Can the Hawks beat the Cavs in a 7 game series?

[NBAplayoffs2001]

:coleman: hmm

[lilteapot]

Sure they can, all they need to do is move the ball.

[navy]

They wouldnt be the favorites and they are struggling now, but yes. They still have shown enough to get to the Finals.

[SamuraiSWISH]

I personally don't think so. I know fool's gold regular season record disagrees. I feel Atlanta peaked in the first half of the season catching the league by surprise. I doubt it holds up the rest of the way, let alone in the playoffs.

[Lebron23]

No

Lebron owned the Hawks in the playoffs.

[qrich]

Can they? Yes.

Will they? No.

[Rooster]

I personally don't think so. I know fool's gold regular season record disagrees. I feel Atlanta peaked in the first half of the season catching the league by surprise. I doubt it holds up the rest of the way, let alone in the playoffs.

I agree, teams adjust in a 7 game series and playoffs is all about those matchup regardless of a regular season record. In regular season, a lot of bad teams can't adjust in game to game basis because of lacked of depth and talent but in the playoff, rotation are shortened and talent wins most of the time.

[ILLsmak]

Can they? Yes.

Will they? No.

lol I mean can in the sense of anything can happen. If it happened I would be shocked. I am sure the hawks would win a couple games because teams always do in playoff series... but like if it was 2-2 and the Hawks won game 5 I would be instantly going to espn and looking at the box score, trying to figure out how shit happened.

If they hit like 15 3s, sure... but I dunno. I guess I am "salty", but I don't think the Hawks are a contender. Would love to see them be... but I'm being realistic. I wouldn't bet anything on them, even at good odds.

-Smak

[hawksdogsbraves]

No way. A team of good role players and 3 point shooters could never, ever beat LeBron in a 7 game series no matter how good their coach is.

[atljonesbro]

Interesting how people already want to write off the Hawks after only a small mid season sputter directly after one of the greatest runs in NBA history. That's ESPN influence for ya

[qrich]

lol I mean can in the sense of anything can happen. If it happened I would be shocked. I am sure the hawks would win a couple games because teams always do in playoff series... but like if it was 2-2 and the Hawks won game 5 I would be instantly going to espn and looking at the box score, trying to figure out how shit happened.

If they hit like 15 3s, sure... but I dunno. I guess I am "salty", but I don't think the Hawks are a contender. Would love to see them be... but I'm being realistic. I wouldn't bet anything on them, even at good odds.

-Smak

No, not in the sense of anything can happen.

In the sense of they have a good shot to do so, but don't think they will.

[beastee]

No. I have said this all season. The hawks are great but cannot beat the cavs or bulls in 7 games. When you give coaches 7 games to prepare, stars generally win.

[Beastmode88]

Nope cavs are stacked.

[hawksdogsbraves]

No. I have said this all season. The hawks are great but cannot beat the cavs or bulls in 7 games. When you give coaches 7 games to prepare, stars generally win.

You're definitely right, I can't ever remember a LeBron James led team get outcoached and outplayed by a team full of system players.

[ImKobe]

They have the tools to beat any team in the NBA, but I see Cavs simply outscoring them over the course of a series. It's ridiculous how good the Cavs are offensively. Lebron can have off-nights and the team is still dominating.

I only see them beating Cleveland if the games are close and Cavs choke.

[BuffaloBill]

No way. Cavs are stacked.

[funnystuff]

Nope

[dubeta]

Yes, they can. I fully expect the Hawks to beat the Cavs in the playoffs, more experienced and much better coached, plus they are better defensively.

The Hawks will figure out the Cavs quickly in the playoffs, however if Cavs win I will have no choice but to put LeBron as the GOAT

[Richesly]

Love how everyone saying no is providing no insight whatsoever.

[beastee]

Love how everyone saying no is providing no insight whatsoever.
The only insight you need is lebron James mother****er. Seriously. Stop yourself.

[Roundball_Rock]

Yes they can. They would be favored too. The Cavs may not get past Chicago if that is the 2 versus the 3 series.

[BuffaloBill]

Love how everyone saying no is providing no insight whatsoever.


Cavs are stacked. They have better players, they have depth, they have superstars. The Cavs are favored over the Warriors to win it all in the championship betting odds. Even with the Hawks' record, at this point they would still be the underdogs going into this matchup.


Cavs have no excuse not to make it out of the east this year.

[dubeta]

LeBron will literally have to face off against 4 all-stars at once, who can beat those odds? :facepalm

[greatest-ever]

I personally don't think so. I know fool's gold regular season record disagrees. I feel Atlanta peaked in the first half of the season catching the league by surprise. I doubt it holds up the rest of the way, let alone in the playoffs.
So instead you'd trust a team who's 2nd and 3rd best player have never played a minute in the postseason?

The Hawks play good team basketball, that can sometimes outdo star power, look at the 2011 Mavs over the Heat, or 04 Pistons over Lakers. Obviously the Mavs had a superstar but that doesn't change the fact that they killed teams with their excellent ball movement, shooters etc

If you would take Cavs over the Hawks that's fine, but your logic has to be stronger than this.

Edit: The Spurs of last year are a real obvious example that i didn't mention, they didn't have a top 10 player on their roster and dominated.

[BuffaloBill]

These are the current odds to come out of the East

The Cavs are almost a sure thing :lol

ODDS TO WIN 2015 EASTERN CONFERENCE
Team Odds
Cleveland Cavaliers 21/20
Atlanta Hawks 3/1
Chicago Bulls 4/1
Toronto Raptors 12/1
Washington Wizards 18/1
Miami Heat 45/1
Indiana Pacers 65/1
Charlotte Hornets 85/1
Milwaukee Bucks 100/1
Brooklyn Nets 150/1
Detroit Pistons 150/1
Boston Celtics 250/1
Orlando Magic 5000/1

[RedBlackAttack]

If I were a Hawks fan, I'd be concerned that the team peaked a little too early. Obviously, at this point in the season, what happened in December and January are almost completely insignificant. It's all about how your team is playing right now. And, once the playoffs start, how you were playing in February won't matter.

The Hawks are going through a rough patch. I still think they're a very good team and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they make it to the ECF. Personally, I'd favor either the Cavs or Bulls over them, though.

That doesn't mean they "can't" make it out of the East. They're good enough to get hot and make a run, no doubt. They need to get back to that crisp motion on offense and scrambling defensively, though. There's plenty of time to right the ship.

The Cavs are playing really good basketball right now. This might be the best Cavs team I have ever seen. Actually, I think it is. I think they're better than the Price/Daugherty/Harper Cavs or the first stint with LeBron teams.

Far more firepower offensively and coming along nicely defensively.

[greatest-ever]

These are the current odds to come out of the East

The Cavs are almost a sure thing :lol

ODDS TO WIN 2015 EASTERN CONFERENCE
Team Odds
Cleveland Cavaliers 21/20
Atlanta Hawks 3/1
Chicago Bulls 4/1
Toronto Raptors 12/1
Washington Wizards 18/1
Miami Heat 45/1
Indiana Pacers 65/1
Charlotte Hornets 85/1
Milwaukee Bucks 100/1
Brooklyn Nets 150/1
Detroit Pistons 150/1
Boston Celtics 250/1
Orlando Magic 5000/1
So they are the favorites on paper, big deal.

The game isn't played on paper if you didn't know. And obviously Vegas odds are always biased towards teams with Lebron on them, they had the Cavs as favs in 09, 10 and then the Heat in 11 and 14, we seen how that turned out.

Going by Vegas or any other sporting odds is pretty poor logic when picking a team.

[hawksdogsbraves]

I mean I get that the Cavs are the favorites. The Cavs should be the favorites. They have the best player in the world, they have two other players better than anyone on our roster, they'll get every ring chaser they need to shore up their bench.

But to say that the Hawks can't beat the Cavs in a 7 game series is foolish. We've seen a ball movement system with a great cast of role players beat a more talented LeBron led team before.

[BuffaloBill]

So they are the favorites on paper, big deal.

The game isn't played on paper if you didn't know. And obviously Vegas odds are always biased towards teams with Lebron on them, they had the Cavs as favs in 09, 10 and then the Heat in 11 and 14, we seen how that turned out.

Going by Vegas or any other sporting odds is pretty poor logic when picking a team.


Not really, there's a reason why they are favored. Of course they aren't always right, but better teams almost always have higher odds. The Cavs have been way better than the Hawks this month, it's not close really. And saying Vegas odds are biased towards Lebron doesn't really mean much when he's made the finals 4 times in the last 4 years.

[LEFT4DEAD]

Yes, they can. I fully expect the Hawks to beat the Cavs in the playoffs, more experienced and much better coached, plus they are better defensively.

The Hawks will figure out the Cavs quickly in the playoffs, however if Cavs win I will have no choice but to put LeBron as the GOAT
this :pimp:

[BuffaloBill]

I mean I get that the Cavs are the favorites. The Cavs should be the favorites. They have the best player in the world, they have two other players better than anyone on our roster, they'll get every ring chaser they need to shore up their bench.

But to say that the Hawks can't beat the Cavs in a 7 game series is foolish. We've seen a ball movement system with a great cast of role players beat a more talented LeBron led team before.




I don't think anyone truly believes that the Hawks can't beat the Cavs. Greater miracles have happened, even Ali lost. It's just the Cavs are favored heavily, superstar ball doesn't always win, but it usually does, especially with the situation the Cavs have right now.

[Roundball_Rock]

Atlanta just destroyed a red hot Bucks team on the road. They are 44-12 for a reason and they have 4 all-star players.

The Cavs are being overrated. The Cavs arguably are not as good as the Hawks and the Bulls in the East and Toronto is strong too. People are acting as if the Cavs are the East' version of Golden State. The Cavs are 4th in the East. Granted, they are hot now but they have been hot at other points this season too.

[greatest-ever]

Not really, there's a reason why they are favored. Of course they aren't always right, but better teams almost always have higher odds. The Cavs have been way better than the Hawks this month, it's not close really. And saying Vegas odds are biased towards Lebron doesn't really mean much when he's made the finals 4 times in the last 4 years.
That's fair. I just had a problem with the way you laughed and said "Cavs are a sure thing to win the East" Are they the favs? That's debatable but simply pointing to Vegas odds as the reasoning seems pretty poor.

[atljonesbro]

Hawks bout to go on another 10 game win streak. People have been waiting all season for that slump to dive in and they finally got their chance. Good thing it was only a minor slump.

[Richesly]

Cavs are stacked. They have better players, they have depth, they have superstars. The Cavs are favored over the Warriors to win it all in the championship betting odds. Even with the Hawks' record, at this point they would still be the underdogs going into this matchup.


Cavs have no excuse not to make it out of the east this year.

FINALLY. That's all I was asking for.

Cleveland ranks 30th in bench scoring, that's some crazy depth right there.
Cleveland ranks 26th in bench rebounding, crazy depth.
Cleveland ranks 30th in bench assists, wow!

On the other hand,


Atlanta ranks 21st in bench scoring
Atlanta ranks 23rd in bench rebounding
Atlanta ranks 8 in bench assists.

Atlanta clearly as more depth.

Atlanta shoots better as a team at 46.8 FG% compared to Cleveland's 45.8%.

Atlanta is the better 3 point shooting team at 38.5%, which is second in the league, compared to Cleveland's 35.5%.


Cleveland beats Atlanta in offensive efficency with 107.5 compared to Atlanta's 106.8. Cleveland is ranked 5 and Atlanta is ranked 6.

Atlanta STOMPS Cleveland in defensive efficiency with 100.4 and is ranked 7th versus cleveland's 104.8, which is ranked 22nd.

Only thing Cleveland has over Atlanta is offensive efficiency and LeBron.

It's funny you use that they have better players as an argument, when the only person on Cleveland that is better than anyone on the Hawks is LeBron.

Teague > Kyrie
Korver> Dion
LeBron > Carroll
Millsap > Love
Horford > Mozgov

[juju151111]

FINALLY. That's all I was asking for.

Cleveland ranks 30th in bench scoring, that's some crazy depth right there.
Cleveland ranks 26th in bench rebounding, crazy depth.
Cleveland ranks 30th in bench assists, wow!

On the other hand,


Atlanta ranks 21st in bench scoring
Atlanta ranks 23rd in bench rebounding
Atlanta ranks 8 in bench assists.

Atlanta clearly as more depth.

Atlanta shoots better as a team at 46.8 FG% compared to Cleveland's 45.8%.

Atlanta is the better 3 point shooting team at 38.5%, which is second in the league, compared to Cleveland's 35.5%.


Cleveland beats Atlanta in offensive efficency with 107.5 compared to Atlanta's 106.8. Cleveland is ranked 5 and Atlanta is ranked 6.

Atlanta STOMPS Cleveland in defensive efficiency with 100.4 and is ranked 7th versus cleveland's 104.8, which is ranked 22nd.

Only thing Cleveland has over Atlanta is offensive efficiency and LeBron.

It's funny you use that they have better players as an argument, when the only person on Cleveland that is better than anyone on the Hawks is LeBron.

Teague > Kyrie
Korver> Dion
LeBron > Carroll
Millsap > Love
Horford > Mozgov
those ratings mean Jack shit. Jr.Smith,Shumpert, and Mosgov just joined the team last month. They have been wyyy better defensivly with those additions.

[Richesly]

those ratings mean Jack shit. Jr.Smith,Shumpert, and Mosgov just joined the team last month. They have been wyyy better defensivly with those additions.

Those ratings should have improved in over a month. The only rating that improved was offensive efficiency and that was by 2.

EDIT: My bad, defensive efficiency improved by 3.

[Cocaine80s]

Teague > Kyrie
Korver> Dion
LeBron > Carroll
Millsap > Love
Horford > Mozgov
Dion? nikka really?


Anyways:
Kyrie>Teague
Korver>JR
Lebron>Carroll
Love>Milsap
Horford>Mozgov

I dont know who would win a series between the two, it'll be close

[JT123]

You're definitely right, I can't ever remember a LeBron James led team get outcoached and outplayed by a team full of system players.
The Spurs system players happen to be future Hall of Famers, with arguably the greatest coach of all time. Last I checked the Hawks don't have any future Hall of Famers.
Not saying the Hawks can't beat the Cavs, but comparing them to the Spurs is silly.

[Richesly]

Dion? nikka really?


Anyways:
Kyrie>Teague
Korver>JR
Lebron>Carroll
Love>Milsap
Horford>Mozgov

I dont know who would win a series between the two, it'll be close

Oh shit, brain fart lol. I thought for some reason that Dion had been the one from the Thunder that was traded to the Cavs, when it was JR from the knicks that put Dion on the thunder lol.

[atljonesbro]

The Spurs system players happen to be future Hall of Famers, with arguably the greatest coach of all time. Last I checked the Hawks don't have any future Hall of Famers.
Not saying the Hawks can't beat the Cavs, but comparing them to the Spurs is silly.
None of them were playing at a hall of fame level.... Why do people always bring this up it's an irrelevant point

[tpols]

You're definitely right, I can't ever remember a LeBron James led team get outcoached and outplayed by a team full of system players.
were you in a coma the past two finals?

[Richesly]

The Spurs system players happen to be future Hall of Famers, with arguably the greatest coach of all time. Last I checked the Hawks don't have any future Hall of Famers.
Not saying the Hawks can't beat the Cavs, but comparing them to the Spurs is silly.

Actually, if the Hawks were to win a ring, Horford has a good case in the basketball hall of fame. Look at his accolades already. He wouldn't be near the first ballot, but definitely could be a hall of famer if he wins a ring.

Remember, the hall of fame isn't just what you do in the NBA.

I see him achieving 3 more all stars by the end of his career as well.

Accolades so far:

3

[Richesly]

were you in a coma the past two finals?

He's being sarcastic lol.

[tpols]

He's being sarcastic lol.
tru.. i thought he was that one hawk fan who hated his team

[Richesly]

tru.. i thought he was that one hawk fan who hated his team

That's Hotlanta1981.

[beastee]

[QUOTE=Richesly]Actually, if the Hawks were to win a ring, Horford has a good case in the basketball hall of fame. Look at his accolades already. He wouldn't be near the first ballot, but definitely could be a hall of famer if he wins a ring.

Remember, the hall of fame isn't just what you do in the NBA.

I see him achieving 3 more all stars by the end of his career as well.

Accolades so far:

3

[JT123]

None of them were playing at a hall of fame level.... Why do people always bring this up it's an irrelevant point
They didn't need to play at a HOF level. Parker, Manu, and Duncan still commanded a lot of attention and respect, and that played a huge role in opening things up for other players like Leonard, Green, and Mills. Just because the Spurs big 3 weren't putting up huge stat lines doesn't mean they didn't have a huge impact.

[navy]

Give me some of that weed dude. I hope you are trolling.
The basketball hof is more than nba, so he's right...

[Richesly]

Give me some of that weed dude. I hope you are trolling.

I'm high as **** right now, smoked about a quarter of an ounce in 1 setting of Headband, shit is AMAZING.

But these are accolades, no?

[beastee]

The basketball hof is more than nba, so he's right...
But Horford hasnt even come close to all-nba 1st team yet. If he doesnt do that...he won't sniff anything.

[BuffaloBill]

FINALLY. That's all I was asking for.

Cleveland ranks 30th in bench scoring, that's some crazy depth right there.
Cleveland ranks 26th in bench rebounding, crazy depth.
Cleveland ranks 30th in bench assists, wow!

On the other hand,


Atlanta ranks 21st in bench scoring
Atlanta ranks 23rd in bench rebounding
Atlanta ranks 8 in bench assists.

Atlanta clearly as more depth.

Atlanta shoots better as a team at 46.8 FG% compared to Cleveland's 45.8%.

Atlanta is the better 3 point shooting team at 38.5%, which is second in the league, compared to Cleveland's 35.5%.


Cleveland beats Atlanta in offensive efficency with 107.5 compared to Atlanta's 106.8. Cleveland is ranked 5 and Atlanta is ranked 6.

Atlanta STOMPS Cleveland in defensive efficiency with 100.4 and is ranked 7th versus cleveland's 104.8, which is ranked 22nd.

Only thing Cleveland has over Atlanta is offensive efficiency and LeBron.

It's funny you use that they have better players as an argument, when the only person on Cleveland that is better than anyone on the Hawks is LeBron.

Teague > Kyrie
Korver> Dion
LeBron > Carroll
Millsap > Love
Horford > Mozgov



Are those rankings on the season? If so they mean squat because the current Cavs aren't the same Cavs by a long shot. You think those rankings will hold up closer to the end of the season? Dion doesn't even play for the Cavs anymore lol

[Richesly]

Are those rankings on the season? If so they mean squat because the current Cavs aren't the same Cavs by a long shot. You think those rankings will hold up closer to the end of the season? Dion doesn't even play for the Cavs anymore lol


I copied the cav's current stats, I'll see how much they improve by the end of April. They have improved over the month after getting those players, so we'll see.

[navy]

But Horford hasnt even come close to all-nba 1st team yet. If he doesnt do that...he won't sniff anything.
No, the hof isnt that prestigious.

[Richesly]

But Horford hasnt even come close to all-nba 1st team yet. If he doesnt do that...he won't sniff anything.

Horford has a shot at another All NBA 3rd team this season.

You don't need an All NBA 1st team to make the HOF. Tons of players have made the hall of fame without it.

[dubeta]

Cavs only really have an advantage at SF

[BuffaloBill]

None of them were playing at a hall of fame level.... Why do people always bring this up it's an irrelevant point



That's debatable. Kawhi, Splitter, Green and Duncan all played elite defense. Tim Duncan, even this year is a DPOY level player. The Hawks don't have anyone who can defend to that caliber. Defensively the Spurs basically had the entire floor covered. People don't pay enough attention to that.

[Richesly]

That's debatable. Kawhi, Splitter, Green and Duncan all played elite defense. Tim Duncan, even this year is a DPOY level player. The Hawks don't have anyone who can defend to that caliber. Defensively the Spurs basically had the entire floor covered. People don't pay enough attention to that.

Hawks are ranked 5th in points allowed per game, where as the Spurs last year were ranked 6th.

[Crimsonrain777]

You're definitely right, I can't ever remember a LeBron James led team get outcoached and outplayed by a team full of system players.

:oldlol:

[secund2nun]

No Atlanta cannot beat Cleveland in a 7 game series. Cleveland will crush them. They don't even have a legit center. Horford is a PF. They are a very easy matchup for Cleveland.

[AirBourne92]

everyone is quick to point out talent in cavs, but no one mentions that hawks are a smarter team

cavs have no strategy, virtually

it will be an interesting game between these two

[Kingwillball]

No cavs have better team or at least better players which make difference in series.

[RedBlackAttack]

everyone is quick to point out talent in cavs, but no one mentions that hawks are a smarter team

cavs have no strategy, virtually

it will be an interesting game between these two
:facepalm

[ILLsmak]

I don't think anyone truly believes that the Hawks can't beat the Cavs. Greater miracles have happened, even Ali lost. It's just the Cavs are favored heavily, superstar ball doesn't always win, but it usually does, especially with the situation the Cavs have right now.

It's like bulls vs jazz. Best comparison I can think of. Nobody really expects it to happen esp with some ref influence but its possible.

-Smak

[AirBourne92]

:facepalm


let's review the cavs game plan

give the ball to lebron
--pick and roll kick out to jump shooter
--pick and roll flop around for foul call


great strategy

[Springsteen]

let's review the cavs game plan

give the ball to lebron
--pick and roll kick out to jump shooter
--pick and roll flop around for foul call


great strategy

Expert analysis. I expect David Griffin to fire Blatt and replace you as the HC starting tommorow :applause:

[hawks4life]

Anyone to say the Hawks are favored is an idiot. The Cleveland Lebrons is clearly the favored team, and on paper they should be. 3 of the top players in the league and a plethora of role players.

With that said, if you don't think the Hawks have a shot, you are an even bigger idiot. Last year the Hawks team took the #1 seed to 7 games (should have won). That was without Horford and Thabo. Add them to the roster this year with another year under this system, and you have a heck of a series. I could see either team to win in 6-7, but my money looking on paper would be on the Cavs. To bad games aren't won on paper though. I'd be excited about that series...

[fsvr54]

No, Hawks would get completely and utterly assraped.

[Roundball_Rock]

Cleveland is in 4th place after the all-star break--in the middle of a close group consisting of TOR, CHI, CLE, WAS, and MIL. People are acting as if Cleveland has Atlanta's record. :lol Yeah, they have been hot lately but we have seen that before this year followed by an extended period of losing.

[sportsfan76]

for the money i would encourage everyone to pick the Cavs

[hawksdogsbraves]

I will say this, if we meet in a series Coach Bud will coach circles around Blatt, I guarantee you.

[Legends66NBA7]

Since coaching has been brought up a lot, I wonder how everyone would rank the East playoff coaches, at least the Top 6.

[JohnFreeman]

Star power gets you over the top

[sportsfan76]

if the Cavs catch the Hawks for the number seed I will jump off the nearest bridge

[lilteapot]

if the Cavs catch the Hawks for the number seed I will jump off the nearest bridge
screencapped

[hawksdogsbraves]

Since coaching has been brought up a lot, I wonder how everyone would rank the East playoff coaches, at least the Top 6.

Bud
Thibs
Kidd
Blatt
Casey
Wittman

[sportsfan76]

screencapped


And if they get the #1 seed that would confirm the cavs will be in the finals

[RedBlackAttack]

Cleveland is in 4th place after the all-star break--in the middle of a close group consisting of TOR, CHI, CLE, WAS, and MIL. People are acting as if Cleveland has Atlanta's record. :lol Yeah, they have been hot lately but we have seen that before this year followed by an extended period of losing.
We really haven't. They've now won 16 of their last 18 games. That hasn't come close to happening at any other point this season for the Cavs. Sure, they won 8 straight at one point earlier in the year, but (1) that was a weak stretch in the schedule and (2) they went on to lose 7 of their next 11.

It's safe to say that this is more than just a good run. They had a chance to revert back to pre-trade Cavaliers when they lost to Indiana to end the 12 game winning streak. That hasn't happened. Since that loss, they're 4-1 over their last 5 games, 3 of which were against playoff teams.

The Cavs may or may not come out of the East, but they're playing at a level right now that they haven't even approached at any other point this year.

[juju151111]

We really haven't. They've now won 16 of their last 18 games. That hasn't come close to happening at any other point this season for the Cavs. Sure, they won 8 straight at one point earlier in the year, but (1) that was a weak stretch in the schedule and (2) they went on to lose 7 of their next 11.

It's safe to say that this is more than just a good run. They had a chance to revert back to pre-trade Cavaliers when they lost to Indiana to end the 12 game winning streak. That hasn't happened. Since that loss, they're 4-1 over their last 5 games, 3 of which were against playoff teams.

The Cavs may or may not come out of the East, but they're playing at a level right now that they haven't even approached at any other point this year.
Bro he just wants to downplay how the team's trades and chemistry so if they beat the Hawks in the playoffs he acts like LJ just did the unbelievable. The Cavs since the trades and LJ returning from injury is 4th in defensive efficiency and was already top 5 in offensive efficiency. Mosgov completely changed things with his inside presence. He a + on defense and has size. Basically hides Love defensivly and Smith/Shumpert are playing like they have before when the Knicks were a decent team. People forget Jr.Smith won the 6th man of the year.. Jr even admit he was distracted in NY and was partying a lot.

[tpols]

Bro he just wants to downplay how the team's trades and chemistry so if they beat the Hawks in the playoffs he acts like LJ just did the unbelievable. The Cavs since the trades and LJ returning from injury is 4th in defensive efficiency and was already top 5 in offensive efficiency. Mosgov completely changed things with his inside presence. He a + on defense and has size. Basically hides Love defensivly and Smith/Shumpert are playing like they have before when the Knicks were a decent team. People forget Jr.Smith won the 6th man of the year.. Jr even admit he was distracted in NY and was partying a lot.
This..:lol

Its no different than jt or dubeta.. fluff up the competition to lower expectations. Downplay the supporting cast and team so if they win they're hero's if they lose it was expected.. when the odds where people put their money where their mouth is say Cavs are heavy favorites right now.

[juju151111]

This..:lol

Its no different than jt or dubeta.. fluff up the competition to lower expectations. Downplay the supporting cast and team so if they win they're hero's if they lose it was expected.. when the odds where people put their money where their mouth is say Cavs are heavy favorites right now.
Round isn't fooling anyone.

[Kingwillball]

We really haven't. They've now won 16 of their last 18 games. That hasn't come close to happening at any other point this season for the Cavs. Sure, they won 8 straight at one point earlier in the year, but (1) that was a weak stretch in the schedule and (2) they went on to lose 7 of their next 11.

It's safe to say that this is more than just a good run. They had a chance to revert back to pre-trade Cavaliers when they lost to Indiana to end the 12 game winning streak. That hasn't happened. Since that loss, they're 4-1 over their last 5 games, 3 of which were against playoff teams.

The Cavs may or may not come out of the East, but they're playing at a level right now that they haven't even approached at any other point this year.


Unless any unforeseen injuries Don't see Cavs losing more than another 7-8 games until the Playoffs. They have added 3 and now maybe 4 pieces that have really solidified team plus getting Lebron playing better(healthier) Scary thing is Love has not approached the best he can be on a consistent basis yet if they get that and a little something out of Perkins backing up the 5 position look out come Playoff time. They will be the favorite to come out of East. I see the Cavs finishing as high as the #2 seed in East with the way they are playing.

[RedBlackAttack]

Unless any unforeseen injuries Don't see Cavs losing more than another 7-8 games until the Playoffs. They have added 3 and now maybe 4 pieces that have really solidified team plus getting Lebron playing better(healthier) Scary thing is Love has not approached the best he can be on a consistent basis yet if they get that and a little something out of Perkins backing up the 5 position look out come Playoff time. They will be the favorite to come out of East. I see the Cavs finishing as high as the #2 seed in East with the way they are playing.
There are lots of scary things about this roster. A couple other things that are hard to imagine ... Varejao is going to be our backup center next year and Kyrie Irving is still just 22-years-old.

22.

He's still one of the youngest starting PGs in the NBA.

[RedBlackAttack]

Bro he just wants to downplay how the team's trades and chemistry so if they beat the Hawks in the playoffs he acts like LJ just did the unbelievable. The Cavs since the trades and LJ returning from injury is 4th in defensive efficiency and was already top 5 in offensive efficiency. Mosgov completely changed things with his inside presence. He a + on defense and has size. Basically hides Love defensivly and Smith/Shumpert are playing like they have before when the Knicks were a decent team. People forget Jr.Smith won the 6th man of the year.. Jr even admit he was distracted in NY and was partying a lot.
I didn't realize RR was one of "those" people. If that's his agenda, it is as empty as Love's stats in Minnesota (I kid, I kid). As a Cavs fan, I try not to be overly optimistic. Cleveland fans have a deep-rooted pessimism ingrained in us after decades of disappointment from all three of our major sports teams. You could take the entire All-Pro team, put them in Cleveland Browns uniforms and people in Cleveland would question whether or not they're capable of being above .500.

That just comes with territory.

But, even with the misery that has accompanied my sports fandom virtually since birth, I can't sit here and deny what I see.

This is the best Cavaliers team that I have ever seen and I lived through the golden years of the 80s and early 90s teams that have been largely forgotten around the NBA, but not in Cleveland. Those Price/Daugherty/Harper teams were out-pacing and out-playing the Bad Boys Pistons teams in the regular season. They were a really, really good team. If not for that pesky Michael Jordan, who knows what could have happened.

And, then we had some pretty good teams in LeBron's first go-round. No, not super talented, but well built teams that made one another better.


This year's Cavs team is, quite frankly, on a different level from any of those. Sure, LeBron deserves credit and I'm sure he'll get it. I still believe he is comfortably the best individual player in the game. I also expect him to kick it up to even another level come playoff time. If the Cavs are able to win it all this year, he'll be celebrated far and wide and it will be justified.

But, the reason this team is looking so good goes beyond just LeBron. Kyrie Irving has been just ridiculous on both ends since he got a legitimate rim protector playing behind him for the first time in his career. He has shut down some very high profile PGs over the last 18 games, while efficiently destroying them on the other end.

Kevin Love may not be putting up the monster statistics that he did the last few years, but if you look deeper, his impact has been awesome.

To give proper credit, these numbers were posted by MoFlo over on RCF earlier today ....

Since Jan. 15:

Love ranks 2nd in the NBA in +/- per game (12.9), behind only LeBron:
http://stats.nba.com/league/player/#!/?sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1&DateFrom=01/15/2015&DateTo=02/22/2015

He also ranks #3 since that time (min 10 games - #2 if you're talking significant minutes) in Net Rating (Off Rating - Def Rating), at 18.7 (115.6 Off - 96.9 Def):
http://stats.nba.com/league/player/...P*GE*10&DateFrom=01/15/2015&DateTo=02/22/2015

Love also leads the NBA in +/- in the month of February (min 3 games), with a +106 (#2 is Mozgov, at +95):
http://stats.nba.com/league/player/#!/?sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1&PerMode=Totals&Month=5


So, while the narrative has been that Love isn't contributing as much as he should, when you look a little deeper, he takes the Cavs to a different level when he is on the floor, even if his numbers don't always show it.


So, that is one hell of a big three. The best big three in the league, imo.

Then, you have the formidable supporting cast that is a good mix of veterans who have won playoff series and/or championships and know what it takes when things kick up a notch in the playoffs (JR Smith, Mike Miller, James Jones, Shawn Marion, Kendrick Perkins) and young, spry players either in or approaching their respective primes (Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova).


This roster is absolutely stacked. Does that mean they're a shoe-in for an EC Championship, let alone an NBA Title? Hell no.

It does mean that they are a justifiable favorite right now. Truth be told, I'd rather be a little more under the radar heading into the playoffs. I like the position the Bulls are in with regards to somewhat tempered enthusiasm and expectations, while still fielding one of the best teams in the league.

But, I'm not going to sit here and fake being modest about how good this Cavs team is right now. The Cavs and the Warriors are playing the best basketball in the league at the moment. And, I think the Cavs have a style which will better acclimate and translate to playoff basketball. Plus, the obvious fact that they don't have to go through that meatgrinder of a WC playoff run.

I'm cautiously optimistic about matching up with Toronto and Washington, and Chicago and Atlanta are still real threats, imo.

The biggest concerns for me when it comes to the playoffs is that two of our big three have never played a playoff game and we have a rookie NBA head coach (although he is highly accomplished overseas). But, I'm also very confident that Kyrie will be even better when the spotlight is on him and Blatt is a very good coach, imo.

So, I guess my biggest concern is how will Kevin Love deal with the pressure of the playoffs. That's a legitimate concern.


tl;dr

I think the Cavs are justified to be favorites even though the Cleveland fan in me says things will eventually fall apart.

tl;dr part 2

Cavs are very good.

[Bigsmoke]

it's possible

I feel that the Hawks as a team play more cohesively.

[CarlosBoozer]

Anything is possible in the nba, though the most experienced player is also the cav's best player, who is Lebron. Cavs in 5 or 6 games.

[atljonesbro]

We really haven't. They've now won 16 of their last 18 games. That hasn't come close to happening at any other point this season for the Cavs. Sure, they won 8 straight at one point earlier in the year, but (1) that was a weak stretch in the schedule and (2) they went on to lose 7 of their next 11.

It's safe to say that this is more than just a good run. They had a chance to revert back to pre-trade Cavaliers when they lost to Indiana to end the 12 game winning streak. That hasn't happened. Since that loss, they're 4-1 over their last 5 games, 3 of which were against playoff teams.

The Cavs may or may not come out of the East, but they're playing at a level right now that they haven't even approached at any other point this year.
The hawks won like 34 out of 36 games or something and people still just called it a hot run and that's far better than anything the cavs accomplished by miles and miles. If were staying consistent here the cavs are just hot but ESPN would convince people otherwise since they have The Lord and savior LeBron who never loses on the playoffs :rolleyes:

[Eric Cartman]

Bud
Thibs
Kidd
Blatt
Casey
Wittman

:roll: Those might be the 2 worst coaches in the league

[Quickening]

Lebron haters making out that Cleveland is super stacked and unbeatable so they can all troll if they don't win a championship... like Miami was insanely stacked and Lebron was holding them back, as shown by how they're playing this year :applause:

[hawkfan]

If we get Bargnani, then anything is possible.

[hawksdreamfan44]

Yes. We play like the Spurs, and they have beaten LeBron's teams twice. Also, other than LeBron, this Cavs team has very little playoff experience. The Cavs and Hawks are pretty evenly matched, so it would probably be a long-ish series, in which Kyrie and Kevin wouldn't have the experience to help LeBron get it done yet.

[ballup]

Since coaching has been brought up a lot, I wonder how everyone would rank the East playoff coaches, at least the Top 6.
Lot of that would be based on reputation and not actual analysis.

[MMM]

yes the hawks can beat the Cavs although they are probably not going to be favored going into a series. However, i think it is nonsense to say they peaked too early. They season is a marathon and they could not maintain that level over an extended period of time but the fact that they can reach that level will be a plus for them in the playoffs. Has Toronto, Washington, Chicago, etc even shown any stretch comparable to prove they have an elite potential.