The Atlanta Hawks entered their first ever game at the Eastern Conference Finals with great anticipation, and left the game with a sense of desperation instead.
LeBron James and J.R. Smith put on fantastic performances for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 97-89 victory in Game 1 over the Hawks. Atlanta, meanwhile, could head into Game 2 without injured DeMarre Carroll, who is possibly the Hawk’s best line of defense against James.
The showdown between the two best teams from the East just got much more intriguing. We’ve gathered inputs from other experts around the internet for their two cents on what we should expect from both Cleveland and Atlanta on Friday. Our own predictions and preview for Game 2 can be found here.
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Experts Predictions for Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks Game 2
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – Cleveland Cavaliers 97 at Atlanta Hawks 89
Game 2 – May 22, 8:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers (+1) at Atlanta Hawks (-1); total: 197.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 3 – May 24, 8:30 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 4 – May 26, 8:30 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers
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
Bleacher Report
Expert
Prediction
Zach Buckley
Atlanta 101-96
Zach Buckley from Bleacher Report centered-in on Al Horford’s limited involvement in the offense. Atlanta’s All-Star was great in Game 1, as he took advantage of his matchup against Cleveland’s Timofey Mozgov. Horford finished the game with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting, but 12 quality shots from Horford will not cut it for the Hawks’ offense. Expect Horford to create and take more shots in Game 2 for Atlanta to even the series.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Buckley also took note of how the Hawks could possibly contain LeBron James, especially with the loss of DeMarre Carroll. Atlanta would either have to force James to play hard on offense, or tire him out on defense.
With the way that LeBron is playing in the playoffs, getting him to falter on both ends of the court seems like a stretch. Atlanta must be able to contain one side of James’ game, and counter effectively on the other end.
Basketball Insiders
Expert
Prediction
Lang Greene
Cleveland wins
From Basketball Insiders, Lang Greene is concerned about the Hawks’ ability to crash boards and connect from deep in Game 1. Atlanta was outrebounded 49-37 by Cleveland, and shot 4-for-23 from three-point range.
And while we’re on the subject of rebounding, Greene also gave praise to Cleveland’s big men Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov. Thompson and Mozgov combined for nine offensive rebounds, while the Hawks as a team only pulled in seven. Furthermore, both men recorded double-doubles in Game 1. Both Thompson and Mozgov’s collaborative effort on offense should boost Cleveland’s odds of going up 2-0 in the series.
Strictly Sports
Expert
Prediction
Derek Ferreira
Atlanta 104-99
Strictly Sports’ own Derek Ferreira is in search of a second scoring option for Cleveland in Game 2. Ferreira is well-aware that James cannot single-handedly dominate the Hawks on offense. And while J.R. Smith put on a clinical scoring display in with 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting from downtown, he doesn’t see Smith replicating his Game 1 performance on Friday.
With Smith’s history of inconsistency and Kyrie Irving still bothered by his injury, the Cavaliers could very well fall short in Game 2. James may not be able to outdo Atlanta and their superior ball rotation on offense a second game in a row. Cleveland must limit their isolation plays for LeBron, and get the rest of the Cavaliers’ offense going before James runs out of gas.
Dan Schultz of RantSports focused on the significance of DeMarre Carroll. Schultz believes that Carroll is the best defensive option that the Hawks have against LeBron James. Kent Bazemore seems primed to take over Carroll’s role of defending James for most of Game 2. And while Bazemore is a decent defender, LeBron will overwhelm him with size, speed and sheer talent.
And if Carroll does play in Game 2, he still wouldn’t be at full-strength. A speedy and healthy recovery for Carroll is vital for the Hawks to stay competitive in the rest of the series. Unfortunately for Atlanta, that might not seem likely.
LineMakers
Expert
Prediction
Michael Robinson
Cleveland wins
Finally, Michael Robinson from LineMakers states that Atlanta’s Paul Millsap must step up his game. In Game 1, Millsap finished with just 13 points on 3-for-11 shooting before fouling out. And now with Carroll likely out or limited due to injury, Millsap would also have to do his part on defending LeBron James.
On the flipside, Robinson thinks that Jeff Teague will produce numbers for Atlanta the in same way that James will exploit the loss of Carroll for Cleveland. Teague is matched-up against a hobbling Kyrie Irving and backup Matthew Dellavedova. If Teague’s 27-point outing in Game 1 is an indication of what he could do for the rest of the series, the Hawks will certainly give the Cavs a tougher battle than expected. Nevertheless, he’s picked Cleveland to build a 2-0 series lead.
