12 Buckeyes selected in NFL Draft
May 2, 2016Shakeup complete: Kevin Griffin out in Berea
May 2, 2016With a week to rest, recuperate, and work on their dance moves the Cleveland Cavaliers finally know their second round opponent in the Atlanta Hawks. With Game 1 scheduled for Monday, night what do Cavs fans need to know about the Georgia Birds?
Let’s take a look.
The Hawks’ Road
Atlanta finished the regular season with a 48-34 record and earned the fourth seed in the East. The Hawks matched up with the Boston Celtics in a back-and-forth first round. Atlanta won Games 1 and 2 at home by one and seventeen points respectively. The series shifted to Massachusetts where Boston leveled the series with a 111-103 Game 3 win and 104-95 overtime triumph. Atlanta returned home and won the pivot game 110-83. The Hawks buried Boston in Beantown in a Game 6 104-92 victory. During the course of the series Atlanta looked both unstoppable and barely holding it together. In the first contest Atlanta nearly handed over a 19 point lead to Boston, and narrowly retained a one point win. The Hawks did manage to defend home court and were able to dispatch a injury-hobbled Celtic club.
Series History
The Cavs and Hawks have collided in the postseason before. Cleveland leads the all-time series 2-0.
2009: Cavs def. Hawks 4-0 in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Cleveland rolled through the Hawks on their way to a Conference Finals appearance seven years ago. The Cavs won by 27, 20, 15, and 10 points in a succinct four-game sweep. LeBron James led all scorers in each game and averaged 33.8 point per game punctuated by a 47 point outburst in Game 3. The Hawks never really threatened during the series, and provided no remarkable memories.
2015: Cavs def. Hawks 4-0 in Eastern Conference Finals
The 2015 Atlanta Hawks won 60 games and finished as the top seed in the East. Hawks fans believed that they had the players (four All-Stars) and coaches (Mike Budenholzer won Coach of the Year) to defeat a recently homebound James and return to the Finals for the first time since 1961. Instead, the Cavs showed up in Georgia and put General Sherman to shame. Cleveland stole home court advantage in a 97-89 Game 1 win. They claimed full momentum with a 94-82 Game 2 triumph. When the series returned to Cleveland, Atlanta played with a fire lit under them, forcing overtime at the Q. Still, the Cavaliers prevailed at home 114-111. With the series all but over, the Wine and Gold routed the Hawks in Game 4 118-88. Cleveland wrapped up the unexpected sweep and advanced to their second Finals appearance in club history.
Scouting the Hawks
Atlanta brings back the same unit that fell to the Cavaliers in 2015, minus one key change. James’ primary defender, DeMarre Carroll, fled to Toronto in the offseason. Point guard Jeff Teague leads the Hawks offensively. A decent offensive threat, Teague’s bread and butter is facilitating to teammates. He averaged 5.9 assists per game during the season and that figure ticked up to 6.0 in the playoffs. Swingman Kyle Korver remains a viable option from deep. He rips a solid 39.8% from beyond the three point arc. Considering how many Detroit Pistons saw open looks during their first round series against the Cavs, Korver may see play for plenty of looks in the early going. Power forward Paul Millsap led the Hawks in scoring with 17.1 point per game as well as a team best 9.0 rebounds per game.
Overall the Hawks remain a well-balanced team on offense and defense. Cleveland swept the season series 3-0, though their second contest required overtime and a few late-game Kyrie Irving free throws. Atlanta’s best chance would be to attack Game 1 with reckless abandon. Cleveland has had a full week off waiting for the Hawks-Celtics series to resolve. It remains to be seen if that brief sabbatical yields rest or rust for the top seeded Cavaliers. LeBron James enjoyed a wildly productive and balanced first round against Detroit. He averaged 22.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. Kyrie Irving balled out against the Pistons averaging 27.5 points per game and often taking over games with his long range heroics or devastating handle.
One could argue that the Hawks are in rhythm and are more battle tested than the Cavaliers. Atlanta withstood Celtic rallies and made shots down the stretch to survive and advance. Within that series you can also see the Hawks’ largest deficiencies – blowing second half leads and finding no solace on the road. Cleveland presents a much larger challenge and more talented club. I would not be surprised to see Atlanta finally defeat Cleveland once in Georgia, but for my money the series should be concluded in five games (Remember – predictions are silly). For Cavs fans seeking a parade the Hawks are just the next obstacle in the road. Four down. Twelve to go.
3 Comments
Without Carroll, who’s going to guard James?
So glad we are playing these guys and not the “scrappy” (read dirty) Celtics.
For whatever reason, TT has been kryptonite to Milsap. Hope that continues. Need to have Delly and Shump keep Teague from destroying Kyrie and then hope we can hide Kyrie enough.
I’m more worried about what goes on at the 5. Kevin won’t do this series, and Moz has been wretched all year. Last year, Moz was being the beast we loved. TT v. Horford isn’t a match up I’m looking forward to. And Milsap is about as talented as Love.