When the Atlanta Hawks are clicking, theirs is an offense that moves the ball quickly -- and scores quickly, too.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are allowing the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the NBA playoffs, but the Hawks present the biggest challenge yet to the Cavs when the teams open the Eastern Conference Finals Wednesday night in Atlanta.
"It's their ability to push the tempo ... they always attack," Cavs star LeBron James said. "It starts with (Jeff) Teague and (Dennis) Schroder does not let the tempo slow when he comes in. We have to be aware of that and we have to match that."
The way James talked of the Hawks' personnel and tendencies after Monday's practice indicates he's clearly studied a team the Cavs last played in mid-March. But his message to his younger teammates is simple.
"If you don't defend," James said, "you don't win."
With Teague at point guard and Schroder backing him up -- and sometimes playing alongside him -- the Hawks look to run, then move the ball quickly in the halfcourt setting. It's that ball movement, Cavs coach David Blatt said, that maximizes "five guys on the court who can all shoot the ball" and keeps defenses guessing.
"You have to be locked in to your man and to what they're doing," Blatt said. "(We have to) contest shots. We can't get involved in a breakdown in rotation because they're going to make you pay."
All five starters and Schroder scored in double figures in the regular season. The Hawks went 3-1 against the Cavs in the regular season, and though just one of those games was played with the Cavs close to full strength, the Hawks shot 55 percent during the last three meetings.
"They move the ball so well," James said. "They play as a team and keep your defense off balance. They create a lot of matchup problems. We have to be in tune with every single last one of them. The most important thing is the ball. It starts with Teague."
Teague was one of four Hawks named to the All-Star Game last February after a franchise-best run of 33 wins in 35 games that propelled the Hawks to the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed. Partly due to resting starters with the top seed clinched, the Hawks won just seven of their last 15 but still won 60 regular-season games. They've won both of their playoff series in six.
The Hawks are averaging an NBA-best 25.4 assists per game in the playoffs, just off their regular-season average. They're making 34.3 percent of their 3-point tries, down from 38 percent -- second-best in the league behind Golden State -- in the regular season.
Maybe they have tired legs, or maybe open looks are harder to come by in the postseason. It's on the Cavs to make the Hawks work for everything they get -- and to not allow the Hawks point guards to create easy scoring opportunities.
Schroder, who's just 21, has blossomed in his second NBA season. He's been especially good in the playoffs, having posted six double-digit scoring games off the bench and having contributed at least four assists in every game since the deciding game of the first-round series vs. Brooklyn.
"Both (Teague and Schroder) have had great seasons," Blatt said. "Dennis was one of the most improved players in the league. He's had a great season. Both can break you down off the dribble, both push the ball and both can get to the rim and create for themselves and others
"They're a handful. They can also play together, which creates another set of problems."
