Atlanta Hawks: 5 Things Learned in Preseason Opener vs. Cavs
Oct 7, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward
Richard Jefferson(24) is double teamed by the Atlanta Hawks guard
Kyle Korver(26) and forward
Mike Scott(32) during the first half at Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Hawks kicked off the 2015 preseason with a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final Score of 98-96.
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Tonight’s game was played on the campus of Xavier University at the Cintas Center between last year’s Eastern Conference finalists. After months thinking about a sweep at the hands of the Cavs in the ECF, the Atlanta Hawks were looking for some vengeance despite this game being essentially meaningless.
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This game had the feel of a regular season contest all the way though the middle of the 3rd quarter. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer trotted out his starters for most of the game, and used a rotation a players that closely resembles last year’s rotation off the bench. On Cavs’ side, Lebron James played for most of the game as well, as did most of Cleveland’s rotation before giving way to the back end of the bench.
This game even got a little chippy in the third quarter, as JR Smith was assessed a flagrant 1 foul for hitting Al Horford on the head following a block attempt. After a physical and somewhat combative Eastern Conference Finals, this game felt like a continuation of that series.
We learned a lot about the Atlanta Hawks from Wednesday’s preseason game against Cleveland. Here are my impressions.
Next: Midseason Form in October