Hawks Head to Cleveland For Tough Games 3 & 4
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Hawks have a very tough task ahead of them. After dropping both of the first two games at home in the Eastern Conference Finals, Coach Bud’s team has to find a way to steal a game in Cleveland so that the Hawks can keep their playoff run alive.
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Atlanta has experienced devastating injuries to its wing defenders. Thabo Sefolosha has been out since late in the season with a fractured ankle. Even though DeMarre Carroll is able to play at 50-60% after a he somehow avoided catastrophe in Game 1 with just a knee sprain, Kyle Korver was not so lucky when he and Matthew Dellavedova got tangled up midcourt in Game 2. Korver will miss the rest of the playoffs with a high ankle sprain.
Regardless of how much it hurts now to get this far and not be at full strength, Coach Mike Budenholzer and his team need to win a game either tonight or Tuesday night to keep their historic season alive. It seems like Cleveland has completely dominated the Hawks in the first two series. But an eight-point loss and a twelve-point loss in Games 1 and 2 respectively aren’t exactly pastings. Atlanta has been competitive with the Cavaliers this series, just not in the third quarter, at all.
Both of the first two games played out eerily similar. The first half of both contests were very close, neither team getting much more than a two-possession lead in the first two quarters. Then Atlanta comes out of halftime flat, not making any shots and Cleveland keeps up their intensity. I understand that shots don’t fall sometimes, but it looks like we are playing at the Cavs’ elementary pace, so why we are we tired in heavy isolation? LeBron James is still an incredible basketball player and there’s no two ways about it.
It’s been a great season for our Atlanta Hawks so far and even though their backs are very much against the wall, I still think Coach Bud finds a way to bring this series back to Atlanta for Game 5. As tough as it will be defensively for the Hawks going forward without Korver length out on the perimeter, we just might have to turn it up to eleven and play at a break-neck tempo. The Hawks are definitely capable of going fast like Ricky Bobby. Honestly playing at a grueling pace might be the Hawks’ best chance to steal a game in Cleveland these next three days. Let’s Go Hawks!