Eastern Semis: Game 1 Hawks @ Cavs

[Benedict_Boozer]

Final score was deceptive. ATL was in this game until that bad stretch in the 2nd half.

I think you guys would be better off pushing the tempo, Cavs half court defense is the best in the league, Woodson is playing right into the style we use by walking the ball up.

Also I think essentially defending Lebron 1 on 1 is a mistake. I get what Woodson was trying to do, limit guys like Mo/Z/Delonte, etc. but it just isn't going to work because he will break down your defense off the dribble too frequently.

If Woodson makes those adjustments I think game 2 should be a tight ball game. Josh Smith is a match up problem and you guys outsize us on the perimeter.

[Hood President]

smith had 13 shots in the first half, 2 in the 2nd.

[evildallas]

I appreciate all the Cleveland fans who have dropped by to add comments to the thread. I gotta say that the Cavs are scary good. We still hope to steal one up there, but there seems to be little margin for error. Lebron seems to be able to score at will and there are plenty of other teammates ready to nail an open shot. Your team defense forced a lot errors and we added unforced ones as well. You guys have the best record for a reason. I'm hoping that our guys keep their heads about them and give you a better challenge than Detroit did.

[dannyc84]

Mo Evans is a good defender, but is not quite the defensive stopper such as Artest or Battier this team needs to put on Lebron.

[mg]

Another Cavs fan here. You should be proud of your team, they really hung in last night.
GL and hope for a great series.

[killbuckner]

Wow... I am just astounded. The Hawks lost and people aren't blaming Woodson and the Refs are barely getting a mention. This might be the first ever Hawks loss that I have ever seen that wasn't put at the feet of Woodson on this board.

[JoshB914]

Wow... I am just astounded. The Hawks lost and people aren't blaming Woodson and the Refs are barely getting a mention. This might be the first ever Hawks loss that I have ever seen that wasn't put at the feet of Woodson on this board.

I think there is a genuine understanding that we are overmatched here. And honestly, I thought we played well last night. We made things tough for them on offense outside of the offensive boards (which is to be expected), we just had that awful stretch in the second half of the third quarter and they jumped all over us. You can't let up for one moment against the Cavs, when they smell blood they go right for the kill and that's what happened last night. Hopefully we can learn from this and hang in the game into the fourth quarter this time around.

[conleyorbust]

^^Why are Cavs fans so much cooler than Heat fans? I like it!

Easy to be cool when you have a monster team starring Lebron James... Very few worries for them right now.

As far as the game goes, it was more or less the perfect Cavs game (not saying it was a perfect game by them, more that it was a game that really showed their strengths). They played great D and forced a lot of TOs, they got a lot of offensive rebounds, they had guards hitting shots, and Lebron James.

[TheOUTLAW]

You'd be surprised how often Cavs fans have to hear that we aren't as good as our record or that we're overrated.

[Harry10]

lets see who the real Hawks Fans are!

still alot of series left.

[LL Cool Scott]

You'd be surprised how often Cavs fans have to hear that we aren't as good as our record or that we're overrated.

Really? That's crazy talk. This is a better team than the Celtics were last year. This Cavs team is the best team I've seen in a couple years. That defense is just suffocating. And Lebron is possibly the perfect basketball player.

[JoshB914]

You'd be surprised how often Cavs fans have to hear that we aren't as good as our record or that we're overrated.

Really? That's crazy talk. This is a better team than the Celtics were last year. This Cavs team is the best team I've seen in a couple years. That defense is just suffocating. And Lebron is possibly the perfect basketball player.

Sounds like you are developing a new man crush. Don't tell Zaza!

[ATL DirtyBird]

You'd be surprised how often Cavs fans have to hear that we aren't as good as our record or that we're overrated.

Really? That's crazy talk. This is a better team than the Celtics were last year. This Cavs team is the best team I've seen in a couple years. That defense is just suffocating. And Lebron is possibly the perfect basketball player.

If he keeps improving on his jumpshot its not even gonna be fun watching him play against us. Lucky Cav fans. I bet alot of Cav fans came out of the woodwork this year though.
Anyone else think that Game 2 will be worst than Game 1?

[L&H_05]

If he keeps improving on his jumpshot its not even gonna be fun watching him play against us. Lucky Cav fans. I bet alot of Cav fans came out of the woodwork this year though.
Anyone else think that Game 2 will be worst than Game 1?

Not sure.. The Cavs really did not play well yesterday, and that's not saying anything to make us sound like we're so much better, but the bigs were really awful... AV, Joe Smith, Z didn't really provide any offense whatsoever, whereas LeBron, Delonte and Mo had what is close to their average games... LeBron between 25-35, Delonte between 12-15 and Mo right around 20 points or so...

The difference obviously is the defense, as that never takes a night off...

I noticed the Hawks are pretty easy to defend because of the lack of shooters, and especially shooters on the wings and straight on... Bibby is really the only consistent threat from a non baseline corner 3 spot on the floor, and that is key when JJ has the ball in his hands...

The Cavs have some of the very best recovery defense when they trap, or switch etc... So it's easier for them to get to a guy like Mo Evans or even a Marvin Williams to challenge the corner 3 (if they take it)-- the 3 ball that harder to get to based on the extra pass (or initial pass) is that wing 3 ball.. When Bibby goes out, JJ is easily taken out of the game.. You couple that with the fact that the Hawks have limited slashers, and you're gonna see a scenario in which the Hawks will take highly contested shots within a halfcourt setting...

The only way I see the Hawks getting this going in their favor is to push the ball on a make or miss... Problem is, Bibby doesn't play like that... However, I do see some more success with that at home when the Hawks crowd is into it...