LeBron James has taken a beat-up group to the brink of the NBA Finals. But they have a tough challenge in an Atlanta Hawks team which is refusing to lie down despite its own injury problems. Can James and co. finish off the East’s top seed in Cleveland? Or will the Hawks’ depth extend the series for a big Game 5 at Atlanta? Read on as the experts sound off on their picks for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Dig deeper into this crucial game with our complete preview for the Hawks vs. Cavs Game 4.
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Experts Predictions for Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 4
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – Cleveland Cavaliers 97 at Atlanta Hawks 89
Game 2 – Cleveland Cavaliers 94 at Atlanta Hawks 82
Game 3 – Atlanta Hawks 111 at Cleveland Cavaliers 114 (OT)
Game 4 – May 26, 8:30 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks (+8) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-8); total 193.5 – view all NBA lines
Game 5* – May 28, 8:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks
Game 6*– May 30, 8:30 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 7* – June 1, 8:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks
*If necessary
Rant Sports
Expert
Prediction
Dan Schultz
Cavaliers 111-106
[sc:NBA240banner ]As always, Cleveland will be run by the spectacular overall game of LeBron James, says Dan Schultz of Rant Sports. James was spectacular in Game 3 with 37 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists and three steals in the Cavs’ 114-111 overtime win over Atlanta. His all-around game has willed a beat-up team full of role players to the brink of an NBA Finals appearance, Schultz notes.
But James can be stopped. DeMarre Carroll picks up the difficult job of keeping James at bay. If Carroll can force the Cavs superstar to take outside jumpers, then Atlanta stands a good chance of extending this series to five games. James is shooting just .214 from downtown in this series. On the other side of the court, it’ll be up to Carroll’s three-point shooting to help the Hawks win Game 4 without sharpshooter Kyle Korver. Carroll is making 1.9 three-pointers per game on 42 percent shooting this postseason.
Covers
Expert
Prediction
Covers
Cavaliers 103-98
Covers also believes in the Cavs completing the sweep. It notes that while James has been solid with three straight 30-point performances, Matthew Dellavedova has flown under the radar. Dellavedova has played an average of 41 minutes starting the last two games for Kyrie Irving. He gives the Cavs an ability to stretch out defenses with his three-point shooting, making 4-of-9 in Game 3 alone.
Iman Shumpert has also been hot from three-point range going 8-for-14 over the past two games. Unlike the Cavs, Atlanta has struggled to get production from some of its bench players in three-point shooting. Hawks forward Mike Scott has missed all eight of his three-point attempts in the series, while reserve guard Dennis Schröder has shot 1-of-7.
Basketball Insiders
Expert
Prediction
Joel Brigham
Cavaliers
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders believes that James and Dellavedova played huge roles in lifting the Cavs to a Game 3 victory. But it wasn’t just Dellavedova’s 17 points that did the damage. The Cavs guard played a role in getting Al Horford ejected toward the end of the first half. Dirty play or not, Horford’s ejection was a big deal in the game.
The Atlanta center had led the team in scoring with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting up to his ejection. Horford wasn’t suspended for his Flagrant II foul, so he may be due for another big game. Brigham believes that Atlanta could make this game interesting if Jeff Teague (30 points), Kent Bazemore (14 points) and Paul Millsap (22 points) all carry over their excellent play on Monday into Game 4. But their efforts will all be for naught as Cleveland completes the sweep.
