Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Based on playoff seedings alone, the Eastern Conference Finals match-up between the Atlanta Hawks (1) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (2) may have seemed like it was bound to happen.
Getting to this point was easier said than done, though, as both the Hawks and the Cavs were on the ropes in the Conference Semi-Finals before sealing the deal and finding themselves four wins away from the NBA Finals. Honestly, NBA playoff tickets should be selling for ten times face value considering the amount of crazy lead changes and buzzer beaters that we saw in both the Cavs/Bulls and Wizards/Hawks series. In terms of sheer entertainment, the 2015 NBA Playoffs have been off-the-charts and this next round promises to be just as riveting as the stakes get even higher.
What to Expect
At first glance, it would appear to be that Cleveland proved that they’re deeper than just LeBron, though, and that means we’ll be seeing a lot of three-point marksmanship from the likes of J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and the rest of the Cavs. This won’t be a high-scoring affair, but don’t expect a defensive slug-fest either. The high-powered offense of Mike Budenholzer’s Hawks should have plenty of firepower to combat the Cavs, even if LeBron goes off for 50+ one night. A big contest will take place inside the paint where Atlanta’s smaller, more mobile bigs (Al Horford and Paul Millsap) have to find a way to chop down the giant Russian tree that is Timofey Mozgov.
Storylines to Follow
- Kyrie’s Injuries
It was clear to everyone watching that Cavs PG Kyrie Irving was struggling with all kinds of leg injuries during the second round. Reports keep shifting about whether or not he’s recovered enough to even play in Game 1. While Dellavedova filled in admirably for Irving, there’s not much of a chance for Cleveland to make it past Atlanta without their starting point guard.
- Coach LeBron
LeBron James openly threw his coach under the bus when he revealed that David Blatt was going to have LBJ in-bound the ball during the Cav’s miracle win in Game 4 against the Bulls. Now we’ll see if Blatt has been neutered entirely by James or if he’ll be able to shake off the disrespect and become one of the only rookie coaches in NBA history to make it to the NBA Finals (where he may even face fellow rookie coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors).
- Korver’s Cold Hand
In Game 6 of the Wizards-Hawks series, one of the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history went 0-7 from behind the arc. That cannot happen again and, statistically, it won’t. Korver’s cold shooting almost cost Atlanta the game, but there’s little chance that he’ll be that off-the-mark again. If he’s somehow gotten a case of the NBA “yips,” however, this series could be more lopsided than anticipated.
- Bench Play
Without strong bench play, the Cavs wouldn’t have survived Chicago’s relentlessness (until Game 6, at least, when that effort disappeared). On the flipside, Budenholzer depends on his starters enormously, with none of the five playing less than 36 minutes in the Game 6 that they barely escaped. The further a team goes in the playoffs, the more tired they get. Will Budenholzer’s super starters go the distance or will they peter out? If they run out of gas, can ATL subs Dennis Schroeder and Mike Muscala pick up the slack? Keep your eye on the bench units during this series as they may be the true key to success.
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by Jason Kessler
