Hawks-Cavs Game 1: A Lot of Agony, No Ecstasy

Even in a perfect 60 win season, fate can intervene. Plan A becomes Plan B, and finally Plan C. You improvise because you have to. That said, a lot of what happened in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals cannot be blamed on an injury in the 4^th quarter or on the cruelty of fate. The fact is no one on the Atlanta Hawks played well except for Jeff Teague and that was in the first half.

In the 4^th quarter, trying to mount a valiant comeback even as the odds were against them, DeMarre Carroll on a fast break, defended by LeBron James, had his entire series changed. Carroll was in the air when his knee made violent contact with James. He flailed backwards and then landed out of bounds, writhing in pain. He pounded his fists in agony on the court. He grabbed at his knee. He covered his eyes. He was particularly despondent. Helped off the court, he made his way into the locker room.

Elton Brand replaced Carroll, shot the free throws Carroll could not.

Naturally, the game continued. The Hawks were trailing by 14 points and mustarded all the courage and heart and intensity that was possible, even if it lacked execution, patience and attention to detail. It didn’t lack desire. The Hawks went on a mini 11-1 run to cut the lead to four with 57 seconds left.

But, Lebron James was having none of it. His slam dunk sealed the victory, reclaiming home court advantage for the Cavaliers.

May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the fourth quarter of game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Before it went sideways, before the game suddenly tilted off its axis because of a fluke occurrence, the game had been pretty entertaining. The Atlanta Hawks had an efficient first quarter which is often the case when they play at home.

All the boxes were checked. Jeff Teague was aggressive. The Hawks ball movement was crisp and they played with a ton of energy as the crowd serenaded them with loud and boisterous ovations. The Hawks shot 61%.

On the surface everything looked as it should. Except the Hawks missed nearly every three point shot. And they were killed on the offensive glass. The Hawks had 0 offensive rebounds, while the Cavs had 7.

In the second quarter, LeBron asserted his dominance and drove into the paint and scored in bunches. He was aided by J.R. Smith who had eleven points and the first half ended with a tied score which was a quasi victory for the Cavs who absorbed the Hawks first punch.

But even tied at 51-51, there were signs the Hawks were in trouble. The Hawks bricked their distance shots. The Cavs had more rebounds in the first seven minutes than the Hawks had the entire first quarter. It would only get worse. The Cavs had more assists and were dominant on the offensive glass. The Hawks turned into a one man Jeff Teague show.

The third quarter was a repeat of the same movie, the offense bogged down by impatience, one-on-one plays, Dennis Schroder and the inability to make shots. The Cavs were successful in taking away the Hawks one strength: moving the ball. The Hawks played like they were stuck in quicksand; nothing worked.

38 second half points
17.4% from three
Outrebounded by 12
19 assists

Paul Millsap never looked in sync; he missed two free throws early on and was never in rhythm. He missed 8 out of 11 shots, had 3 turnovers, a technical foul. Dennis Schroder was pretty awful, missing 8 out of 10 shots and playing a one-on-one game he isn’t suited for as he abandoned the offense for a more selfish game. The Hawks were dominated on the glass by the Cavs front court who outrebounded the Hawks front court by 14. The Hawks played very, very small.

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LeBron James took 26 shots, a consequence of the Cavs injury situation. In game 1, Kyrie Irving was a shell of himself, unable to get much lateral movement or to do anything in the paint. He was reduced to being a jump shooting specialist. He finished with 10 points.

It was the added offense of J.R. Smith that propelled the Cavs to victory. A perfect marriage, Smith complemented James’ who had 31 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. J.R. had 28 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He drilled 67% of his three pointers.

Jeff Teague was the Hawks lone bright spot but that was the Hawks undoing in their 4^th quarter comeback as Teague made one bad decision after the next and he morphed into Dennis Schroder, not trusting the offense. Teague tried to make every big play, not remembering the Hawks team identity. Besides, Teague’s talents are not built for that kind of heroism.

Al Horford had a solid game but he just didn’t get the ball enough in the 4^th quarter. Kyle Korver was average, at best, as he was continually punished on the perimeter by J.R. Smith’s offense.

Early indications are that the DeMarre Carroll knee injury is a sprain but he’s having a MRI tomorrow and more will be known then. For Carroll, it’s a two edged sword. He was having a brilliant post-season, the best of his career. And he was putting all of his chips in the center of the poker table, as he is a free agent come July 1. Suddenly, his present and his future are up in the air and the same can be said for the Atlanta Hawks.

Without Carroll, the Hawks will use Kent Bazemore who is a great defender, no one denies that. But he is short in the experience department and hasn’t played a lot of minutes since last year when he was with the Lakers. As somber as the Hawks locker room was on Wednesday night, two things are true.

Injuries are part of the game, even when they happen at the worst time possible. But, more importantly, the Hawks have bounced back before after a home playoff loss. They did it against the Wizards. That is what they will cling to.

Next: Is Hawks-Cavs a 6 Game Series?