NBA Playoffs: How will Hawks match up against Cavaliers in conference semifinals?
After the Atlanta Hawks’ thrilling seven-game series win over the Miami Heat Sunday, fans are understandably excited about the upcoming Eastern Conference semifinals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, starting tomorrow.
But here are some things to consider as the high-flying Hawks soar into Cleveland for Game 1:
– The Cavs sport the NBA’s best regular-season record at 66-16
– Cleveland won its NBA Eastern Conference First Round playoff series, sweeping Detroit 4-0
– The Cavs as a team average 100.3 PPG
– In 2009, LeBron James averaged 28.4 PPG
– In the playoffs, James averaged 32 PPG
You tell us: What are the Hawks’ chances against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals? Can Atlanta take Cleveland to seven games or will the Cavs pull off the sweep again?
HAWKS-CAVALIERS EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 1 – Atlanta at Cleveland, Tuesday, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 2 - Atlanta at Cleveland, Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 3 – Cleveland at Atlanta, Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC
Game 4 – Cleveland at Atlanta, Monday, 7 p.m., ESPN
*Game 5 – Atlanta at Cleveland, Wed., May 13, Time TBA
*Game 6 – Cleveland at Atlanta, Fri., May 15, Time TBA
*Game 7 – Atlanta at Cleveland, Mon., May 18, Time TBA
* – If necessary
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134 comments Add your comment
Johnny Red Balls
May 4th, 2009
9:41 am
Hawks in 7.
lkuhg
May 4th, 2009
9:43 am
HAWKS SWEEP
Virgil
May 4th, 2009
9:44 am
Hawks won’t get swept, but will get blown out playing in Cleveland unfortunately.
Westurd
May 4th, 2009
9:46 am
Who will D up against Lebron?
J Smoov fan club
May 4th, 2009
9:46 am
Just hope Josh keeps trying that dunk.
Name (required)
May 4th, 2009
9:53 am
There will be blood.
ontheflats
May 4th, 2009
9:57 am
When this team decides to play hard agressive defense, they are a good basketball team. When they don’t, they lose by 20. I hope they play defense in this series but history tells me they won’t in game 1.
Mac
May 4th, 2009
9:59 am
Hawks will win. What does smoove mean? What language is that?
CaliHawks
May 4th, 2009
10:16 am
Hmm there already sayin cavs in 4 i dont think so..The Hawks can win if they can play like they did in the 4 games that they won in the 1st round .. They did beat the cavs when they were on a 10 game winning streak in the middle of the season so they kno how to beat the king james. Starts wit great team D which we kno they can do and they need good ball movment when they go down and make set plays.. They always get in trouble when they start dribbling tha ball alot wit no passes. And Josh Smith has 2 plays his game and doesnt get mad at the refs and quits takin them dam 3’s just drive 2 tha hole J Smooth. However the task at hand is great & the cavs are the best team in the East & they just announced that Lebron James in the MVP of the season . But tha celtics where tha best last year and they took them to 7 games wit no playoff experience excpet bibby. why cant these hawks win now wit playsoffs wins under there belt and 1st 7 games series win in forever.. Beat these cavs..HAWKS IN 7!!!!
Mike is back
May 4th, 2009
10:16 am
This is part of my post from the previous blog.
We can win all our games at home. We gotta steal one on the road…if we do that…then definitely…we have a chance to WIN THE SERIES. If I was Woody…I would ride ZAZA BOW BOA…THE REST OF WAY…GO ROCKY!!!!!!
Woody’s needs to keep rotating Zaza and Solo in at the pivot…The Cavs are so BIG AND LONG…Woody should consider bringing Morris in the Mix for this series…we CAN USE his SIZE AND LENGTH in the posts. This is a different match-up…the CAVS pound us on boards with size and length…its those extra possession that kill us.
I would mix it up by moving Al to the four some quarters, and moving Josh to the three. I would use the JJ rule on LBJ the whole series…KEEP THE BALL OUT OF HANDS!!!!! MWilliams and JWest are the wild card…they can both penetrate and shoot three.
GO HAWKS…LETS SHOCK THE WORLD AND STEAL GAME ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
May 4th, 2009
10:20 am
LOL @ There will be blood.
@ Mac – “Smoove” means smooth and it is English. “Smoove” is a colloquailism. No charge for that.
Hawks 101
May 4th, 2009
10:23 am
Mo Evans and Flip Murray off the bench is the key in the series. Bold prediction but the Hawks in six.
Darrin "The Vent King"
May 4th, 2009
10:23 am
Well, just remember everyone predicted that the Boston Celtics would sweep the Hawks last season and the Hawks gave them all they wanted. If they could do that then, maybe just maybe they can give the Cavs that kind of trouble too. At least I hope so, LeBron ain’t no joke though. GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grayhawk
May 4th, 2009
10:25 am
I think our boys are going to get schooled four straight this week. I hope they learn something.
If we stay focused and play our game we can compete with anybody. Did I just say stay focused? What was I thinking?.
Are Al and Marv getting any healthier? How many wide bodies can we throw at LeBron?
I am just happy we beat that punk Wade. Watching him whine for 7 games, was a unbearable. with all the TV people having a lovefest over him. His act got real boring. It shows you how far one guy can carry a team.
Hawks need to win at least two to start getting respect from the national media.
Eric
May 4th, 2009
10:25 am
Hawks in 7
Keep It Real from Cleveland
May 4th, 2009
10:28 am
Let’s keep it real! The hawks have not chance at winning this series!
The Hawks have made a good jump into the 2nd round now you are paying against the big boys! Not an inexperience Heat team!
No one on the Hawks can contain the King!
Keep It Real from Cleveland
May 4th, 2009
10:31 am
Beside the Hawks need all their players to even compete in this series!
I need the Hawks to push the Cavs we they can be better prepared for the Eastern Conference finals!
J-smoove will continue to Jack long jump shots and JJ shot has not returned yet! Hopefully Marvin can play so they can use a 8 to 9 man rotation because Cleveland is 9 deep off the bench!
Numberonehawksfan
May 4th, 2009
10:34 am
Swept? by those Cavaliers? Not really! Although the Hawks come out flat and uninspired in most games, the LeBrons aren’t that good that they will sweep the Hawks! Looks as though we will be taking the “us against the world approach again for these playoffs”! Good Shot Jon Barry, “we won’t win a game against Cleveland!” Coach Woodson asked this morning on a radio show interview, “what has Jon Barry done in the league?” I must agree…That’s fine, I would like for all of the nay-sayers and talking heads on all of the network shows, keep saying that the Hawks can’t…! Game on Cleveland! GO HAWKS!
Reid in EAV
May 4th, 2009
10:40 am
I’m hoping for an improbable seven-game duel to the finish, with the Hawks somehow finding a way to steal a road win and therefore the series.
That said, if our guys can hold serve at home at least twice, I’ll be ecstatic. My heart says “Hawks in 7.” My head says “Cleveland in 6.”
tarheels3
May 4th, 2009
10:40 am
It’s a 7 game series, and Coach Woodson will be able to make adjustments from game to game on how to defend Lebron. My suggestion is start out doulble teaming Lebron every time he touches the ball around the top of the key or the free throw line. Emphasize Dee – fense, defense and then play some dee – fense. Limit second chance points, so defend your back board. We have to be aware of where Anderson Varejao is all the time because he is a hustler and he does the extra stuff like Zaza does for the Hawks. Limit turnovers early and that will eliminate the fast break. The Hawks will have to finish each quarter strong. Players keep their heads in the game and finish each quarter very strong. Flip Murray will be key because I look for him to drive to the goal late in each quarter and keep the Hawks in striking distance. It does matter how we start the quarter but it is most important how we finish each and every quarter. I believe thats where superstars like Lebron really excel, finishing quarters. Lastly, I believe this is where J Smoove grows up and catapult to super star status. He will dominate at his position and keep the Hawks close enough to steal 2 games in Cleveland. Hawks in 6 games.
LIFE LONG HAWKS FAN
May 4th, 2009
10:41 am
HAWKS WILL DOMINATE AND WIN THE SERIES NO MATTER HOW MANY GAMES IT TAKES!!!!!!!!!! GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Millwood
May 4th, 2009
10:44 am
Hawks in 3
Joey
May 4th, 2009
10:50 am
The Hawks also swept the Pistons in the regular season games, right?
KROD
May 4th, 2009
10:50 am
Game 1: Cleveland
Game 2: Cleveland
Game 3: Atlanta
Game 4: Cleveland
Game 5. Cleveland
Jesse
May 4th, 2009
10:57 am
The Refs and the NBA won’t let the Hawks win. They are all about TV ratings and that’s what Labron brings… $ and viewers. So the Hawks could have a shot, but watch how the Refs handle the games. If Woody makes a fuss during game one and gets fined then things might change. Hopefully the Hawks can steal one in Cleveland as they have some momentum and the Cavs have had too much time off.
mike
May 4th, 2009
11:04 am
I took the Hawks 7 games to get rid of a one man show in Miami.
Bron, Z, Mo, West, Varejo, Wallace, J Smith, Wally…………. too much for the Hawks.
Cavs in 5
Numberonehawksfan
May 4th, 2009
11:08 am
Sweeping the Pistons at this point was like taking the gun from the suicidal guy and shooting him…
hawkfan
May 4th, 2009
11:13 am
Hawks in 7? Cleveland lost 2 games at home all season (1 without lebron, Z, Mo, Ben, and Joe Smith, West only played 1 half and Andy played 1 quarter) and that was against Philly’s starters. The other loss the cavs blew a 10 point second half lead to the Lakers with a miserable 3rd quarter. How do you really feel that the cavs will lose any game at home let alone game 7? Home team pride is great, but there is no way we can beat cleveland in cleveland. Miami took us to 7 games partly because we let them but the cavs would beat miami in 4 by an average of 25, cavs fans were hoping miami could beat us bc they know they would roll them easily. WE will be lucky to win a game in this series jj has done nothing against cleveland all season, he must average 30 a night for the hawks to have hope. If that happens its a good building block for next season for these players to taste the second round and know what it will take to advance farther. Unfortunatly Cavs in 5.
CJDawg
May 4th, 2009
11:13 am
We just beat a one man team in Miami….correct? Other than Lebrom, who does Cleveland have that can carry them? (think a minute………..) that’s what I thought. Lebrom can average 27 per and as long as we contain the other 4 on the floor, we got it. NOBODY has as many athletes as we do…..nobody. Keep the ball away from LBJ as much as you can and see if the others can beat you. They can’t.
Stewart
May 4th, 2009
11:15 am
The Hawks have real consistency/motivation problems, but when they come to play they can keep pace with any team. They may not be able to beat the Cavs over the series but I think they’ll give Cleveland some fits.
Hawk
May 4th, 2009
11:17 am
I have to agree Jesse has a point, refs might not call the series right just because of Lebron and Cavs are favorite to possibly see a matchup with Celtics in conference finals. It’s all politics and money which is why its hard to watch, but without any of that said, I say 7 games with possibility of Hawks upsetting Cavs.
Dwayne
May 4th, 2009
11:30 am
no respect for the Hawks, even after they beat the heat, ESPN (stuart scott, that barry dude, who LIVES in ATL, Wilbon and the other chump) were boo-hooing. Thet wanted a queen jamie and DWY-ann Wade match up. HAHA….I love the Hawks, but I do not think they can steal one in cleveland, and even if they do, I believe the cavs get in back. Maybe the curse of the Dominuque will be lifted this year and the Hawks can win it in 7.
lkuhg
May 4th, 2009
11:34 am
hawks v. celtics – its in the cards
Realist
May 4th, 2009
11:37 am
All the talk in here is crazy – we have no chance in this series. Anytime we’re forced to play a halfcourt game we are absolutely terrible…not to mention there is noone on the roster that can guard either Lebron (Marvin is far from 100%) or big Z – Hawks will be lucky if the Hawks win 1 – I agree w/ Hawkfan Cavs in 5
randy
May 4th, 2009
11:43 am
never will happen, hawks get hammered!
Just too funny
May 4th, 2009
11:44 am
Cavs will record easiest sweep in NBA playoff history!
Mink
May 4th, 2009
11:58 am
We’ll play Lebron better than Detroit did, but Mo Williams and Ilgauskus are the ones who are going to overwhelm us. Williams should destroy Bibby and Horford is no match for “Z”. Our only chance at winning the series is if Joe averages 30+ per game and Josh Smith is at 25+…
Hoops
May 4th, 2009
12:01 pm
The Hawks will steal one in Cleveland during game 1 because of the Cavs long lay off. Then the war will be on! Hawks will hold home court after that and win game six in Atlanta to win the series. Believe it!
raheem
May 4th, 2009
12:01 pm
Go Hawks it are year.Shock the world
heartofdarkness
May 4th, 2009
12:01 pm
I don’t think the Hawks attack the rim well enough to exploit the Cav weakness at shot blocking, but if I’m wrong, and they mix defenses of Lebron well, they could scrape a couple wins together. If they return to Atlanta better than 0-2, it could be interesting. Decider could be which way the refs are investing this series
CS
May 4th, 2009
12:02 pm
Jon Barry is Rick Barry’s son but he has no skills so how can he say the Hawks won’t win a game. The only reason he is allowes to comment about anything is that he is Rick Barry’s son
raheem
May 4th, 2009
12:03 pm
Biggest upset sent Buster douglass upset Iron Milke Tyson , Hawk power
aaron
May 4th, 2009
12:07 pm
the hawks are my team but this won’t be a series at all, especially if joe johnson doesn’t pick it up. to be truthful, i’ll be absolutely floored if we win 1 game. i’m just going with my gut, cavs get the sweep.
another thing, if you thought the hawks were disrespected in the media against wade, just wait for lebron.
HAWKEYE
May 4th, 2009
12:08 pm
Joe will average 30+ and J. Smith will be at 25+
Lee
May 4th, 2009
12:10 pm
Hey Y’all:
We will “SHOCK THE WORLD!!!”. Mark my words. I do not care what the media darling Lebron get. The Hawks will stiffle the rest of his teamates withe their aggressive, stifling defense. We will “SHOCK THE WORLD!!!”. We are focused and ready to take on “POWDER PUFF” and his crew. The Hawks are not playing, man. This game will be more than interesting to every. With the exception of “POWDER PUFF”, we are the better team. Our balance is the key. Everybody can shot on the Hawks. this game will be a battle that will be won by our Hawks. We will “SHOCK THE WORLD. Mark my words!!!!!
LET’S GO HAWKS!!! LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!! LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a HAWK FAN!! TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
……………………..”ATLANTA HAWKS, BOOM-BYE-YEAH!!!”………….
…………………………”SHOCK THE WORLD!!!!!”……………….
sd
May 4th, 2009
12:11 pm
They are going to have to foul. Sad but true. The good thing they have is a deep bench. If we can trade fouls with them and get James in foul trouble, we have a shot.
We don’t match up well enough to do it cleanly.
Hawkster
May 4th, 2009
12:19 pm
While I’m impressed with the way the Hawks came back to finish off Miami, Cleveland shouldn’t be confused with the Heat. They are nearly unbeatable at home and tough on the road. While I would love to see the Hawks stretch the series to seven games, I can’t see them winning more than one. Cleveland in five.
CJ
May 4th, 2009
12:25 pm
As much as I love the Hawks…Cavs in 5. The Hawks managed to play the Cavs close at home but no one wins at the Q unless there’s a certain Kobe Bryant on your team…and we don’t have him.
The Cavs never take a play off because they have a legitimate alpha dog on their team that won’t allow his team to go into funks like the hawks often do.
This is par for the Hawks’ course though, every time we’ve had a decent team there was a dominant force in the way. During the Dominique years it was the Celtics/Pistons…in the Mookie and Steve Smith years it was the Bulls, now it’s the Cavs. Cavs in five then bring on Falcons minicamp.
Ol Skool
May 4th, 2009
12:29 pm
Make Lebron a jump shooter the entire series by staying in front of him and squeezing the lanes. Who is ever guarding Mo, Z, or West stay on them so that Lebron can’t kick it to get them involved. Let the Cavs stand around and watch Lebron the first half. The truth is the Cavs are not as good as their record. They managed to stay healthy and won All games agsinst inferior teams (to their credit) and beat the better teams when they had key players out. They were on the short end the stick when it came to the Lakers, Magic, and the Celtics. Big deal the swept the disfuntional 39-43 Pistons. The Hawks are athletic enough to give the Cavs plenty of headaches.
HawksFan
May 4th, 2009
12:30 pm
Hawks can beat Cavs, if the refs let the two team play and not call those tic tac fouls. As CaliHawks said, if the Hawks play good hard team defense on Lebron and when they double him close out on the Cavs perimeter shots quickly. Also, move the ball don’t dribble so much, and run the half court sets through JOSH in the post, when Josh is on his game he can pass with the best of them. GO Hawks ATL Legends
GeeMack
May 4th, 2009
12:40 pm
I love the Hawks, but they don’t compete on the road. Cavs in 5. I will give the Hawks 2 close home games winning 1. In Clevland they will get destroyed by 20 or more 3 times. I wish it would go 7 and the Hawks competed in all 7, but they won’t that’s wishful thinking.
J Dub
May 4th, 2009
12:40 pm
I really have high hopes for the Hawks but I still know that the Cavs will be the toughest team we could possibly face in the East. The question you have to ask yourself is this….How badly does Stern want a Bron/Kobe final?
C. Henry Adams
May 4th, 2009
12:41 pm
Yesterday on Facebook, following the storm that rolled through the City of Atlanta, I read the feed of a Female FB Friend. She wrote something like, “What’s going on FB?” I replied back saying something to the effect, “The Storms has passed over Atlanta and the Hawks are on their way to whoop on Cleveland.” Little did I know she was from Cleveland and a starch CAV Fans. Needless to say, I set myself up for an Ambush, ’cause four of her FB Friends attacked me (figure of speech).
Anyway, Gooooo Hawks! This is your Year, Whoop the CAVs!
Bop
May 4th, 2009
12:45 pm
Sorry! Atlanta fans, The hawks have no chance in hell of beaten the Cav,s in a series. And you really think they can go to the Q and take one. James will be name M.V.P and accept the award Tuesday. Get ready for a beatdown
KP
May 4th, 2009
12:55 pm
Keys to the Hawks upsetting the Cavs:
1) The Hawks have to catch the Cavs in game one. With such a long layoff….there is a chance that they will come out flat and the Hawks must carry that Game 7 energy into the 1st Q and try and jump on them quick. We also have to start games off with more energy and not dig a hole. In the game that we beat the Cavs – we jumped out to a 31-24 lead in the 1st Q.
2) Force Lebron to beat you from the perimeter. You have to stop him from getting easy layups and dunks.
3) Must get JJ going. He only averaged 16.5 ppg in the 4 games against the Cavs. He must average 25 a game for us to have a chance.
3) Must slow down Mo Williams! He torched us for 23, 26, 20 and 24 points in the four games against Cleveland. Rotate Rio and AC in to try and keep him closer to his season pts average of 17 pts per game.
4) Win the battle of the boards – We did a good job of this against them this year ATL 164/CLE 151 in all 4 games.
5) Josh has to focus his game on the defensive end of the floor. He has to help Big Al protect the rim and then get out on the break. If he plays smart (I realize this is asking a lot – but I have hope) then we have a great chance!
6) Bench play – We will need to have superior bench play in order to win with Flip being a key factor
Key Facts:
-AC Law had 20 pts in game 1 against the Cavs in Cleveland
-Cavs only beat us by an average of 4 pts per game
-Hawks have been in every single game only losing by 1 and 6 pt’s in 2 of the 3 losses to the Cavs.
LETS GO HAWKS!!
dhunt
May 4th, 2009
12:56 pm
@CJ…Preach On. The Cavs would need to have a serious let down for the hawks to run away with this series and that simply doesn’t happen because of Lebron and because of good coaching.
The Hawks on the other hand, seem to always be one questionable call away from total disintegration. This is the most talented team the Hawks have fielded since Nique was in his prime, and arguably, one of the worst coached teams in franchise history. This team is underachieving at an unheard of level. This team, as good as they can be some nights, is schizophrenic, Dr, Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde, dysfunctional.
Every sports commentator I’ve heard, said this was one of the worst series ever for consistent good play from both teams. I think they are half right. I think all the blame for the Hawks blowout losses go squarely to the Hawks lack of commitment and focus. They didn’t even look like the same team in their losses, while Miami looked pretty much the same the entire series. Miami’s losses were bad overall shooting nights, led by D Wade and often influenced by the Hawks playing defense at the level they are capable of playing every night.
This team is talented enough to win now. But thus far, they haven’t shown that they are mentally ready and no one has emerged with the heat and soul to lead them to the promised land.
Ken
May 4th, 2009
12:59 pm
I’m happy for the hawks but they have NO chance with the Cav’s. Either sweep or Atlanta will win game 4 by the skin of their teeth. You heard it here first.
Congrats Hawks on a good season.
Jfreak
May 4th, 2009
12:59 pm
First of all great job Hawks! I have had my doubts but you have proven me wrong. My apologies and your credit! However, the Cavs are another story all together. I don’t believe the Hawks will get swept but it’s hard to see how they could win more than one maybe two games if they really play well. But hey what do I know? I didn’t think they’d make it out of the 1st round!
DHD
May 4th, 2009
1:02 pm
The Hawks, with one year less experience, took the World Champs to 7 games. So, why is it crazy to think they can’t take the Cavs to 7 games. If they do, anything can happen. So, all bets are off here.
SouthernNest
May 4th, 2009
1:07 pm
My sentiments exactly, DHD. You never know until they play the games.
2008, the same prognosticators were predicting a Celtics rout. I know the “chances” are slim, but let’s see the outcome played out on the hardwoods, not in blogs.
Leland
May 4th, 2009
1:12 pm
To me without even thinking about it, it all depends on points. Point distribution. If we can get more points in each of four games before they do, we might have it. Follow? There’s another possibility–say we get the first three games in outblows, they might get depressed and quit. That’ll be it. We win. Is the latter likely? Damn tootin’ it is. They’re nothing but a pile of refried beans.
JerryT
May 4th, 2009
1:12 pm
Whoever plays D against LeBron will foul out. Start with Mario and at least try to keep LeBron’s points down for a while. Then hope Joe is hot with the 3 pointers!
Leland
May 4th, 2009
1:14 pm
You don’t believe me, ask Mark Bradley.
Jimv
May 4th, 2009
1:21 pm
If it takes the Hawks 7-games to beat a one-man team, the Cavs should win in five. The Hawks’ fans avoid a sweep.
count_schemula
May 4th, 2009
1:21 pm
This really is Al Horford’s team. No Horford, No chance. Bibby may run the floor, Josh Smith runs hot and punk, Joe Johnson is “the star” but Horford is the winning force.
RickNole
May 4th, 2009
1:22 pm
I am sure the Refs will make sure that Lebron gets to the line. But I just hope we make it a decent series. If we can steal game one (with a rusty cleveland team) and take care of home, we can do this!!
Peter
May 4th, 2009
1:23 pm
WOw for those who think the Cavs will come out flat I am wondering why ? The Hawks are the ones who on the road typically come out flat….
I think the Hawks have had a good season, and hope them all the best. I say they win 2 games at home, and play better on the road.
Next year we need a BIG MAN….trade Marvin, also get a real point guard……Bibby played well, but is getting old, and I really have little faith in AC Law.
Lebron cousin
May 4th, 2009
1:29 pm
Are you guys serious? Hawks will be lucky to win one game. The Cavs are on another level this year. Why are you guys talking about what the Hawks did last year with the Celtics. The Celtics didnt get into the game mentally until game 5… did you forget about the Ray Allen ordeal. Its all about defensive matchups and the Hawks don’t matchup with the Cavs…NOT AT ALL. Hawks will get blown out in Cleveland and might play close at home, but not enough to stop the King and Co.
Hawks did good to beat the strugglin Heat in round 1. But in round 2, not a chance. This round the Hawks will be like a possum… They will lay down at home and get killed on the road. LOL
bali
May 4th, 2009
1:43 pm
i hope they can be competitive and maybe pull off one or two victories………….
Just A Fan
May 4th, 2009
1:52 pm
uhh we got no shot
HGN
May 4th, 2009
2:00 pm
Though I am a staunch Hawks fan, I don’t believe we have enough fire power coming off the bench to knock off the Cavaliers. I think our Starting 5 will be able to hang in there. But the difference of who wins , and who loses , is going to be determined by each teams bench. If we had Josh Childress ( to guard LeBron ), and one more shooter , I think we could pull it off. I think its going to be the Cavs in 6.
Tech sucks
May 4th, 2009
2:02 pm
We can take all the home games. Series should have been 2-2 this year. We need to somehow steal a game in CLE. Not sure if that’s remotely possible though with how bad we are on the road (especially against good teams) and how good they are at home.
D.Carter
May 4th, 2009
2:06 pm
Lebrons cousin were you the guy with the kid and play CD in the car?
Darkside
May 4th, 2009
2:12 pm
CAVS IN 4.
K-Town Dawg
May 4th, 2009
2:13 pm
Kudos KP, that is an excellent breakdown.
Also, you can bet your @ss the LeBrons wanted the Heat to win.
They don’t want any part of a team that one player on any given night can drop 20 out of nowhere. JJ has to be on, J. Smith needs to play smart and take the ball to the rim. More passing and less “bad look” shots. IMO the Hawks have a good chance of stealing game 1 by catching the Cavs off-guard after their long layoff.
To the Cavs fans on here:
You must be worried about the ATL/BOS 7 game series from last year because that is all you guys seem to talk about.
To Bop:
“That is why they play the game”
KP
May 4th, 2009
2:15 pm
Its a good thing that they play the games……If the Hawks read this blog and listened to the ABC/ESPN/TNT commentators – they should just throw in the towel right after the player introductions on Tuesday night!
I am not trying to say that I think the Hawks will beat the Cav’s in a 7 game series, however I recall not too many of the so called experts giving us even a chance to win 1 game against Boston last year. I honestly do not think that we are capable of winning a game in Cleveland, however what if…….?????
The Hawks, (when they put their minds to it and play focused basketball), have shown some serious flashes of brilliance and can play with anybody.
Either way…if we can win a couple of games at home and force this thing to a 6-7 game series…the season will and should be deemed a success and we can build from here.
GO HAWKS!!!!
Darkside
May 4th, 2009
2:18 pm
Why are people in Atlanta so caught up in the sports hype? All the teams in the Atl. are week. So what? The Falcons luck up and have a good season. All that crap is going to stop this coming season. (Braves) Need I say more.. Thrashers. (Hahaha – wet noodle) and your beloved Hawks. (The media) and the world wants Miami and Cleveland.. So, what? The Hawks got lucky… You won’t see LB hanging out in HOTLANTA… He might get a case (arrested) for just peeping inside a club.
OKEE-DOKEE
May 4th, 2009
2:24 pm
KING JAMES IN TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WON’T MATTER AFTER THE FIRST TWO GAMES…..:-(
K-Town Dawg
May 4th, 2009
2:26 pm
The fact that the Hawks have beaten the Cavs this year lends itself to the Hawks knowing they can play with any team.
Also, I remember the game against the Lakers in February where JJ shut Kobe down and the Hawks won by 10. Bibby had 21 points to JJs 8. The fire power is there!
On any given day…
K-Town Dawg
May 4th, 2009
2:28 pm
Hey Darkside,
I think you meant WEAK, jack@ss!
If you hate Atlanta sports so much, why are you on a Hawks blog?
Piss off, d-bag!
jimmy james
May 4th, 2009
2:30 pm
If it goes 7 games – there is no way the hawks will win. IF there’s a game 7 of course the cavs are going to win on their homecourt.
Uncle Will
May 4th, 2009
2:32 pm
Oh ye of little faith…
Alvin R
May 4th, 2009
2:35 pm
Cavs in 6 (but the Hawks will make it a good series)…I feel the Hawks are one quality “big man” away from being title contenders…either way, the Hawks have had a very good season…
K-Town Dawg
May 4th, 2009
2:35 pm
I think darkside is still angry about the 1995 World Series!
PMC
May 4th, 2009
2:41 pm
Put our cities luck up against Cleveland…
Hell Yes we can win. They do have arguably the best player in the NBA.. they do have a very good team… but why not?
Who thought the Hawks could take the 4 seed. Who thought the Hawks would beat one of the best players in the NBA in a game 7.
Yeah they can win this series, even if they do drop the first 2.
yoye
May 4th, 2009
2:44 pm
Hawks will win at least 2 games…
KP
May 4th, 2009
2:46 pm
To Darkside: I give you credit for appropriately naming yourself. If you dont have any thing constructive to say than don’t say anything at all!
The Falcons season was hardly luck….after all they won 11 games and for anyone to not think that the future is bright…is kidding themselves.
The Braves despite starting the season off very slowly….are still only 2 1/2 games out of first place in what is supposed to be one of the toughest divisions in baseball!
The Thrashers…..OK I will give you that
UGA just had their QB go #1 in the NFL draft!
I have been an ATL sports fan from the moment that I came here in 1978. I remember watching the old Hawks back when Kevin Loughery was the coach and our leading scorer was John Drew. I was on the band waggon and also was “caught up in the sports hype” back then. BTW….What’s so wrong with that.
I will allow you to continue to hate on ATL fans…..what a waste of energy!
I would rather be lucky and in the 2nd round of the playoff’s then at home with my thumb up my @*s like D-Wade!
MyView
May 4th, 2009
2:51 pm
I am happy that J Barry comment were replayed for Coach Woodson to hear. I hope he lets the team hear them. That would motivate me if it were the pregame speach. Coach goes over the gameplan, play those comments for the team. Then says “lets prove them fools for doubting us”.
KP
May 4th, 2009
3:01 pm
MyView: Definately was glad to hear those comments from J Barry and Woody should definately use his remarks as white board fodder. It is also important to note that Magic Johnson predicts that we will win 2 games. OK…who was the better player – Jon Barry or Magic?
MyView
May 4th, 2009
3:07 pm
The biggest difference between the Hawks and Cleveland all season is that the Cavs played with a playoff intensity all season, and the Hawks have only brought that same intensity for the bigger home games, and early in the season we played like that on the road. That being said, we have a higher ceiling than does Cleveland, simply because there won’t be a huge jump from the way they performed in the regular season, whereas we could have played better most nights during the season. This series will prove whether or not we learned anything last season vs Boston.
KP
May 4th, 2009
3:13 pm
Again I agree….We are now getting ready to move from Playoff B-Ball 101 to Playoff B-Ball 201. These are the building blocks that are required to take a young team to the next level. No doubt that Cleveland comes to play every night. A big part of this is because Lebron brings it every night and expects the same from his team. We do not have that one guy who we can count on to bring it every night and demand it from his mates at the same time.
leggomyego
May 4th, 2009
3:19 pm
Honestly, I’d much rather face LeBron and his crew than Garnett + Ray Allen + Paul Pierce. That bunch last year reads like an All-Star team by itself, and we took them to the wire. Cleveland better watch out, i think we match up against them better than most. Cavs are great, and the Hawks are right to be underdogs… but i’ll take our chances. Give em hel boys.
Stewart
May 4th, 2009
3:31 pm
Darkside is talking smack about Atlanta… from Cleveland? Cleveland? Cleveland is just happy the Cuyahoga doesn’t catch fire anymore.
JR
May 4th, 2009
3:34 pm
As much as I would like to see the Hawks win the Cleveland series, oddes are heavily against it. If we can shoot some cortizone into Marvin’s latest boo-boo, we would have a chance for a couple of wins. Without him, we have no chance. Horford is hobbling, Johnson is not completely out of his funk yet. Bibby can score, but can’t play defense on quicker guards. Smith is the human highlight film, with a couple of frames missing, i.e., outside shooting and free throws. And… no three players of ours can stop Lebron. It’s been a nice run, but we must soon be concentrating on drafting or signing a new point guard and a large body to play inside. Anyway, GO HAWKS!
JR
May 4th, 2009
3:36 pm
Oh yeah,
Cleveland is just Detroit without the glitter.
Dawg House
May 4th, 2009
3:44 pm
Cavs in six
MyView
May 4th, 2009
3:51 pm
My prediction: Hawks in 6. Bold, I know. Hawks win gm 2 in Cleveland, 3 and 4 in ATL, and 6 in ATL. Steal one on the road, and play well at home like we have all season.
Joseph
May 4th, 2009
4:02 pm
Atlanta is to be a huge underdog for this series, but that’s okay. Cleveland has everything to lose, and Atlanta has everything to gain. Even though I know the odds are against it, I would love to see us take them to the wire. Everyone doubted us last year, and we were one game from knocking the Celtics out in round-1. Either way, this season is a definite improvement over last years. Don’t be surprised if the Hawks stun the world though. All across the sporting world, big ole’ Goliath gets whooped by David year in and year out.
Paul W
May 4th, 2009
4:25 pm
The progress made by the Hawks is significant, but work remains to be done. Cleveland will take us in 6, and after they win the title of the entire league, we will realize that we didn’t do so poorly.
I love where the Hawks have come, but until we have a top-notch NBA center and Horford can play the 4 and Smith can play the 3, we aren’t quite there yet. But the progress is impressive.
C-Town
May 4th, 2009
4:26 pm
So the Hawks win a playoff series for the first time in…FOREVER…and now they’re ripe and ready to take down the Cavs? Enjoy your little slice of limelight while you can, Atlanta. And enjoy all the ludicrous “if we steal one at their place” and “they can have an off day” speculation. Once this series starts, reality will set in.
Enjoy the show! We in Cleveland certainly will…