NBA Knowledge
Atlanta-Cleveland
Cavaliers won their last eight games (7-1 vs spread) vs Hawks, covered four of last five played here. Four of last six series games went over the total. Cleveland made 15-31 on arc in Game 1 win; all five starters were +15 or better. Atlanta lost five of last six road games; its starters shot 32% in Game 1. Schroder had 27 points in 29:00 off bench. Cleveland is 4-2 vs spread in last six home games.
Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 4-2, over: 3-3
Armadillosports.com
Game 2 - Hawks at Cavaliers
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Even with Kevin Love out with a shoulder injury and Kyrie Irving missing Games 2 and 3 of last year’s Eastern Conference finals, Cleveland made easy work of Atlanta in a four-game sweep. For the first 2.5 quarters of Monday’s East semifinals lid-lifter, everything looked the same between the Cavaliers and the Hawks.
When Dennis Schroder committed a turnover that turned into a Cleveland fast break and a LeBron James’ dunk, Tyronn Lue’s squad took a 72-54 lead with 3:56 remaining in the third quarter and Game 1 appeared to be a done deal. Ah, but folks, that’s why they play these games.
On a night at Quicken Loans Arena when franchise stalwart Al Horford played one of his worst games in recent memory and Kyle Korver was smothered and covered to the extent that he only was able to get one shot off despite playing 37 minutes, Schroder sparked a 26-7 run and Atlanta took its first lead of the game on an alley-oop pass from Schroder to Horford for an emphatic dunk in traffic with 8:00 remaining.
Kyrie Irving answered with a 3-pointer, but Schroder came right back and penetrated to the rim for an easy layup to knot the score at 82-82. Again, however, Irving responded with a bucket in the lane, but a Paul Millsap basket pulled Atlanta even once more. Irving put the Cavs back in front with a 15-footer, only for Schroder to answer with a layup of his own.
With the game tied, the Hawks had three straight empty possessions resulting in a pair of 3-point misses and a turnover by Kent Bazemore. Nevertheless, after a Tristan Thompson free throw gave Cleveland a one-point advantage, Horford put the Hawks back ahead by one with a short jump hook at the 4:28 mark.
From there, however, the Cavs went on a 10-0 run over the next three minutes. The spread cover was still in doubt when Millsap made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 97-90 with 1:28 remaining. But Cleveland scored seven straight to capture a 104-93 win to hook up its betting backers as a 7.5-point home favorite.
The 197 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 200-point total.
Cleveland (62-25 straight up, 40-44-3 against the spread) led 30-19 at the end of the first quarter to easily cover first-quarter wagers as a three-point favorite. Lue’s squad enjoyed a 51-41 advantage at intermission to cover first-half bets (-4.5).
Trailing by 10, Atlanta was made a 1.5-point underdog for second-half bets (+11.5 adjusted). Therefore, when Lamar Patterson hit an otherwise meaningless trey with 18 seconds remaining, he gave gamblers taking the Hawks in the second half a winner.
James produced 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals, while Irving finished with 21 points and eight assists. Love had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but he was just 4-of-17 from the field. Also, he appeared to injure his shoulder and turn his ankle in the fourth quarter. In fact, as of Tuesday afternoon, Love was listed as ‘questionable’ for Game 2.
J.R. Smith had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists without a turnover. He drained a huge 3-pointer when the Hawks were up by one midway through the final stanza. Smith was also terrific with his defense on Korver.
Schroder had a career-playoff-high 27 points to go with six assists. However, he committed five turnovers, but the Hawks wouldn’t have been within spitting distance without his scoring efforts. Like Schroder, Bazemore played poorly at crunch time, but he played outstanding for the most part, tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Mike Scott continued to provide solid minutes off the bench, making all three of his shots while contributing seven points, four boards and two assists without a turnover in only 16 minutes of playing time.
Millsap had 17 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and two steals, but he was only 6-of-19 from the field. Horford had 10 points, six boards, three blocks and two steals, but he went 4-of-13 from the floor. Teague played only 22 minutes, finishing with eight points on 2-of-9 shooting, but he did dish out four assists without committing a turnover.
Atlanta (52-37 SU, 45-43-1 ATS) can’t count on the type of performance it received from Schroder in Game 1 throughout this best-of-seven set, but it has to feel great about having a chance to win on the road with minimal production from Horford, Teague and Korver, who were All-Stars last season.
For Game 2, the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened Cleveland as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 199 late Monday night. By lunch on Tuesday, though, the number was down to seven while the tally remained at 199 points. The Hawks were +280 on the money line (risk $100 to win $180), while the Cavs were favored by four for first-half wagers.
Cleveland owns a 36-8 SU record and a 22-22 ATS mark at home this year. Meanwhile, Atlanta is 22-23 SU and 21-23-1 ATS on the road.
The Cavs have won eight in a row over the Hawks, going 7-1 ATS in the process. They have won all four meetings this season both SU and ATS.
The ‘under’ has cashed in four in a row for the Hawks and 10 of their last 12. They have seen the ‘under’ go 50-39 overall, 25-20 in their road assignments.
The ‘under’ is 44-43 overall for the Cavs, but the ‘over’ is 23-21 in their home outings.
5Dimes has the updated series price as Cleveland -1100, leaving Atlanta at +700 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $700).
Tip-off for Wednesday’s Game 2 is slated for 8:05 p.m. Eastern on TNT.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Loyal readers know I’m a long-suffering Hawks fan, so you can imagine how I was pacing around my living room during the fourth quarter of Game 1. My reactions to each play had my dog scared to death (she bolted upstairs to my bedroom after Horford’s dunk to put us in the lead). I only mention this to note that I’m not second-guessing here; I first-guessed, though I can’t reference my twitter feed because I had no time or patience to get on my computer or phone to voice this thought. Though it would have been an against-the-grain move that would’ve drawn criticism galore had it not worked, but I knew Schroder was gassed and (as we used to call it on the playground) “shot out” (didn’t have any more made shots left in him) when he asked out of the game midway through the fourth quarter with the game tied. Budenholzer brought him back in for Teague 62 seconds later at the 5:22 mark, but Schroder missed both of his shots and committed a pair of costly turnovers the rest of the way.
Horford and Millsap combined to make only 2-of-16 shots in the first half of Game 1. Love was 1-of-10 in the first 24 minutes.
From 5Dimes again, the odds to win the East (as of Tuesday afternoon): Cavs -360, Raptors +600, Heat +1200 and Hawks +1800.
Doc Rivers stated Monday that the Clippers will not entertain trade offers for Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan this offseason. Take that for what it’s worth. I’m not saying they will, but things can certainly change on that front.
Things I’ve been diggin’ about these playoffs:
1 - Kobe’s Bryant’s absence.
2 - Charles Barkley!
3 - Every second of Inside the NBA, especially the late-night version.
4 - Klay Thompson’s nastiness at both ends.
5 - That insane pass by Tony Parker to LaMarcus Aldridge for the key 3-pointer at crunch time of Game 2.
6 - Atlanta finally beating Boston in the playoffs with that Game 6 pimpslap.
7 - Austin Rivers’ toughness, effort and performance in Game 6 at Portland. After taking an elbow that required 11 stitches and nearly closed his left eye shut with swelling, he produced 21 points, six rebounds and eight assists without a turnover.
8 - Great effort by the Spurs’ fan holding Steven Adams in the corner at the end of Game 2.
9 - Paul George’s overall play and that backdoor cover to hook me up in Game 7.
10A - The fact that I’ll be at Game 3 on Friday night at Philips Arena. It will be the first time I’ve seen LeBron play in-person.
10B - Manu Ginobili's postgame presser on Monday night. He was absolutely right about not blaming the no-call for losing the game. The Spurs got the steal and had a great chance to score and win the game regardless.
Things that are chafing me to no end about the playoffs to date:
1 - Chris Webber!!!!!! (to be clear, this assessment is 24/7/365 and has nothing to do with his rant about the no-call at the end of OKC-San Antonio Game 2)
2 - Marv Albert’s stellar (as usual) work being drowned out by Weber’s utter incompetence and propensity for being an insufferable pain in the ass with nearly everything that comes out of his mouth.
3 - James Harden’s effort (or lack thereof) on defense and his deplorable body language when his team is getting spanked.
4 - Injuries to key players like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Steph Curry, in addition to Chris Bosh, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, who went down in the regular season.
5 - How one of my favorite players ever (Al Horford) is costing himself lots of cash with the way he’s struggled with his shot.
6 - That foul by Serge Ibaka on Aldridge shooting a 3-ball when OKC was up four with 13 seconds left in Game 2 (what on earth was he doing?!).
7 - Kyle Lowry’s immense struggles. Let’s see how he plays against the Heat when he’s not being defended by George Hill.
8 - Not saying the Pacers would’ve won, but that call has to be made underneath on the obvious push when Indiana was poised to get an offensive rebound down by three with 12-13 seconds remaining.
9 - The thought of being forced to hear C-Webb’s voice/analysis of EVERY game for the rest of the OKC-SA series. Really, TNT? What a nightmare.
10 - Budenholzer giving minutes to Mike Muscala ahead of Kris Humphries.
Wednesday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
By Covers.com
The lone game on the NBA schedule for Wednesday features the Atlanta Hawks attempting to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. We break down all the action so you can cap the game like a pro.
Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7, 198)
The Cleveland Cavaliers keep knocking off Atlanta in the postseason and look to do it for the 10th consecutive time when they host the Hawks in Wednesday's Game 2. Cleveland continued its playoff mastery of Atlanta with a 104-93 series-opening victory on Monday as it held the Hawks to 37.9 percent shooting from the field.
The Cavaliers let an 18-point third-quarter lead get away in Game 1 but outclassed Atlanta down the stretch to deal the Hawks another loss. "They're a great team," Atlanta shooting guard Kyle Korver told reporters. "They beat a lot of people. It's not just us. Are we getting closer to getting over the hump? I don't know. ... We definitely got to get that win first." Cleveland drained 15 3-point baskets and received a stellar all-around effort from forward LeBron James, who had 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals. "We played an OK game," James told reporters. "I don't think we played to our standards. The first game is always kind of a feel-out."
LINE HISTORY: The Cavaliers opened at 7.5-point favorites at home for Game 2. By Tuesday morning the public, somewhat surprisingly, bet the Hawks enough to force the books to drop the line to -7. The total opened at 199 and came down a half point to 198.5. Check out the complete line history here.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (52-37, 45-43-1 ATS, 39-50 O/U): Backup point guard Dennis Schroder was superb with a playoff career-best 27 points in Game 1, and he made five of Atlanta's 11 3-pointers. His play helped the Hawks make the second-half charge on a night in which starting guards Jeff Teague (eight points on 2-of-9 shooting) and Kyle Korver (three points, 0-of-1 shooting) were highly unproductive. "I think we can play better," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "Obviously, Dennis had a great game for us but overall, the whole group, we can play better. Defensively, we had some possessions where we gave ourselves a chance and we just couldn’t come up with a couple of rebounds late when it was tied (at 86)."
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (62-25, 40-44-3 ATS, 43-44 O/U): Power forward Kevin Love had 17 points and 11 rebounds while struggling through a 4-of-17 shooting performance in the opener. He also appeared to tweak his right shoulder late in the contest - it was his left shoulder that he dislocated in last season's playoffs - but insisted the injury was minor. "I’m fine. I was telling (general manager David Griffin) after the game I can't catch a break with that shoulder, but I'm fine," Love told reporters. "It was just one of those plays. You've always got to watch it when you pump-fake at that 3-point line on a jump shot. You can take a hit, but I feel good."
TRENDS:
* Hawks are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. NBA Southeast.
* Under is 7-0 in Hawks last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Over is 7-2 in Cavaliers last 9 Wednesday games.
* Hawks are 0-5 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Hawks look to even series
By Sportsbook.ag
ATLANTA HAWKS (52-37) at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (62-25)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Cleveland -7.0, Total: 198.0
The Hawks will be looking to even up the series when they face the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Game 2 Wednesday.
Cleveland was dominating Atlanta early in Game 1, but the Hawks battled all the way back and made it a close game. The Cavaliers ended up winning 104-93 as eight-point home favorites, but the score is a little misleading.
The Hawks had a few opportunities to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but they were never able to get over the hump. They’ll need to shoot a lot better than 37.9% from the field, which is what they did in the opening game of this series.
Cleveland, meanwhile, shot 44.6% from the floor and also turned the ball over just eight times. One thing favoring Atlanta in this game is the fact that Cleveland is 14-25 ATS after having won six or seven of its past eight games this season.
The Cavaliers are, however, 9-1 ATS in home games against Southeast division opponents on the year. C Tiago Splitter (Hip) is out for the season for the Hawks, but he is expected to be the only player that will miss this game for either team.
The Hawks are coming off of a disappointing Game 1 performance and one guy that really needs to start playing better is C Al Horford (12.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.7 BPG in playoffs).
Over the past five postseason games, Horford is averaging just 8.8 PPG on 36.5% shooting from the field. He is usually an extremely reliable player on both ends of the floor, so it’s weird that the Hawks now find themselves worrying about his play. Horford would be wise to get himself some easy buckets around the rim in Game 2, as it’ll give him some confidence moving forward in this series.
PF Paul Millsap (16.4 PPG,9.4 RPG, 2.9 BPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) is also going to need to be better moving forward in this series. He had 17 points, 13 boards and four blocks in Game 1, but he was just 6-for-19 from the floor in that one. He’ll need to be more efficient, but he also needs to be a lot better defensively. Atlanta is now using him to guard LeBron James in this series, so it’s going to be important that he finds a way to contain the Cavs’ superstar.
One last player that needs to be mentioned is PF Jeff Teague (15.3 PPG, 5.7 APG in playoffs). He had just eight points on 2-for-9 shooting in Game 1 and the Hawks need him to do more in his matchup with Kyrie Irving moving forward.
The Cavaliers did some good things in Game 1, but they’ll need to be more consistent with their effort moving forward. One huge positive for the Cavaliers is that SF LeBron James (23.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 7.2 APG, 2.4 SPG in playoffs) found his stroke in that game. James had 25 points and did it on 11-for-21 shooting from the floor and 2-for-4 shooting from the outside. He had really been struggling with his jumper heading into that one, so perhaps he’ll be a bit more confident the rest of the postseason.
PG Kyrie Irving (26.2 PPG, 5.4 APG, 1.2 SPG in playoffs) continued to play good basketball for the Cavaliers on Monday. Irving had 21 points and eight assists in that game and really set the tone by coming out hot for Cleveland. If he can continue to win his matchup with Teague then it’s going to be very tough for the Hawks to win.
Cleveland will, however, need PF Kevin Love (18.4 PPG, 11.8 RPG in playoffs) to shoot better moving forward. He is just 7-for-32 from the floor over the past two contests and needs to be more efficient. It’s possible that his injuries are bothering him, so it’s possible that he’ll need to earn himself some easier buckets around the rim.