The Eastern Conference playoffs went chalk through the first two rounds, leaving its top two teams to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals and a chance to end long streaks of championship futility.
With the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers meeting in the Eastern Conference finals, it's a fitting storyline: The conference's best regular-season team taking on its best player, LeBron James, a once-in-a-generation talent carrying a hobbled franchise toward the promised land. The Hawks own a 3-1 record against the Cavs this season, but, as the Celtics and Bulls learned, the four-time MVP has a way of finding another gear come playoff time.
Can the Hawks' four All-Stars and Mike Budenholzer's team-oriented system get past the lower-seeded favorites? Or will LeBron once again be enough to push an injury-riddled team through?
-- Game 1: Wed., May 20, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m.
-- Game 2: Fri., May 22, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m.
-- Game 3: Sun., May 24, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m.
-- Game 4: Tue., May 26, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m.
-- Game 5*: Thu., May 28, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m.
-- Game 6*: Sat., May 30, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m.
-- Game 7*: Mon., June 1, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m.
*If necessary
Al Horford, Center, Hawks
The Washington Wizards threw a big, physical frontcourt at the Hawks to no avail. Al Horford and fellow All-Star running mate Paul Millsap were too skilled, too smart and, in some ways, too underrated to be pushed around. The Cavaliers will throw a similar rim-protecting frontline at Atlanta with Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson at times -- unless they elect to go smaller with James at the 4-spot -- so it will be interesting to see if the Hawks can continue playing to their strengths.
As Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer said following Atlanta's Game 6 win over the Wizards, "The versatility of our bigs in a matchup like that pays off." This is another such matchup.
Horford was the consistent star of the Wizards series for Budenholzer's group. After struggling with his shot in the first round after dislocating a finger on his shooting hand, the three-time All-Star's range and efficiency returned in the conference semis. The Hawks relied on their pick-and-roll game to force Washington's hand, asking big men Marcin Gortat and Nene to try and protect the rim while accounting for Horford 18 feet away from the basket, so don't be surprised if he's a major factor again.
Horford's averages in six games against Washington offered an accurate glimpse of how effective he can be in every facet of the game: 16.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 blocks.
Along with Millsap, the Hawks should feature the two best big men in the series. (Not counting the virtually position-less LeBron James, of course.)
When the Bulls were finding success last round, skilled big man Pau Gasol was healthy and punishing Cavs defenders outside the paint. Horford can play an even bigger role when he's knocking down jumpers. The team likes to call Jeff Teague the "head of the snake," but Horford's versatility and defensive capabilities make him arguably the most important player on their roster.
Kyrie Irving, PG, Cavaliers
Irving is one of the league's most dynamic players, but he's not 100 percent at the moment. The electric point guard is limited by tendonitis in his left knee and a right foot strain, even being sidelined midway through Cleveland's Game 6 win after tweaking the knee on a drive.
Irving later said he could have played through the injury if needed and that he'll play in the Hawks series opener. Six days of rest should help.
The Cavaliers are already shorthanded without forward Kevin Love (season-ending shoulder surgery) and they will more than likely need Irving to play -- and play well -- at some point during this matchup. Even with the injuries, there have been moments of brilliance: The Duke product is averaging 19.8 points and 3.3 assists during his first career playoff run.
If the Hawks find their rhythm offensively, James is likely going to need help from his top sidekick.
Kyle Korver, SG, Hawks
How concerning is Korver's ice-cold shooting streak? The NBA's top 3-point shooter in the regular season -- the same player whose 69.9 true shooting percentage tied Artis Gilmore for the second-best mark in NBA history (minimum 400 field-goal attempts) this season -- is struggling.
In the Wizards series, only inefficient reserve chucker Pero Antic posted worse shooting numbers. Korver's 43.4 true shooting percentage against Washington would rank as the second-worst performance of his playoff career, just ahead of his first playoff series with the 76ers in 2005.
The good news for Atlanta is that no matter how poorly Korver is shooting his presence demands attention from opposing defenses. He could miss every shot for six games and the Cavaliers would have to stick to him like glue in Game 7. That alters defensive gameplans in both obvious and subtle ways. Even better, Korver has found ways to contribute outside of his world-class shooting -- this is the best defensive performance of his playoff career as he's averaging 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Still, can Atlanta make it to the NBA Finals without Korver and the rest of the team knocking down shots? The Hawks are shooting just 34.3 percent from the outside this postseason, nearly four percentage points lower than their regular-season mark, and could obviously benefit from Korver not only spacing the floor ... but punishing defenses when opportunities present themselves.
LeBron James vs. DeMarre Carroll
This is the matchup. LeBron James was skipped in the 'Key Players' section because it's just a given. He's the guy. He's priority Nos. 1, 2 and 3. DeMarre Carroll is in the middle of a career year and breakout postseason -- in a contract year, no less -- but this will be the biggest responsibility of his professional career.
LeBron's stats when DeMarre was on the floor this season: pic.twitter.com/jhFXaCutEC
— KL Chouinard Hawks (@AnaheimAmigos) May 16, 2015
Carroll has been up to the challenge before.
In the two regular-season games Carroll defended James this season, he held the Cavs superstar to nine points (20 percent shooting) and five turnovers. James's net rating in those games? Negative-10.2. Now, guarding regular-season LeBron and postseason LeBron has proven to be two different things, but Carroll has shown a willingness to accept arduous tasks. He defended the likes of Joe Johnson and John Wall in the previous two series.
James is the biggest obstacle yet, but it's not about shutting him out -- it's about keep him in check.
(Not to be overlooked: Carroll is a threat in his own right offensively. Whether it's James, Iman Shumpert or some other Cavaliers player drawing that defensive assignment, Carroll will make them work with his quality outside shooting and smart off-ball cuts into the lane. The 6-foot-8 wing leads all Hawks with 17.1 points per game at a highly efficient rate this postseason.)
