NBA Playoffs 2016: Wednesday TV Schedule and Semifinal Predictions
The spaced-out NBA playoff schedule gives us just one game on Wednesday.
Coming off a Game 1 loss on Monday at Quicken Loans Arena, the Atlanta Hawks will try to even the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers rolled through the Hawks in the Eastern Conferences Finals last season, but the Hawks put up a good fight in Game 1 before losing 104-93.
Here's a look at the TV info for Game 2 as well as a breakdown of the remainder of the series.
| Conf. Semifinals | ATL at CLE | 8 p.m. | TNT | TNT Overtime |
Hawks at Cavaliers (CLE leads 1-0)
The Hawks lost Monday, but they have to enter Game 2 with some confidence based on the way they played down the stretch.
In last year's Eastern Conference Finals matchup, the Cavaliers physically imposed their will on Atlanta. In the four-game series, the Cavaliers averaged 52 rebounds per game compared to just 39.3 for the Hawks—and that was without Kevin Love on the floor for Cleveland.
The rebounding matchup was so lopsided that Tristan Thompson grabbed more offensive rebounds in the series (17) than Al Horford had defensive rebounds (14).
The tides were turned on Monday, however, as the Hawks managed to out-rebound the Cavs 48-44—in large part because of a combined 25 rebounds from Paul Millsap and Kent Bazemore.
Atlanta appeared to be making a concerted effort in its hustle to the glass, likely a reaction to its struggles in last season's series.
Despite the positive momentum for Atlanta on the boards, as Eric Maroun of Hardwood Paroxysm pointed out, Game 1 may have presented the Hawks with their best opportunity at a victory in this series:
Obviously, the Cavs hope for more production from Love, but the reason this team is so difficult to beat is because it has the depth to overcome a poor shooting performance from a member of its Big Three (James, Love, Kyrie Irving).
The primary concern for the Hawks in this series might be their ability to keep pace with Cleveland offensively. Despite a career game from Dennis Schroder, who led all scorers with 27, the Hawks shot just 37.9 percent from the field and hit only 11 of 34 three-point attempts.
For Atlanta to elevate its offense, Kyle Korver will need to step up. Korver finished 0-of-1 from the field, scoring just three points on three free throws.
Korver is not the type of player who can create for himself, so it will be up to his teammates to get him more involved by improving their ball movement to create open looks on the perimeter.
There are certainly some areas in which Atlanta can improve, but it's tough to imagine more aspects of the game going its way than in Game 1. If the Hawks couldn't take advantage of Love's cold shooting night, LeBron's failure to get to the line and their own rebounding advantage, it's difficult to envision them coming away with an upset in this series.
Game 2 prediction: Cavs 101, Hawks 96
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