East Finals preview: (1) Atlanta Hawks vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers

Season Series:

 

Date	Winning Team (Score)	Losing Team (Score)
November 15, 2014	Cleveland (127)	Atlanta (94)
December 17, 2014	Atlanta (127)	Cleveland (98)
December 30, 2014	Atlanta (109)	Cleveland (101)
March 6, 2015	Atlanta (106)	Cleveland (97)

Regular Season Leaders:

 

Statistic	Atlanta		Cleveland
Points per Game	Millsap, Paul	16.7	James, LeBron	25.3
Rebounds per Game	Millsap, Paul	7.8	Love, Kevin	9.7
Assists per Game	Teague, Jeff	7.0	James, LeBron	7.4
Steals per Game	Millsap, Paul	1.78	James, LeBron	1.58
Blocks per Game	Horford, Al	1.29	Thompson, Tristan	0.74

The first semi-final match-up of the 2015 NBA Playoffs is set, with two new faces this deep in the post-season lock horns for a chance to compete for the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy. Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the Eastern Conference Finals, where the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks battle the #2 Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Road to the Conference Finals

 

It hasn’t been easy for the Atlanta Hawks this post-season. After notching the top spot after the regular season, they were expected to demolish the eight-seeded Brooklyn Nets. But Lionel Hollins and the Nets would have none of that, bringing the supposedly easy series to six games, before the Hawks finally eliminated Brooklyn from the playoffs.

At the East semifinals, they faced an upstart Washington squad, fresh from a sweeping of the Toronto Raptors, led by veteran Paul Pierce. Again, the Hawks failed to make quick work of the Wizards, largely due to the efforts of Pierce and point guard John Wall. However, Wall injured his wrist during Game 3 of the series, and despite being ruled out for the whole playoffs, he played at Game 5 and 6, playing a pivotal role in the Wizards offense and defense. However, Atlanta finished off Randy Wittman and the Wizards, thanks to big games from Al Horford, including a buzzer-beating put back in Game 5 to clinch the victory.

The same can be said for the Cleveland Cavaliers; however, their setbacks have some long-term effects on their post-season campaign. Despite cruising past a young but resilient Celtic squad, Kevin Love, Cleveland’s starting power forward, and a vital cog in the Cavalier offense, sustained a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the playoffs for good.

They went into the East semis with a huge hole at the 4 spot AND the shooting guard spot, due to a suspension. Despite that, they went toe to toe with the Bulls, who were inspired by the return of Derrick Rose to the post-season. However, a crucial injury to Pau Gasol late in the series gave the Cavaliers the edge, and to compound the Bulls’ woes, Rose had an injury during Game 6, a do-or-die for the said team. Cleveland eventually won; however, another star player was bitten by the injury bug. Kyrie Irving suffered an injury during the series, and he aggravated the injury during the Game 6 close-out match. He had to leave the game, and despite saying that he could play through the injury, there’s no knowing how much of the Kyrie Irving we saw in the playoffs will we see against the Hawks.

X-Factors:

 

Atlanta Hawks: DeMarre Carroll

 

As everyone would know, literally anyone on the Atlanta bench can contribute big time. Dennis Schroder? Sure he can. Mike Scott? Hell yes, he does! Kent Bazemore, Pero Antic, you name it, they got it. Mike Budenholzer’s system, largely patterned from the Spurs offensive and defensive schemes that Coach Bud’s accustomed to in his time as an assistant to Gregg Popovich, every member of the Hawks roster has a chance to do something for the team.

Because of this, it’s especially hard to find an X-Factor for this team. However, I’d have to give the honors to the least acknowledged starter of Atlanta, DeMarre Carroll, who has been playing big time for his team in the postseason.

Aside from his offensive contributions at the 2015 Playoffs (17.1 points per game this Playoffs, compared to 12.6 in the regular season), and the all-around hustle plays that he provides for the team, Carroll’s contribution in the Hawks roster is the defensive prowess he brings to the table, making him the primary perimeter defender of the team. He’s usually tasked to harass the opposing team’s ace player. The Hawks only give up barely 100 points while Carroll’s on the floor, which is a testimony to his skills in defending.

That brings me to why he’s the X-Factor in this series for Atlanta. He will most likely be tasked to defend Cleveland’s best player, which is none other than LeBron James, who has been on a tear the past few games. Stopping LeBron is key to stopping Cleveland’s offense as a whole, because with Irving dealing with an injury, and Love out for the season, it’s up to James to carry this squad. If Carroll can shut down or at least reduce James’ impact, while still providing the offense and the hustle he gave in this post-season, Atlanta has a great chance of advancing to the Finals for the first time in many years.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Matthew Dellavedova

 

As I have mentioned a while ago, Kyrie Irving is dealing with tendinitis in his leg, and though he says he can play through the injury, we won’t know how much of Uncle Drew will we see in this series, or if he’s able to play at a hundred percent. Because of that, it’s up to the reserves to fill in his shoes. Luckily for the Cavs, they have Matt Dellavedova.

The Australian rookie of Cleveland will have to step up his game against the Hawks, along with fellow backcourt players JR Smith and Iman Shumpert, but Dellavedova takes the X-Factor role because if ever Kyrie needs to take a rest, Delly’s number would be called to take over the starting spot. Also, since Irving will likely have limited minutes, Dellavedova would be probably called to take on Atlanta’s point guards, Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder, both of which are crucial to Atlanta’s offense.

If Matthew Dellavedova can have games such as his Game 6 performance against the Bulls, then David Blatt would be more than happy to rest Kyrie Irving for a longer period of time.

Match-up to Watch: LeBron James vs. DeMarre Carroll

 

This is one of the more interesting match-up in this Eastern Conference Finals, because, quite frankly, no one has been able to stop the King this playoffs. Jae Crowder hasn’t stopped him. Evan Turner failed. Jimmy Butler, who was expected to slow down LeBron, had a few bright spotss while guarding him, but ultimately he didn’t succeed in slowing down the King.

Can Carroll slow down James’ onslaught in this series, or will LeBron continue his rampage in this post-season? We’ll have to wait on that, but it would sure as hell be fun to watch.

Prediction: Atlanta in 7

Before the Playoffs, I have placed Cleveland as a surefire lock for the Eastern Finals, and I had no doubt that LeBron and the Cavs would make it to the Finals. Today, however, things have changed drastically for Cleveland. Kevin Love, a stretch forward who would have placed a great strain on the Hawks defense due to his long-range threat, is out for the season. Kyrie Irving, one of the primary offensive options of the Cavaliers with his accurate three-point stroke and a nifty ability to get to the hoop, won’t be playing at a hundred percent.

Atlanta, on the other hand, has never been this healthy this deep in the post-season. Everyone’s playing at full capacity. Al Horford, who the Hawks have missed during their last trip to the Playoffs, is healthy and making the big plays for this Hawks squad. Add to that the Spurs-like offense which gives balanced minutes, and you have a title contender. It’s hard to imagine this version of the Atlanta Hawks missing out on the train to the Finals.

James and the Cavaliers would make it hard for Atlanta, but the balanced attack of the Hawks would eventually edge out Cleveland for a spot at the Finals. (GS)