The Eastern Conference is now ready to move into the next round after the Atlanta Hawks put away the pesky Washington Wizards for good. In the conference final, the Hawks will meet the Cleveland Cavaliers, who will be led by LeBron James. Will the Hawks’ amazing run continue? Or will the Cavs make their first trip to the NBA Final since 2007? Below are the breakdowns of four keys in this series. You can also click here for our preview of Game 1 between the Cavs and the Hawks.
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Series Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – May 20, 8:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers (+1) at Atlanta Hawks (-1); total: 197.5—view all NBA lines
Game 2 – May 22, 8:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks
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
The LeBron James effect
[sc:NBA240banner ]It doesn’t take a Red Auerbach to know that stopping LeBron James is the number one priority of the Hawks. James is a clear and present danger for Atlanta. He can single-handedly change the course of a ball game with his all-around skills. He can shoot, pass, rebound, and defend players of different positions. He’s practically the entire Hawks roster rolled into one player. And he’s also the kind of player DeMarre Carroll is likely to shadow for the duration of the series.
Back in the regular season, Carroll was assigned to guard James in two games. Over those couple of meetings, Carroll limited James down to just 20 percent field goal shooting and played a part in forcing the four-time MVP commit five turnovers. Locking down James is a tall order, but if the Hawks can consistently limit his numbers, then they’ll be in a better position to beat Cleveland every game. This postseason, James leads the Cavs in points (26.5 PPG), assists (7.9 APG), rebounds (10.2 RPG), and steals (1.9 SPG).
Uncle Drew’s health
At full health, Kyrie Irving is one of the most dangerous guards in the league. Irving, however, is being hindered by a knee injury that he aggravated in the Cavs’ Game 6 win over the Bulls last Thursday. Cleveland can’t afford Irving to miss any games moving forward, especially against a team like Atlanta. With Kevin Love done for the season, Irving is going to need to play great as LeBron James’ top sidekick. Hopefully for the Cavs, six days of rest is enough for Irving to be 100 percent come game time on Wednesday. Irving is averaging 19.8 points and 3.3 assists this postseason.
Frontcourt battle
Atlanta’s frontcourt begins and ends with the tandem of Al Horford and Paul Millsap. These big men can punish their defenders with their versatility. They’re great in pick-and-roll plays, can shoot from almost anywhere on the court, and are also good passers. Horford and Millsap are averaging 15.6 and 15.7 points per game, respectively, this postseason.
Cleveland, meanwhile, has the pair of Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson, who’ll attempt to make life hard for Horford and Millsap. Mozgov is Cleveland’s best interior defender, as he is averaging a team-best 2.2 blocks per game these playoffs. Thompson averages 1.1 blocks this postseason. They’re not as talented on offense (17.0 PPG combined this postseason) as Atlanta’s big men, but they can neutralize that disadvantage if they can limit Horford and Millsap’s scoring. This postseason, Cleveland surrenders just 44.9 points per game to opposing frontcourts, second fewest allowed among all playoff teams.
Hawks’ three-point shooting
Atlanta can get things done from beyond the arc, and the Hawks’ ability to knock down long-range bombs is something to watch out for in the conference final. At the forefront of Atlanta’s terrific outside shooting is Kyle Korver, arguably the best three-point shooter in the NBA today. Korver is making 2.9 threes per game thus far this postseason.
Overall, the Hawks are second in these playoffs with 9.9 triples per game. Their outside sniping will be put to the test by Cleveland’s solid perimeter defense that allows just 6.5 threes per game these playoffs. That being said, Cleveland’s defense didn’t do a good job of containing the Bulls’ shooters in the second round, as Derrick Rose and company averaged 7.2 threes per game.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland wins the series in seven games.
Create a betting account now and make picks before Game 1 of this series begins. The Cavs are -225 to win the series, while the Hawks are priced +175.
