Series Thread: 4 Atlanta Hawks (48-34) vs. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25)

[trojanfan12]

First 3 quarters the Cavs defense was disappointing. IMO, it was really their first disappointing performance of the playoffs.

BUT.. they overcame the Hawks making 16 3's on 49% shooting from 3 (both better than Warriors numbers)... and dominated the end of the game and got the W.



Before these playoffs started... there were only 3 times in the entire history of the NBA that a team made 20 3's in a playoff game. The cavs have now done it 3 times in these playoffs.

If we get a Cavs/Warriors finals and the Cavs keep hitting 3's like they have been and the Warriors do their normal thing...both arenas may have to get new scoreboards before the series is over.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Cavaliers mull Hawks' Game 4 options: Hack-a-Tristan, physical play

One strategy sure to be explored is Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer calling for the hack-a-whomever strategy on Cavs forward Tristan Thompson.

Thompson, a career 63 percent foul shooter, went just 5-for-12 from the line in Game 3 as the Hawks repeatedly fouled him on purpose.

How will Cavs coach Tyronn Lue respond if the Hawks target Thompson again?

“Keep him in the game,” Lue said Saturday, speaking to a group of reporters at the team hotel. “Show confidence in him. He’s going to make one or two every time. So, just show confidence.

Coming out of timeouts, if we can get one or two points every single time, I’ll take that. Tristan does a lot of great things for us, so if he does miss two free throws in a row, so what? It’s part of the basketball game. He had nine offensive rebounds in [28] minutes. I know he’s going to step up and make them. If not, we’re still going to play him and keep him in the game.”

Indeed, Thompson is averaging 11.3 rebounds for the series and has shown the defensive versatility to be able to match up with anyone from post players Paul Millsap and Al Horford to guards Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore.

While the Cavs seem comfortable with Thompson being challenged, the other remaining route the Hawks could take is a much more troublesome one: Atlanta could opt to rough up the game through physicality.

It’s a ploy that Charles Barkley already openly pined for the Hawks to try after they were embarrassed in Game 2 and it’s something that Teague already went for late in Game 3 when he body checked James, earning a flagrant foul.

The danger of it happening again, of course, is that while the Cavs are almost assured of getting past Atlanta -- no team in league history has ever come back from an 0-3 hole to win a series -- if a Cleveland player gets injured from a cheap shot, it could hurt the team's chances as it continues to advance.

“On the last play with ‘Bron, when Teague pushed him out of bounds, I thought we did a great job of just keeping our composure,” Lue said. “J.R. [Smith] ran over to ‘Bron and helped him up, made two free throws and we got him out of the game. That’s what we have to do.

“[Sunday] will probably be a little worse. We just got to be smarter, keep our composure and know that we got something that we’re trying to achieve and trying to do. We can’t let that distract us.”




also...Tristan Thompson will be appearing in his NBA leading OVER his 380th consecutive game tomorrow.

While no doubt...many MANY people have criticized Kyrie Irving for being injury prone, Kevin Love for being injury prone...one of the VERY MOST SIGNIFICANT REASONS for valuing Tristan Thompson is that HE ALWAYS FREAKING PLAYS NO MATTER WHAT- AND ALWAYS PLAYS HARD. You cant say that about everyone.

 

[Demonjoe93]

I hope you sign Dwight Howard for 4yrs/30 mil plus!!

* wipes tears from eyes, takes ball goes home *

Woah, you should never wish that on another team. No team deserves to have to be exposed to Howard's bullshit.

Although to be honest, for that amount of money, he might not be a bad sign.

Sadly, that's what mid-tiered guys will be making starting next Season.

Yeah, I hate it. I trust our management to find a suitable replacement for cheap instead.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Woah, you should never wish that on another team. No team deserves to have to be exposed to Howard's bullshit.

Although to be honest, for that amount of money, he might not be a bad sign.



Yeah, I hate it. I trust our management to find a suitable replacement for cheap instead.

lol...perhaps you dont understand....not 4 years 30 million TOTAL...4 years 30 million EACH YEAR....

 

[WiggyRuss]

Richard Jefferson's Snapchat Should Be Preserved in a Museum

this is a ridiculously funny story...good to see the chemistry keeps on getting better and better....WEIRD though...

Little Kevin?

 

[Demonjoe93]

lol...perhaps you dont understand....not 4 years 30 million TOTAL...4 years 30 million EACH YEAR....

Ah, I misunderstood. Yeah, fuck that shit.

 

[Heatles84]

Richard Jefferson's Snapchat Should Be Preserved in a Museum

this is a ridiculously funny story...good to see the chemistry keeps on getting better and better....WEIRD though...

Little Kevin?

I want to see what that chemistry looks like in June when San Antonio/Golden St. are on deck. Everyone's cool when they're winning over cupcakes.

 

[Demonjoe93]

Just a few hours until Daddy gets to finish us off.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Just a few hours until Daddy gets to finish us off.

Hopefully the go down fighting ( literally).

 

[Black Adam]

Hopefully the go down fighting ( literally).

as long as they doesn't do a Wiggy and celebrate someone's injury...

 

[WiggyRuss]

as long as they doesn't do a Wiggy and celebrate someone's injury...

i have never and will never celebrate someones injury.

I MORE THAN ANYONE have been hoping for a Heat vs Cavs series-- ever since LeBron came back... ithought there was a decent chance we would get one this year.


One of the reasons why I have been saying- well- one among MANY reasons- that i would rather have Tristan Thompson over Whiteside is that Tristan Thompson ALWAYS plays. He is the NBA's reigning Iron man.

While Tristan Thompson is playing in his 380th or some game IN A ROW Hassan Whiteside will be in street clothes. If all those people who constantly ripped on Irving and Love as injury prone cannot then admit how VALUABLE it is to have a guy who ALWAYS plays- well- I would say that is the height of hypocrisy.

As i said all along- you just watch...itll be clear who has more value to their team once the playoffs startt- and who helps their team win more once the playoffs start- and nothing i have seen has changed my mind- on the contrary- everything i have seen has just confirmed it.

 

[bksballer89]

Indirectly celebrating an injury is still celebrating an injury

 

[WiggyRuss]

Thompson's ability to be such a versatile defender has really helped the Cavs in this series....as anyone who has watched this series has seen....

When a team goes to the pick and roll and puts Thompson in it-- he can just switch- and does a pretty damn good job on the guard...how many big men in the leauge have that capability? you can probably count it on one hand.

not only that- but how many big men in the league TERRIFY an opponent so bad on the offensive boards that they stick an extra guy on him to box him out---- which has just left the shooters and driving lanes even MORE open.

I have seen Tristan Thompson draw more holding and over the back calls than anyone i have ever seen- its ridiculous.

if you try and grade everything Tristan Thompson does by a box score- you miss the point- and dont know shit about basketball.


LEBron and Barkley have both compared his impact to Dennis Rodman- a hall of famer (minus the off the court BS of course, LOL).

 

[WiggyRuss]

Indirectly celebrating an injury is still celebrating an injury

I wish he was healthy so the Heat would actually get to the face the Cavs....if the Heat were in the West i could give a flying f***....but I wanted to desperately see that much up- as i think most of us did- and now it would appear we are robbed of it unless the atrociously thin bench-bigs that Riley assembled can step up.

This is again one of the advantages of short series'....unless i am mistaken- Whiteside first aggravated his knee late in the series against the Hornets....when you cant rest running up to the playoffs and your palying 7 games eries- your guys are gonna get banged up.

Shit- im extremely worried one of the Cavs guys get injured in this- another short series--- you HAVE TO HAVE LUCK to win the title...and the better you can mitigate your chances to have bad stuff happen the better.

Lets hope the Cavs finish it in 4, and can rest and refocus for the next challenge.


nothing would give me more pleasure than seeing the Cavs beat a full-squad heat team with both Bosh and Whiteside--- but as we Cavs fans learned oh-to-well last year---sometimes the basketball Gods just arent smiling down upon you- and its a bummer and realy robs us fans of a more entertaining playoff.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

i have never and will never celebrate someones injury.

I MORE THAN ANYONE have been hoping for a Heat vs Cavs series-- ever since LeBron came back... ithought there was a decent chance we would get one this year.


One of the reasons why I have been saying- well- one among MANY reasons- that i would rather have Tristan Thompson over Whiteside is that Tristan Thompson ALWAYS plays. He is the NBA's reigning Iron man.

While Tristan Thompson is playing in his 380th or some game IN A ROW Hassan Whiteside will be in street clothes. If all those people who constantly ripped on Irving and Love as injury prone cannot then admit how VALUABLE it is to have a guy who ALWAYS plays- well- I would say that is the height of hypocrisy.

As i said all along- you just watch...itll be clear who has more value to their team once the playoffs startt- and who helps their team win more once the playoffs start- and nothing i have seen has changed my mind- on the contrary- everything i have seen has just confirmed it.

You're so full of shit.
If he, or any other player goes down and sprains a knee or gets injured in any other fashion, then they aren't playing.
Tristan or anyone else isn't immune, he's just been fortunate.

Based on your latest mindset, you're now saying Tristan>Curry.

 

[WiggyRuss]

You're so full of shit.
If he, or any other player goes down and sprains a knee or gets injured in any other fashion, then they aren't playing.
Tristan or anyone else isn't immune, he's just been fortunate.

yup...your right...380+ games in a row...just luck....nothing to that...just like Kyrie and Love-- each were just unlucky while Thompson was lucky...lol.

As I have said MANY MANY TIMES--- Tristan Thompson can be counted on to ALWAYS play, and ALWAYS play hard.

I know how much you just LOVE your shiny box scores...


- youd be better off with guys that know their role, ALWAYS PLAY, and ALWAYS play hard--- guys with great work that help you WIN- and win on a consistence basis--- more so then guys that put up a really shiny box score.

 

[Demonjoe93]

Maybe this is the game we finally play defense.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

yup...your right...380+ games in a row...just luck....nothing to that...just like Kyrie and Love-- each were just unlucky while Thompson was lucky...lol.

As I have said MANY MANY TIMES--- Tristan Thompson can be counted on to ALWAYS play, and ALWAYS play hard.

I know how much you just LOVE your shiny box scores...


- youd be better off with guys that know their role, ALWAYS PLAY, and ALWAYS play hard--- guys with great work that help you WIN- and win on a consistence basis--- more so then guys that put up a really shiny box score.

Then why was Tristan pulled 3 seconds into game 82?

 

[Demonjoe93]

Still no defense.

 

[Demonjoe93]

At least the offense is showing life, for now.