smith’s three-point shooting, and the Cavs scored at an efficient rate. He’s had some of his best games in recent seasons against the Hawks, and the two-time champ should have a few memorable performances this series. Jeff Teague led the charge with averages of 16.5 points and 6.0 assists per game for the series, Paul Millsap averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds while Al Horford averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Hawks outlasted the less experienced and shorthanded Celtics.
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GETTING DEFENSIVE: If there’s one noticeable change in the Hawks this season, it’s their defense. Thats where it all started.
