The NBA Conference Finals round this season has served some highly competitive games that have gone down the wire. But on a larger scale, the two best teams from each conference are actually manhandling their opposition in their respective series.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have certainly proven to be the best team in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Cleveland’s 114-111 overtime win in Game 3 pushed the Atlanta Hawks on the brink of elimination. The Cavs were once again led by LeBron James with yet another monstrous triple-double.
As for the Atlanta Hawks, they can still learn and draw inspiration from this game for Game 4. However, winning four straight playoff games to make the NBA Finals is definitely not an easy feat.
Can the Hawks find a way to win in Cleveland on Tuesday to fight for another day? Or will the Cavs close out the series by sweeping the top-seeded team from the East? Read on below for our preview of this epic showdown.
Out in the West, the Golden State Warriors are also going for the series sweep against the Houston Rockets. Head on over here for our preview of their Game 4 Western Conference Finals matchup.
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Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 4 Preview
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 (+8.5) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-8.5); 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
Betting on the Atlanta Hawks
Their Game 3 overtime loss must be killing the Atlanta Hawks. They had a great opportunity to get back in the series, and squandered such a chance yet again.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Atlanta had a well-rounded team effort in Game 3 that was more like what we were used to seeing from them during the regular season. All five of their starters finished with double-digits in scoring, with Jeff Teague leading the way for the Hawks.
Teague finished the game with 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists. The Atlanta point guard also had a shot at the game-winner in regulation, but his ill-advised deep three-point attempt in the final seconds of the fourth quarter with the game tied at 104 apiece fell short.
Al Horford was gone for the second half of Game 3 for a flagrant-2 foul on Matthew Dellavedova in the first half, and already without their sharpshooter Kyle Korver for the remainder of the postseason, Atlanta still stayed competitive against the Cavaliers. Horford’s fellow frontcourt All-Star Paul Millsap stepped up in Horford’s absence. Millsap finished with 22 points (11-of-11 from the free-throw line) and nine rebounds.
Atlanta showed a lot of mettle keeping up with the Cavs in Cleveland without Horford for half of Game 3. Horford’s ejection will likely see him avoid a suspension for Game 4, and should give the Hawks some much needed offensive punch. Horford had scored 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting prior to getting tossed.
The Hawks’ renewed balanced attack should also help them keep up with the Cavs’ LeBron-centric offense. James was visibly exhausted by the end of Game 3, and might not have enough energy to finish the job in Game 4.
Hell hath no fury like The King on his quest for another NBA title.
LeBron James tallied his 12th career postseason triple-double with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in Game 3. His eye-popping numbers did come at a price though, as James missed his first 10 shots of the game to finish with 14-for-37 shooting from the field.
What’s just as impressive is that LeBron and the Cavs are still playing without their two other superstars in Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. As such, James needed to pretty much carry the entire Cavs team on his shoulders. Boy, did he ever do so in Game 3.
And while everybody continues to revel at the King’s highlights and numbers in Game 3, it’s had to forget that James is first and foremost a team player. His 13 assists accounted for over half of the team’s 24 total dishes in the game. James’ keen awareness on the court practically gave his teammates the opportunities to produce offensively, as four other players from Cleveland also scored in double-digits.
The Cavs players who benefited the most from James’ stellar outing in Game 3 were Matthew Dellavedova and J.R. Smith. Both of them finished the game with 17 points each. Smith, who erupted for eight three-pointers in Game 1, also pitched in 10 boards in Game 3. Dellavedova, Cleveland’s scrappy spark plug of a role player, went 4-of-9 from beyond the arc on Sunday.
With Kyrie Irving bound to return from his injury as soon as the next game, Cleveland is very much poised to complete its sweep of Atlanta. But even without Uncle Drew, King James is playing off-the-charts basketball, which is proving more than enough to lift the Cavs to another trip to the NBA Finals.
The Cavs are 8-2 in their past 10 games at Quicken Loans Arena, but only 3-7 against the spread.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland (-8.5) sweeps Atlanta with a 102-94 win in Game 4, and advances to the NBA Finals.
