Cavs backcourt:
Kyrie Irving averaged 27.5 points and shot 47 percent from 3-point range in the Cavaliers’ first-round victory over the Detroit Pistons. His 3-point shooting baffled Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, who lamented throughout the series how Irving was shooting it much better than he did during the regular season. J.R. Smith shot 52 percent from deep against the Pistons and Matthew Dellavedova totaled 16 assists against just one turnover.
Hawks backcourt:
Jeff Teague is one of the league’s more underrated point guards. Now 27 and entering his prime, Teague has been the steady leader on offense. He averaged 20.7 points and 7.3 assists against the Cavs during the regular season — his highest scoring average against any team in the league this year. Teague struggled with his 3-point shooting against the Celtics (24 percent) but he hit some daggers during the series. Kyle Korver didn’t duplicate last season’s success (49 percent 3-point shooting), but he is shooting 53 percent from deep since the All-Star break. He traditionally hasn’t really hurt the Cavs, however. In seven games last season and this season, Korver is averaging 9.2 points against them. “We just try to stay glued in on him,” Cavs coach Tyrron Lue said. “We know he’s dangerous.” Lue said the Hawks outscored the Celtics by 78 points when Korver was on the floor, but they were outscored by 24 points when he was off it. “He kind of gets them going,” Lue said, “making shots in transition and making open 3s.”
EDGE: Cavs
Cavs frontcourt:
LeBron James crushed the Hawks in the conference finals last season, averaging 30.3 points, 11 rebounds and 9.3 assists in the sweep. He has plenty more help this time around after Kevin Love averaged 18.8 points, 12 rebounds and shot 39 percent from 3 against the Pistons. Cavs general manager David Griffin said the Cavs are going to need Timofey Mozgov in this series, but after the way Mozgov has struggled this season, counting on him for much of anything seems futile. Lue did a great job of keeping the Pistons off-balance in the first round by mixing small and big lineups. Expect more of the same here.
Hawks frontcourt:
Thabo Sefolosha is back from serious ankle and leg injuries last season, which should help the Hawks defensively on James. Sefolosha’s absence last year was part of the reason the Hawks struggled defending him. The Hawks’ defense has been terrific of late, producing 12 blocks in the closeout victory against the Celtics. Paul Millsap and Al Horford have both been All-Stars in their careers and James believes it’s their ability to switch on pick-and-rolls that makes the defense so effective. “They’ve got guys who just take the one-on-one challenge,” James said. “Those guys do a great job with their individual matchups.”
EDGE: Cavs
Cavs coaching:
Tyronn Lue entered the postseason with plenty to prove as a rookie coach and then shined in his first series, outcoaching the veteran Van Gundy at various turns. Lue’s inbounds plays in short-clock situations were terrific and his lineups consistently kept the Pistons off-balance. Lue seemed to struggle with a few rotations early in his first playoff series, but came through beautifully after entering as an unknown.
Hawks coaching:
Mike Budenholzer received one lone third-place vote in coach of the year voting this season after winning the award last year. That’s what a 12-game drop in wins will get you. But the Hawks believe they were playing better at the end of this season than they were at the end of last year, when they peaked too early and flamed out against the Cavs in the conference finals. Budenholzer has helped reshape their identity from a scoring team to a defensive team and he was also part of the Spurs coaching staff that turned James into a jump shooter during the Finals between the Heat and Spurs. If Budenholzer takes the same approach this time, James is ready. “I think one of my best strengths in the playoffs has been able to make adjustments from game to game,” James said. “Obviously I’m not quite sure how they’re going to play me in Game 1 but I’m able to make adjustments throughout the game, see how they’re playing me and still be able to become effective.”
EDGE: Hawks
Prediction:
Cavs in 5.
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.