East Finals Preview: Atlanta Hawks vs Cleveland Cavaliers
By Mitchell Kay
May 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) grabs a rebound ahead of Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 106-91. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Hawks or Cavs: The Better Defense?
Cleveland is actually allowing opposing teams to score less points per game (92.6) than the Hawks right now (99.8). Part of this has to do with the Bulls horrific shooting, part is due to good defense. Cleveland appeared to be a defensive liability this year but have turned it around. The Hawks still maintain a slight edge in defensive rating but Cleveland is playing on both sides of the ball.
The Cavaliers are committing slightly less turnovers than the Hawks. The Hawks must limit their own mistakes in order to win this series. The turnovers per game aren’t necessarily the problem, it’s that some games have been worse than others. Against a team like the Cavs, the Hawks cannot hand over the basketball. The Cavs are really good at embarking on runs and taking over the momentum of the game.
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Mike Budenholzer has built the bread and butter of this team around defense. If the Hawks hope to beat the Cavs, they will need to find a way to lock things down on the defensive end, something that helped them win 60 regular season games. Outside of Carroll, Horford has been the best defensive player in Atlanta this post season. Atlanta will need to do a better job defending the three point line in this series.
The Cavs are currently seeing an improvement in perimeter defense. Limiting 2nd chance points opportunities and offensive rebounds are going to be a focal point in team discussions coming into this series.
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