| Don’t Pencil In Cleveland Just Yet Authored by Brian Reynolds - May 4, 2009 - 4:10 pm
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Many analysts predicted a Boston sweep just a year ago and Atlanta was able to defend their home court and force Game 7. Now, the analysts are at it again, saying Cleveland will cruise to the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Congratulations, Atlanta Hawks,” ESPN’s Jon Berry said after the Hawks eliminated the Heat. “Now take your four games and head into the Summer.”
If you don’t think the Hawks are hearing the doubters, you are wrong. Al Horford repeatedly yelled out, “Keep talking,” as he headed into the locker room after beating the Heat.
Earlier in the series, Josh Smith told me that the team has been overlooked all year, but they are used to it. They thrive in the role of the underdog.
Head Coach Mike Woodson credits the series with Boston as the reason for their early success in this year’s postseason.
“We’ve grown as a team,” Woodson said. “The series with the Celtics taught us how to play playoff basketball. It was just a nasty feeling leaving that floor [in Boston, after elimination], but the fact that they taught us how to play playoff basketball left a good feeling in all of the player’s minds - that if they had the opportunity again to get back to the playoffs, anything is possible.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers had no problems in their first round match-up with the Detroit Pistons. They won in four and will have had over a week of rest before the series with the Hawks begins on Tuesday night. Led by the likely MVP LeBron James, the Cavs only lost two games at home all year (this includes the last game of the season in which Mike Brown rested many of his starters).
When you look back at the season series between Atlanta and Cleveland, however, it is not far-fetched to think the Hawks can seriously compete and perhaps pull off the upset. The Cavs took three out of four from Atlanta, but all of the games except for one in November, were close. Atlanta snapped Cleveland’s 11-game winning streak in December and fell by one point in their third meeting in March. In that game, Al Horford was whistled for a touch foul on LeBron James with 1.6 seconds left and James hit one free throw to clinch the win.
The Hawks have proven all year that they can consistently win on their home floor. However, if they are going to shock the world and provide a monumental upset, they need to find a way to win at the Q. They fell by six points in their last meeting at Cleveland but were trailing the whole game. Slow starts have been a problem for Atlanta for much of the year. They have to find a way to reverse that trend if they are going to steal a game away from Phillips. Hawks all-star guard Joe Johnson, thinks his team is up for the challenge.
“I think we are capable of doing it,” Johnson said. “We just have to stay focused and stay poised.”
The task won’t be easy, but I’m not calling a sweep like Jon Berry. If the Hawks can steal Game 1 or Game 2, watch out.
Prediction: Cavaliers in seven
- Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer from Emory University and can be reached at Brian.Matthew.Reynolds@gmail.com |
