Shorthanded Hawks' rally falls short, Cavs take 3-0 series lead
CLEVELAND -- Running out a shell of its All-Star-laden lineup in the second half, there was nothing left for the limping and altogether unfortunate Atlanta Hawks but their old standby, their trusted system. They needed every single screen, cut, pass, well-spaced 3-pointer and aggressive drive. Budenholzer dug deep into his bench, squeezing production out of forgotten corners. And it still didn't matter.
In Game 3, for the first time in their Eastern Conference finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hawks could credibly argue that they were the better team. They outplayed the East favorites for extended stretches in a loud, hostile environment, but they'll never see the spoils -- or what could have been. All-Star big man Al Horford's controversial second-quarter ejection altered the complexion of a series on Sunday night at Quicken Loans Arena, and while his team turned heads by battling back to force overtime in the eventual 114-111 loss, his absence opened the door wider for LeBron James to guide his team to a 3-0 series lead and the brink of his fifth straight Finals appearance.
"It hurt when (Horford) came out because he was playing so well. He was carrying us in the first half. He was playing great on the boards, he was scoring in the paint," Jeff Teague said, referencing Horford's 14 points and four rebounds in 19 minutes on Sunday. "It was unfortunate, but we knew were in a dogfight."
Perhaps it changed the series, perhaps it helped ensure the inevitable.
Times were tough before the Hawks boarded their flight to Cleveland. Victims of a LeBron-led barnstorming effort in Games 1 and 2 at Philips Arena, the Hawks also lost the NBA's top outside shooter, Kyle Korver, to a season-ending ankle sprain while starting forward DeMarre Carroll continues to play through a knee sprain suffered in the series opener. The East's top seed flew to Ohio in desperation mode. That NBA Finals ticket was far from punched.
But in a playoff race marred by injuries -- the Cavaliers are coping with the loss of Kevin Love and ongoing knee problems of Kyrie Irving, as well as any game-to-game ailments that have not yet held James back from being his typical playoff self -- the Hawks' misfortune arrived in the carpool lane.
Following the Korver and Carroll setbacks, Game 3's lowest moment was perceived to be the final gasp, a team left for dead.
Then strange things started happening.
Playing without two starters, the Hawks found themselves, or at least some part of their identity that was lost in the first two games. They returned to their system, a pace-and-space immersion.
Teague and Paul Millsap, All-Stars who have not provided All-Star consistency this series, stepped up. They combined for 52 points and 15 rebounds, mostly coming in the final 29 minutes of play. Without Horford, the team suffered on the defensive end at times -- James rebounded from a slow start to put up an unprecedented 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, yet another remarkable performance aided at least in some part by the absence of the Hawks' top rim protector and rebounder -- but the Hawks pieced together quality possessions on offense in response. They turned what should have been a cruise-control Cavs win into a back-and-forth affair.
Atlanta held opportunities to win in regulation (Teague miss a 3-pointer) and double-overtime (Shelvin Mack missed a 3-pointer).
Late-game clock management and shot quality aside, it would have been difficult for Budenholzer to ask for more without the crutch of his traditional starting five.
"They gave us chances and opportunities," Horford said of his second-half units. "If we compete like that every possession -- that's how we're built. That's the character of our players. We'll expect the same things going into Game 4. ... I think the team responded well, obviously."
Then again, maybe it adds a level of cruelty to what, historically speaking, should be the penultimate loss of the campaign. When was Horford was disqualified, it was considered a given what would come next, a supposed conclusion that wrote itself. To come back, foster hope, flirt with victory, only to lose for, if possible, a second time in the same night, that's a difficult way to see the season continue to slip away.
The Hawks played their best game of the series, but the Cavaliers have proven time and again that it's easier to overcome personnel losses when a four-time MVP is running the show. Now, they will try to become the first team to ever rally down 3-0 and win four straight games to advance to the NBA Finals.
What could go wrong?
"It's going to be a tough task, but somebody's gotta do it one day," Teague said. "Guess it might as well be us."
