At one point in the offseason, it looked crazy that the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers would meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
On July 11, everything changed.
That's when LeBron James announced he was coming home. He signed with the Cavaliers and instantly brought them back into relevance. The Cavs acquired Kevin Love for a haul of former No. 1 overall picks and Cleveland enjoyed a great regular season, winning the Central Division and earning the No. 2 seed in the East.
"I'm just trying to lead these guys," said James. "I'm just trying to give them the right path. I demand excellence out of every last one of them, including myself. I just want them to be great. I see so much potential."
Atlanta was a semi-floundering organization. The Hawks always made the postseason, but never got this far.
On Sept. 7, it became public that then owner Steve Levenson sent a racist e- mail to members of the organization in order to become more attractive for white season ticket holders.
General manager Danny Ferry was suspended indefinitely, but the team he built thrived. Atlanta won a franchise-record 60 games during the regular season, thanks in large part to Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer. He studied at the foot of Gregg Popovich for years and implemented San Antonio's team-oriented philosophy. It sent four Hawks to the All-Star game.
"You have to recognize that's a team that has five shooters on the floor at all times," said Cleveland coach David Blatt.
The Hawks had a tougher time than expected in the first round. They needed six games to get past the pesky Brooklyn Nets, then played an exciting series with the Washington Wizards in round two.
Atlanta fell down 1-0, and Paul Pierce made a buzzer-beater to top them in Game 3. With the series tied back in Atlanta, Al Horford made a layup with under two seconds left to steal Game 5 and Pierce nearly doomed them again in Game 6. His corner 3-pointer was waived off when replay showed the ball on his finger tips as the horn sounded.
"You move on and realize that there is more work to be done. That's what I did after Game 6 in Washington. It was like, 'man, that's good but we still want more and we are still looking forward to the next round,'" Horford told Sekou Smith of NBA.com.
The Cavs swept the Boston Celtics in the opening round, but it came at a cost. Love was lost for the remainder of the playoffs with a dislocated shoulder. He's already underwent surgery.
Next up, the Cavs beat the Chicago Bulls in six games. As wear and tear grew, All-Star guard Kyrie Irving couldn't go in the second half of the Game 6 clincher, but Matthew Dellavedova stole the show.
Irving pronounced himself ready and the Cavaliers will need him. Budenholzer has employed a new lineup in the playoffs where point guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder play together.
"When those two guys play together, it gives you a second player that's very comfortable, very accustomed to being in pick-and-rolls with the ball in their hands - trying to get in the paint, attacking the basket, collapsing the defense," Budenholzer told the AP.
Atlanta has never made the conference finals in franchise history. Cleveland hasn't been here since 2009 when it lost to the Orlando Magic in six games.
The Hawks dominated the regular season matchup against the Cavs. Cleveland won at home in November, then lost three straight. The Hawks have won five straight at home over the Cavaliers.
None of that hardly matters this deep into the postseason. What looked like a faint, laughable possibility has become reality, starting Wednesday night.
The Hawks and Cavaliers are in the Eastern Conference Finals.
MATCHUPS:
BACKCOURT: Teague made his first All-Star team and rightfully so. During the postseason, he's playing a few more minutes, which is probably that time out there with Schroder. Teague can score off the dribble, in pick-and-roll, as well as from long range. His field-goal percentage in the playoffs is down from the regular season. Teague will have Irving defensively. Teague is solid and should make Irving and his bum legs work on the other end. Kyle Korver is the league's best shooter no matter what any statistic tells you. Korver has shot 35 percent from 3-point territory during the playoffs, which is down, but that was to be expected considering he shot a loony 49 percent from deep during the regular season. Korver has logged 38 minutes per game these 12 postseason contests. He's not great defensively, but he's a good help defender.
Irving's production has declined during the first two series, but that can be blamed on his leg injuries and the fact that James dominates the ball this time of year. Irving has shot 45.7 percent beyond the 3-point arc, which means the Hawks have to address him no matter how hobbled he is. Who is the second starter in the Cleveland backcourt? When J.R. Smith was suspended the first two games of the Chicago series, Blatt went to Iman Shumpert. When Smith returned, Shumpert stayed in the starting lineup. But, with time off in between series, does Blatt go back to Smith? Let's say he sticks with Shumpert. Shumpert is a plus defender who knocked down critical 3-pointers. He's playing with a chip on his shoulder and averaged 12.6 ppg as a starter.
EDGE: CLEVELAND
FRONTCOURT: Paul Millsap is a well-rounded, under-appreciated star. He can do everything as evidenced by his 15.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.8 spg and 1.1 bpg averages in the postseason. He's a solid defender and even shot 35 percent from deep. Al Horford is a monster. Like Millsap, his versatility is really what makes the Hawks great. His numbers read like Millsap's - 15.6 ppg. 9.9 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.0 spg and 1.8 bpg. Plus, Horford can make an open 3 as well. These bigs pass so well, it's what's most reminiscent of the San Antonio mold. DeMarre Carroll has been a revelation this postseason. His scoring is up 5.0 ppg and he's shot almost 44 percent from 3-point land. Carroll rebounds and is a high-energy machine. Carroll will have James, which is manageable since Carroll is a good defender. Can he score at that clip while James is guarding him? Does his offense suffer because of the energy expanded on the defensive end? Big questions for the Hawks.
James is, of course, the greatest player on the planet. He constantly elevates his game in the postseason and his numbers are better this time around as well. James' statistics in the conference finals are outrageous and he's led his team to five NBA Finals in six trips to this round. With Irving hurt and few other capable scorers, James will take everything on himself. He has already proven himself capable of carrying a team to the championship round. Tristan Thompson is a magnificent grunt who has been solid since joining the starting lineup in Love's absence. He's going to have his work cut out for him chasing Millsap around the perimeter. Timofey Mozgov was a great addition during the season. He hasn't scored a ton in the playoffs, but he'll have to battle Horford on the glass. That's a tough task, but Mozgov is a big man and he'll have to make Horford work on the defensive end.
EDGE: CLEVELAND
BENCH: Schroder has been sensational during the postseason, scoring 10.1 ppg. He's been on the floor at the end of close games and his partnership with Teague has been interesting. Kent Bazemore and Pero Antic have played every playoff game and are solid veterans with the second unit. Mike Scott has gotten inconsistent minutes, but can shoot. Mike Muscala has been pretty good when he's out there, scoring 5.0 ppg in almost 11 minutes, but he's only seen action in half of Atlanta's postseason games.
If Smith is the shooting guard who plays with the reserves, he can be a massive asset. Smith has shot the ball very well, especially from deep. Smith, who has been far from the pain in the butt he was ... pretty much everywhere else, has been a model citizen, who has saved his best play until the fourth quarter. Dellavedova was amazing in Game 6 vs. the Bulls. He scored 19 points in 34 minutes and has become a valued shooter and defender off the bench. James Jones is the only other Cavaliers player to see action in all 10 playoff games. He can shoot, that's for sure. Mike Miller, Kendrick Perkins and Shawn Marion have not been factors.
EDGE: EVEN
COACHING: Budenholzer won the Coach of the Year award and has gotten his team to buy into his new, team-oriented system in just under two seasons. He has plenty of playoff experience from working with Popovich all those years.
Blatt has been shaky all season. There have been rumors of problems with James, although the two have seemed fine. That is, until James "scrapped" Blatt's play at the end of Game 4. Blatt also tried to a call a time out which he didn't have. Had the official caught that, the Cavs could've fallen behind, 3-1.
EDGE: ATLANTA
PREDICTION: This matchup is somewhat reminiscent of last year's NBA Finals. James led the Heat when Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade basically had nothing left in the tank. James couldn't withstand the team approach of the Spurs and got creamed.
The Hawks aren't the Spurs. The talent isn't the same, but their roster is healthier and maybe even deeper than Cleveland's. Atlanta's matchups are actually pretty favorable. Carroll can do a decent job with James and James will have to work on Carroll thanks the Hawks' forward's emergence. Teague/Schroder will have an easy time getting by Irving and Mozgov/Thompson will have trouble with Millsap/Horford on the perimeter.
However, the Hawks don't have James.
LeBron is in one of those zones again where he won't allow his team to lose. When that happens, there isn't much that can be done to stop it.
SPORTS NETWORK PREDICTION: CAVALIERS in SIX
[SportsNetwork.com]
