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
hawksdowork
May 4th, 2009
4:28 pm
I like how most people try to say cavs in 4. But I guess they forgot how we played the last year champions, celtics, to game 7 and gave them a run for their money. Just have to watch and see
sidewalk74
May 4th, 2009
4:30 pm
Cavs in 4. The Hawks have no chance.
crackbaby
May 4th, 2009
4:57 pm
No doubt Cleveland presents matchup problems for the Hawks. Plus, the Cavs are dominant at home. I understand all the talking heads talking Cleveland in 4 or 5. However, they still have to play the games. Here is Crack’s personal wish list:
1) Play insane, blood-sucking, raw meat eating DEFENSE! Dog ‘em, choke ‘em, and take the ball.
2) Get transition points off that D
3) Rebound, rebound, rebound (that means box out on D and get the ball or die!)
4) On offense, move move move and pass, pass, pass (only isolate on mismatches)
5) Our bench has to beat their bench (ZaZa, Flip, Mo, Rio, etc. need to lock into their roles)
After watching the Hawks this season and in Round 1, to me it’s obvious that JJ has some physical problem that limits his agility. Last year against Boston, he had that uncanny effortless dribble-in-traffic to the key ability. Something is preventing that right now (and it isn’t the Heat D).
Let’s take it one game at time y’all and like the team, don’t get too high or too low on one game. All we need to do is count to 4! GO HAWKS!
mowreck
May 4th, 2009
5:00 pm
The Atlanta Hawks have TWO chances to beat Cleveland … SLIM and NONE.
Greg
May 4th, 2009
5:12 pm
Hawks fans: plan to do whatever you want next Wednesday night. You’ll be free.
Mike Wills
May 4th, 2009
5:14 pm
Cavs sweep big . We are taking Atlanta Hawks . Hawks are lousy on the road.
Concerned
May 4th, 2009
5:27 pm
The Hawks gave it a good run for their money, and they proved they are no easy team for nobody (if they come out sharp from the start and keep their head in the game). And if my memory serves me well, a lot of games against NBA’s great were pretty close.
This being said, the odds are against us – Cavs only lost a couple at home. Yes, they might be rusty in game 1, but then they will come on hard in games 3 and 4. As much as I am hoping for the amazing to happen, I don’t think our brave Hawks will be able to pull this one off. I am hoping for close games,but 6 games will be the most this series will last, I am afraid. (I wouldn’t mind being wrong on this one and see the Hawks take it to 7 again or even better – everything is possible if the teams are allowed to play – but I don’t see it happen this year.)
Joseph
May 4th, 2009
5:39 pm
Cavs in 6 but if the Hawks can win 2, people will have a new respect for them next year for sure! Get a big man in the center…….Hawks can go all the way…..
MVP23
May 4th, 2009
6:10 pm
Nobody on that Celtics team is near the talent that james is. The Cavs are ready to rule the NBA for the next 6-7 years. The Celtics big three are all over 30 and Kobe is too! In 2 years the Cavs will have enough cap space to sign LeBron and another star…Bosh or possibly Wade. ATL…enjoy your moment in the sun…it’s going to be very dark in about one week.
Chris
May 4th, 2009
6:29 pm
Honestly this team is no better than that Boston team last year. Lebron is a streak shooter. If we can keep him limited on his penetration in the paint we have a chance. He can not shoot near as good as Wade and Ilgauskas could have trouble keeping up if we can get them running up and down the court. I think Mo Williams scares me in this series more than Lebron. Mo is so quick and he can stroke it from 3. Horford has to play big as do all our big men. Defense wins championships and when the hawks play great defense they are a scary team.
Dave
May 4th, 2009
6:31 pm
Hawks in 6! Every game this year with Cleveland was close. All we need is one up there and we run them out of Phillips! Ilgauskis is the problem and Solomon Jones may be the key. Lebron is good but beating Detroit is no big deal! If it goes 7, we lose! Good match up of the two best defensive teams in the league! If we can get Cleveland running(see young and stupid) we win! If we try to outscore them we lose big! The key is Josh and his patience or lack of it!
You Distort/We Deride
May 4th, 2009
6:41 pm
This ride will be over in 4 games. Any superstar centers on the auction block for next year yet?
jared
May 4th, 2009
6:45 pm
The Hawks are a very good home team and are capable of winning every home game. What they will need to do is steal one on the road against a team that including the postseason is 42 – 2 at home. What will need to happen for the hawks to win is for Josh Smith to play spectacular defense on Lebron and hold him to around 25 points per game. Other than at small forward, the Hawks have better players at every position except maybe point guard, where I would give the Hawks the edge do to Mike Bibby’s playoff experience. Don’t be surprised if the Hawks pull off the shocker, especially after the Hawks pushed the Celtics to game seven last year. They are capable and they have played the Caveliers well all this year, even though their record is only 1 – 3. My pick is the Hawks in 6.
Keep It Real!
May 4th, 2009
6:52 pm
Basketball is a team game! That’s why the good team with good smart players win all the time!
The Hawks have some good players but they do not play good team basketball like the Cavaliers. Too much one on one ball by players who do not shoot the ball well.
bubba
May 4th, 2009
7:05 pm
I think as a team the Hawks are stronger. They just have to take Le Bron out of the game.Strong defense on Le Bron and keep hitting those threes. You can do eet!
Roland
May 4th, 2009
7:24 pm
OH YES THERE WILL BE LOTS OF BLOOD SHED. UNFORTUNATELY, IT WILL BE FROM THE HAWKS. BUT MAN I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE LEBRON FINALLY. EVEN IF USES ATLANTA AS CHEAP TOILET PAPER.
Chris
May 4th, 2009
7:41 pm
Well in a perfect Cleveland I expect Cleveland to be flat after not playing for a weak, so take not steal game 1 come back to Atlanta win games 3 and 4 all of a sudden you you got Hawks in 6. Hopefully Boston beats Orlando which I don’t think they will and the reason I say that is we dont match up well against Orlando and I would love to get some revenge on Boston God I hate Boston. If that cant happen and the Hawks dont get through Cleveland Then I just Boston dont go no where. I hate Boston mostly Garnot and the big 2 also Big LADY Davis! Go HAWKS! From the only Hawks fan in Iowa City, Iowa!
bubba
May 4th, 2009
7:43 pm
The mistake by the lake will lose. Even Drew Carey left. go drink some more of Lake Erie you bunch of azzclowns.
patrick
May 4th, 2009
7:43 pm
smoove is not English. Its Ebonics….stop trashing the English language
patrick
May 4th, 2009
7:44 pm
smoove sounds like someone trying to say smooth with a mouth full of………..
Rosalind the little sports nut
May 4th, 2009
9:23 pm
I am a Hawks fan but I also like Cleveland,so I will give my honest assessment…..The Hawks are too inconsistent for me to believe they can beat Cleveland,they may but I just don’t see it.If The Hawks play as they did in game 7,the series will go to 7 with Cleveland winning the series, now this is the best scenario……..
My worst scenario is Cleveland in 5…I really feel that The N.B.A. want Lebron in The Finals. I do feel that Lebron is the greatest player in the league and I feel his team can achieve this goal on their own but I also believe The N.B.A. “FIX” things ,for The N.B.A. brand and trust Lebron is the brand!The Hawks have shown themselves to be so inconsistent that no one would be surprised if The Cavs have an easy series…….
JASon
May 4th, 2009
10:31 pm
Lets do to Lebron what the Turkish prison did to Randy Quaid in Midnight Express after he tried to escape twice. That fairy dust sniffing d- bag. Hey Lebron, go f yourself. Go Hawks.
JayInAtlanta
May 4th, 2009
11:27 pm
I’ve been a Hawks fan since the 70s. If JJ steps it up — he’s the one who’s been wanting this and pressing everyone so hard — we’ll get a couple. That’s the best I can hope for, but even as rabid a fan as I am, I flat out didn’t think we could take Boston to 7 last year. We did it then, I think there’s always the chance we can do it to C-town.
Even in terrible years, I’ve seen us play with the best of them and lose to the worst of them. Maybe it’s really our time to shine and all the Cleveland lovers who posted here will have their words copied and pasted right back at them in 7 games…
Jay
Fred
May 5th, 2009
2:13 am
oh come on now. We ARE talking about the NBA right? King Lebron is the new and improved MJ. Remember MJ? If he missed a shot and anyone was near him he waved for a foul and it was granted. If ANY Hawk D’s up against the KING he will be called out on fouls in the second quarter. King James on the other hand will be able to slap Hawks around like a pimp slaps his ho’s. It doesn’t matter how well the Hawks play, the fix is in and the “Championship’ game WILL be the Cav’s VS the other sacred cow, Kobe, I mean the LA lakers. WHy even show any games until then?
twocents
May 5th, 2009
9:18 am
LeBron has 4 years of experience at this stage of the playoffs. The Hawks do not. LeBron will control the game like a great chess game champion. The Hawks will make a few runs and may win one, possibly two. But in the end, they do not have an answer to the greatest basketball player on the planet, who is just entering his prime.
Ah, no Peg
May 5th, 2009
10:14 am
The Hawks are a nice team but this is the deepest water they’ve treaded in many a year. Cavs are deep, rested, motivated and have the best HCA in the league. Not to mention a certain #23 who will be even more amped after winning MVP. Hawks will offer Cleveland a better challenge than Detroit, and are talented and athletic enough to take a game down in the ATL. But I gotta go w/ my hometown boys in five games.
Ah, no Peg
May 5th, 2009
10:20 am
ALSO–the Cavs really only lost ONE game at home, that was to the Lake Show. We played our third stringers against Phili and took them to OT before losing.
czervik
May 5th, 2009
10:33 am
You guys are hilarious. Way to support your team, though. The Hawks took 7 games to beat D-Wade, with a bad back, and the other 4 guys.
The Cavs are deep and experienced in the playoffs. They have the single greatest player on the planet. If the Hawks win one I will be surprised. Perhaps Game 4 at home?
It was a good run Hawks fans. I especially enjoyed your little piece on the Hawks vs. Cavs advantages. Are there really 10% of you that think Marvin Williams has the advantage over LeBron? There must be a lot of you just discovering that you still have a basketball team.
eazy e
May 5th, 2009
11:04 am
I think the hawks should double team Lebron and try to make everyone else beat them. If you take away Lebron you take away the offense.
Busy B
May 5th, 2009
11:38 am
wow, what an epiphany. double team LeBron. It’s a wonder nobody has tried that yet. you obviously haven’t watched them play in the last 3 months.
bravofan
May 5th, 2009
11:45 am
The Hawks are not a favorite a favorite to win the series vs the Cavs bu eh the Magic beat the Celtics at the Garden last night and the Rockets beat the Lakers its looking good guys espns analysts dont like the Hawks have a look http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/matchup/_/teams/hawks-cavaliers I want the Hawks to SHOCK THE WORLD!
Luke
May 5th, 2009
11:58 am
haha, you gotta love all of the idiots who actually believe the hawks are going to win this series. the hawks have no intensity on the road and they are facing the best home team in the nba. my guess is that they get beat by 40 in the first game and by 50 in the second game. they might be able to get one on our home floor, but then its another blowout in game five. series and season done.
RickNole
May 5th, 2009
4:30 pm
Would love to see if you idiots come back tomorrow after the Hawks win tonight. Or will you just bring excuses?
Hawksgirl
May 5th, 2009
6:25 pm
I know cause no heat fans showed up yet, but i expected that. I cant call the series because its a good matchup but i see the hawks taking one in cleveland and it depends on who wants it the most. The team with the most heart will win. If the hawks play the killer defense they played on miami then we will win but they have to get their confidence bustin out the gates tonight. Be the first to score.
I see blood on the court tonight aswell. The hawks are so underestimated so we will suprise cleveland tonight and an unsuspected series will happen. Let’s just wait and watch the game tonight.
LET’S GO HAWKS! GAME 1 SEMIFINALS!