The Atlanta Hawks are up against the ropes, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are prepared to deliver a knockout blow.
After getting torched 94-82 in Game 2, the Hawks are facing more adversity than they dealt with all season long. In the span of three days, Atlanta has had to confront an injury scare with DeMarre Carroll (knee), rely on a banged-up Al Horford (knee) and deal with the reality that Kyle Korver (ankle) will be sidelined for the remainder of the postseason.
With ailments piling up and time running out as Cleveland enters Sunday's Game 3 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT) with a 2-0 series lead, it's time to see if Atlanta has one last gasp left. According to Whowins.com, teams that have gone up 3-0 in a best-of-seven format are 110-0 all time.
In order to stage a comeback, the Hawks will need to hunker down and stymie LeBron James, who has burned them with his scoring and passing. Two games in, James is averaging 30.5 points, 8.5 assists and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 45.8 percent from the field.
For the first time all season, the Hawks are legitimate underdogs. It's time to see if they can erase that label.
| Game | Day | Date | Time | Location |
| 3 | Sunday | May 24 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Cleveland, OH |
| 4 | Tuesday | May 26 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Cleveland, OH |
| 5* | Thursday | May 28 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Atlanta, GA |
| 6* | Saturday | May 30 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Cleveland, OH |
| 7* | Monday | June 1 | 8:30 p.m. ET | Atlanta, GA |
Key Storylines
Can the Hawks Survive Kyle Korver's Absence?
Kyle Korver went down in Game 2.
On Saturday, it was confirmed that he'll be sidelined for the remainder of the postseason.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore, Korver suffered a severe right ankle sprain Friday night that will prevent him from stepping on the floor again during the playoffs.
Even though Korver shot a relatively poor 35.5 percent from three in 14 postseason appearances, he's still functioned as Atlanta's second-best long-range shooter behind DeMarre Carroll. And through two games, the Hawks have been abysmal versus the Cavaliers, shooting a ghastly 20.4 percent from three.
That leaves Atlanta with few viable off-ball three-point threats outside of Carroll, who scored six points on 2-of-6 shooting (0-of-2 from three) playing on a sprained left knee in Game 2.
In other words, it's panic time.
Cleveland Is Playing with History on its Side
LeBron James reiterated that the Cavaliers aren't getting complacent after taking a 2-0 series lead.
However, LeBron's track records suggests the Cavs may not have to play with much urgency, even if their fearless leader compels them to do so.
According to SportsCenter and NBA on ESPN, the odds of Cleveland coughing up its series lead and collapsing against the shorthanded Hawks are quite low:
With two home games on deck, it's also worth noting how well Cleveland has played at Quicken Loans Arena.
To this point in the postseason, the Cavaliers are 4-1 in friendly surroundings. Plus, they've outscored opponents by 6.8 points in those games, which ranks tops among all Eastern Conference playoff teams.
Elsewhere, the Hawks are an even 3-3 on the road. But on a more positive note, Atlanta has managed to post a scoring margin of plus-2.8 points in six road contests, which ranks No. 4 overall.
Obvious Adjustments Each Team Must Make
Atlanta: Rediscover Fluidity on Offense
What made the Hawks special during the regular season was their ability to use kinetic energy to their advantage. Offensive sets never stopped flowing, bodies always floated to the right spots and back-door cuts were made with purpose.
Against the Cavaliers—and for most of the postseason—that formula has fallen by the wayside.
The fine folks at Synergy Sports break it down:
"The Cavs have held the Hawks to .652 points per jump shot in the half court in ECF. The Hawks averaged 1.024 during the regular season.
— Synergy Sports Tech (@SynergySST) May 23, 2015"
"Earlier in the playoffs, the Hawks were running their offense, which featured plenty of ball movement that led to one wide-open shot after another," Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal wrote. "They just weren't finding the bottom of the net, which made the offense look less effective than it actually was, assuming we're basing the analysis on process, not results. But now the Hawks look entirely discombobulated."
In two games against the Cavaliers, Atlanta is averaging an unfathomable 85.5 points on 33.5 percent shooting from the field and 20.4 percent shooting from three. The team's offense ranked sixth in efficiency during the regular season.
Sans Korver, regaining vintage form becomes exponentially harder. He wasn't scorching the nets, sure, but his ability to command attention was unparalleled compared to Atlanta's complementary shooters.
And with Cleveland's sidekicks chipping in at obscene rates, the Hawks need a return to form now more than ever.
Cleveland: Protect the Paint
The Hawks have had no success scoring from beyond the arc, but they've actually been successful scoring the ball below the free-throw line.
Two games in, Atlanta has outscored Cleveland 94-72 in the paint. That productivity has been deemed moot by an inability to strike from distance, but it's evident that Atlanta is at its best when guards can penetrate and attack Cleveland's bigs with a full head of steam.
Breaking that number down further, the Hawks are actually converting 71.4 percent of their shots in the restricted area and another 42.9 percent in painted areas outside the restricted area.
A big reason why? Cleveland's subpar rim protection.
According to SportVU player-tracking data, the Cavaliers are allowing Atlanta to shoot 70.8 percent inside of six feet, which is the worst mark among all conference finalists.
Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov are stout defenders and glass-crashers, but they aren't hawking above-the-rim presences capable of disrupting Atlanta's interior flow.
X-Factors
Atlanta: Jeff Teague
If the Hawks' survival is dependent upon maximizing attempts at the rim, then it will be up to point guard Jeff Teague to set the tone and penetrate often.
As has been the case for his entire team, Teague has enjoyed great success on close-range looks. Eleven of his 16 makes against the Cavaliers have come within the restricted area, and he's converting those shots at a 64.7 percent clip.
Outside of that cocoon, Teague has been horrific.
He's missed all five of his free-throw-line jumpers and scantly converted from the mid-range gray area situated between the charity stripe and the arc.
Cleveland can combat his aggression by sagging off and duping him into lower-percentage looks, but the evidence suggests Teague is crafty enough to get to the rim at high rates.
Cleveland: Iman Shumpert
Believe it or not, Iman Shumpert has rapidly evolved into a key offensive cog for the Cavaliers.
During his first postseason with Cleveland, Shumpert's cumulative plus/minus total of plus-85 ranks second on the team behind only LeBron James. He's also drilled 20 threes over 12 games, which ranks third behind J.R. Smith (29) and Kyrie Irving (23).
Shumpert proved to be particularly deadly in Game 2, drilling 4-of-6 threes to finish with 16 points. With looks facilitated by James' otherworldly passing, Shumpert's job has been simplified to spotting up, catching and shooting, and his polished form has paid major dividends.
"A lot of the time you find yourself open and a lot of guys cheating and you only got to tell this guy one time that somebody is sinking in too much and he'll find you," Shumpert said, according to Northeast Ohio Media Group's Scott Patsko. "Him snapping that ball at you. There's energy in that ball when you get it. If he keeps driving it, he keeps everybody coming at him and frees you up."
With Shump shooting 57.1 percent on catch-and-shoot opportunities versus Atlanta, expect him to keep thriving so long as LeBron draws a majority of the defense's attention.
Key Matchup
LeBron James vs. Atlanta's Defensive Scheme
As if we needed a refresher, the last two games have reinforced the notion that LeBron is an offensive clinician.
After logging 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Game 1, James fell one rebound shy of a triple-double in Game 2. But 30 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists wasn't too shabby.
"I have a gift, and that's why I'm able to keep defenses off guard because, you know, they say, 'OK, we're going to make him score or make him pass,'" James said following Game 2, according to Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick. "They really can't do what I don't want to do."
In Friday night's loss, Atlanta was repeatedly caught ball-watching as James probed and penetrated, which opened things up for Shumpert, Smith and the rest of Cleveland's shooters.
The result: uncontested looks galore and 12 made threes.
"If James is going to beat the Hawks, they need to make him do so as a scorer," Fromal wrote. "They can't allow him to involve every other member of the Cavaliers. Atlanta can live with James dropping 45 points but not with him flirting with triple-doubles and systematically destroying the defense."
It sounds crazy, but Atlanta needs to deflect some attention away from James and stay home on shooters.
If not, it's going to be Game 2 all over again for the sputtering Hawks.
Prediction
It's hard to find a reason to pick against the Cavaliers at this point.
Kyrie Irving (knee) may be questionable for Game 3, according to the Plain Dealer's Joe Vardon, but the Hawks are more hobbled and proved incapable of protecting their house against the Irving-less Cavs on Friday. So regardless of his status, Cleveland should be favored.
On top of that, James has demonstrated complete control of the offense, his spot-up shooters have been lights-out, and the defense has remained disciplined on the perimeter against a once-heralded group of snipers.
Unless Horford and Paul Millsap can find ways to stabilize the offense with mid-range and baseline jumpers while the Hawks' three-point shooters come to life, all signs point to the Cavaliers establishing an insurmountable 3-0 advantage.
Prediction: Cleveland 104, Atlanta 96
All statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
Alec Nathan covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AlecBNathan.
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