Unfortunately, for the Hawks they’re going to become irrelevant once they step into the Q. It’s hard to say that the Hawks have much of a shot when they don’t seem to have any players to match up with the Cavaliers’ stars. You have to have a good balance, and I think most good teams do. I dont think a lot of people thought we were going to go up there and close it, the way they had been playing us all series.
Advertisement
While the teams stay the same, there are differences in both sides that could make this battle a little more interesting. Furthermore, the Trail Blazers are a very good home team and they could look completely different once the series shifts to Portland.
James, though, said the recent domination means nothing once Game 1 tips off today.
Who Wins?- If the Thunder are going to win this series, they will have to win a game in San Antonio. The Hawks are healthy, and they’re peaking at the right time, whereas they petered out after the All-Star Game last season.
Atlanta played stifling defense and took an 80-79 lead with less than eight minutes to play. It was the Hawks’ first series victory over the Celtics in eight tries since the franchise moved to Atlanta. James wasn’t far behind stuffing the stat sheet to the tune of 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists.
The Cleveland Cavaliers get back into action tonight when they host the Atlanta Hawks at 7PM ET in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In case you were wondering, that is the fewest total allowed in a quarter in playoff history since the adoption of the shot clock in 1954. Millsap and center Al Horford have been springing down the lane to block shots when a teammate loses a player on defense. James was asked by reporters about his excellent numbers against the Hawks last year and this year.
Which team holds the backcourt edge?
The Cavs’ five-man lineup of the Big Three plus J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson scored 117.3 points per 100 possessions in 88 minutes against Detroit in the first round, outscoring Detroit by 15.7 points per 100 possessions. Plus, the Cavs backcourt looks ready to dominate.
For the Cavs in this year’s postseason, Kyrie Irving leads in points with 27.5 while Kevin Love tops in rebounds with 12.0.
Atlantas guard began bashing James on social media before he got to the National Basketball Association, and he gave the superstar a shove in last years playoffs. Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade, and Luol Deng, a solid, experienced, veteran core will be too much for the young and inexperienced Lowry and DeRozan, who struggled mightily in the first round. He’s making 47 percent of his three-pointers. He is also 40% from behind the arc. He is scrappy and annoys every opponent on the court, and he hits 41% of his threes.
In previous years, the Hawks vs. Cavaliers series has appeared to be the beginning of the end for Atlanta. Whether he slows down James or fuels his fire remains to be seen. In his last seven games against the Hawks, James is averaging 29.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 8.6 assists.
Despite the loss, the Hawks were mostly pleased with their effort.
“It happens with towns that have had such a long drought”, he said, with Cleveland without a major sports title since the Cleveland Browns in 1964 won the National Football League championship game two years before the first Super Bowl.
Advertisement
LaMarcus Aldridge’s 38 points in Game 1 were the most he’s put up in a Spurs uniform. “Last year was last year’s situation”.
