Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks: Game 1 Grades and Analysis

Behind the one-two punch of LeBron James and J.R. Smith, the Cleveland Cavaliers cruised to a 97-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night at Philips Arena.

After stealing Game 1 on the road, the Cavaliers now lead the Eastern Conference Finals, 1-0.

James paced the Cavs early and finished the game with 31 points on 12-of-26 shooting, eight rebounds and six assists. He kept Cleveland just close enough for Smith to put the game on ice in the third and fourth quarters.

Smith made 8-of-12 three-point attempts on the way to 28 points. Two of them came on back-to-back possessions and preceded an alley-oop to Tristan Thompson in the second half. The momentum that resulted from that run all but ended the Hawks' night.

Atlanta was led by Jeff Teague, who scored 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting. He and his Hawks teammates managed a last-ditch effort to cut the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers maintained control for most of the last 18 minutes of the game.

Cleveland Cavaliers	Grades
Atlanta Hawks	Grades
LeBron James	A+
Kyrie Irving	C
Timofey Mozgov	B+
Tristan Thompson	A
J.R. Smith	A+
Rest of Team	C
Paul Millsap	C-
Al Horford	B+
Jeff Teague	B+
Kyle Korver	C+
DeMarre Carroll	D
Rest of Team	C-

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James: A+

Thanks to two early fouls on James, the Hawks controlled much of the first quarter, winning that frame 26-20. As soon as LeBron came back, it was all downhill for the Hawks.

LeBron dominated the second quarter, shooting 7-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-7 in the paint. After the Cavs realized Atlanta was switching on screens, they simply started running ball screens with James and Kyrie Irving. Once James got a point guard on him, he simply rolled inside and scored at will.

Over the rest of the game, LeBron largely deferred to Smith, who almost seemed like he couldn't miss if he tried.

Kyrie Irving: C

Turner Sports' Rachel Nichols reported early in the broadcast that Irving said the pain from his various injuries had finally subsided prior to Game 1, but he was clearly moving a bit slower than he does when truly healthy.

His inability to stay with Teague defensively forced Cleveland head coach David Blatt to go to Matthew Dellavedova early and often.

When he was on the floor, the hobbled Irving struggled to free himself for many open shots, going 4-of-10 from the field for 10 points. He did do a decent job of distributing though, dishing out six assists. 

On the bright side, Cleveland pulling away in the third quarter allowed for plenty of time on the bench for Irving. Getting plenty of rest could help him move a little better in Game 2.

Timofey Mozgov: B+

Timofey Mozgov's minutes were limited by Cleveland playing a smaller lineup that featured Tristan Thompson at center for much of the game.

The big man was still able to register a double-double in just 24 minutes, grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Tristan Thompson: A

Often tasked with guarding the much bigger Al Horford, Thompson did an excellent job as Cleveland's small-ball 5.

Using his athleticism and energy to make up for the disadvantage in height, he scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds.

As is generally the case with Thompson, he made his biggest impact on the offensive glass. His nose for the ball was on full display, as he grabbed five rebounds on that end alone.

And just for good measure, he protected the rim too, blocking two shots.

J.R. Smith: A+

With Irving hampered by an injury and Iman Shumpert being ice-cold, Cleveland needed every bit of Smith's amazing shooting performance.

He was hitting step-back threes, dribble pull-up threes off behind-the-back moves and catch-and-shoot threes when he wasn't even facing the rim. And, of course, every shot was a fadeaway.

Because he leans back on his natural form, Smith's shot is extremely difficult to contest. And no matter how close Hawks defenders were, they simply couldn't put out the flames.

Rest of Team: C

Shumpert started at shooting guard and was unable to find any offensive rhythm. He shot 1-of-7 from the field and scored just four points. He was, however, solid as usual on defense and on the boards. He grabbed seven rebounds and was a big part of a quiet night for Kyle Korver.

Two other reserves—Dellavedova and James Jones—got minutes. They combined to 0-of-9 from the field and scored zero points. Dellavedova still made a positive contribution by piloting the offense and playing strong defense.

Atlanta Hawks

Paul Millsap: C-

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

As Cleveland had James at the 4 for much of the game, Paul Millsap found himself with the toughest matchup on the planet for stretches.

Millsap couldn't get the better of James on either end of the floor. Offensively, he scored just 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting. And on the other end, he repeatedly tried to pick James up at half court, leading to several blow-bys.

Al Horford: B+

Al Horford started the game strong, helping Teague carry the Hawks throughout the first half.

It looked like his ability to play from the perimeter was going to cause some matchup nightmares for the Cavs, but the shift to the smaller lineup neutralized Horford.

He finished the game with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds, but was almost nonexistent in the second half.

Jeff Teague: B+

Teague recognized very early that he would be able to get to the rim against Irving or anyone else switching onto him. He put the offense on his back early and shot 7-of-12 in the first half.

He clearly started running out of gas late in the game, especially as Cleveland's defense was all over the court when the small-ball lineup was on the floor.

Kyle Korver: C+

Kyle Korver's playoff woes continued Wednesday, as it's becoming more and more obvious that good scouting can at least minimize his effect on a game.

Shumpert, and at times Smith, were generally assigned to Korver, but the entire Cavs roster was aware of where he was. Every catch was crowded and Korver was only able to get off five shots.

He was 3-of-5 from the field for nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.

DeMarre Carroll: D

The Hawks may have suffered a disastrous loss in the fourth quarter when DeMarre Carroll suffered a knee injury on his way to the rim.

Carroll, who entered this series as Atlanta's leading scorer in the postseason, appeared to hyperextend his left knee as he tried to take off .

Turner Sports' David Aldridge reported on the broadcast that Carroll is scheduled to get an MRI on Thursday.

Prior to leaving the game, Carroll had a tough night. His defense was consistently beaten by James and he shot just 2-of-7 from the field on the way to five points.

Rest of Team: C-

Kent Bazemore and Dennis Schroder were the two Atlanta reserves who got significant minutes.

Bazemore played with a ton of energy and scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. His play was one of the lone bright spots of the night for the Hawks.

Schroder, on the other hand, was borderline awful. He was overly aggressive on offense, even challenging James on a couple of possessions. He finished 2-of-10 from the field on the way to six points.

Mike Muscala and Pero Antic split the backup big minutes, combining for five rebounds and two points on 1-of-3 shooting.

Coming Up Next

Game 2 will be Friday, May 22, at 8:30 p.m. ET in Atlanta.

The Hawks have to find a way to free Korver for a few more open looks along the perimeter. Without his spacing, the entire Atlanta offense stagnates.

Cleveland, meanwhile, will hope for a healthier Irving. Another 28-point performance is a lot to ask of Smith, so more backcourt production from Irving and Shumpert will be important.

Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.