Cavaliers Beating Hawks at Their Own Game Is a Good Sign for Cleveland
CLEVELAND — The Atlanta Hawks are well known for their commitment to defense and unselfish offensive play. If for one night only, the Cleveland Cavaliers out-Hawked the Hawks.
The Cavs beat Atlanta using the Hawks' own weapons to take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 104-93, and by doing so, may have unlocked a pair of key factors to their championship run.
After putting up sky-high offensive rating numbers in Round 1 against the Detroit Pistons, the Cavs need to prove they can sustain elite efforts of play on both ends of the court.
For this, Atlanta serves as the perfect model to both learn from, and ultimately, defeat.
Where the Hawks Thrive
Atlanta ranked second in assists per game (25.6), assist percentage (66.3) and defensive rating (98.8) during the regular season, per NBA.com. For basketball purists, watching them play most nights was poetry.
This hasn't been the case for the Cavaliers, of course. Most complaints surrounding their offense stem from poor ball movement and the sometimes irresistible desire to play hero ball. While the Hawks ranked near the top in these team stats, Cleveland finished just 10th in defense (102.3 rating) and 16th in assist percentage (58.7), per NBA.com.
If the Cavaliers could ever merge their star talent with these Hawks principles, they'd likely be approaching Golden State Warrior-level eliteness.
At the very least, Cleveland would improve on the putrid 107.4 defensive rating it posted against the Pistons, not a team known for offensive firepower.
For one night at least, the Cavs did just that.
Title-Worthy Defense
Led by center Tristan Thompson, Cleveland made Atlanta work for everything in the paint and was active in pick-and-roll coverage.
"These guys are All-Stars and are very talented. I just try to come with my hard hat and make it tough for them," Thompson said.
Atlanta as a whole made just 37.9 percent of its shots, including a lowly 32.4 percent from behind the arc. Coach Tyronn Lue's plan completely took the Hawks' best perimeter shooter, Kyle Korver, out of the game. Korver finished with just one shot attempt, a three-pointer that he missed.
"We want to make sure we lock into Korver. If we take him out of the game, they have a tough time scoring," Lue said. "We know in the last series he was a plus-78 when we has on the floor and a minus-24 when he was off the floor. He’s a big part of what they do and we have to take him out of this series."
This isn't about stopping an elite shooter like Korver for just one night, of course. Cleveland needed to prove it could game-plan and contain a major scoring threat, as it'll likely face many more before the postseason is over.
Looking ahead, a meeting with either the Miami Heat or Toronto Raptors looms in the Eastern Conference Finals. This means a rendezvous with Dwyane Wade or DeMar DeRozan, both of whom boast a far better variety of offensive skills than Korver. Of course, there are a few decent shooters on Golden State's roster, should those two franchises meet again in the Finals.
Overall, this is the kind of consistent effort Cleveland needs moving forward for this series and beyond.
Death to Isolation
The other key aspect of Atlanta's success, ball movement, was on full display by the Cavaliers.
Cleveland finished with 27 assists on its 37 made baskets, good for 73 percent and up from its season average of 58.7. James led the way with nine assists, while Irving dished out eight.
We know this superstar duo can create one-on-one, but the Cavs have to also capitalize on their outside shooting. J.R. Smith, Matthew Dellavedova, Irving and Kevin Love are all big-time three-point threats, with Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson able to space the floor as well.
This becomes particularly important when James, Irving or both have to sit and playmaking is at a premium. Effective ball movement is the only way to combat this, save for Smith dancing his way around opponents before firing an off-balance step-back three. Nobody, save for probably Smith, wants that.
In Game 1 on Monday, making the extra pass resulted in a sparkling 48.4 percent success rate from deep on 31 attempts.
"You've got to give them some credit," Hawks guard Kent Bazemore said. "They shot the crap out of the ball."
This wasn't an accident, of course. The Cavaliers are making 45.2 percent of their catch-and-shoot threes this postseason, second only to the San Antonio Spurs, per NBA.com.
As the series continues, the Cavs will do just fine if they continue to replicate Atlanta's emphasis on defense and passing. And if they can successfully take that blueprint and stamp it with their own star power, the Eastern Conference Finals will be easily in their grasp.
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @CavsGregBR.
All quotes obtained firsthand. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
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