Still, the Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as favorites versus the higher-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals, which begin tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
This despite the Hawks’ amazing 19-game winning streak in the regular season, and despite being the only team in the regular season to beat the Cavs three times.
However, two of those wins came before the trade that landed J.R. Smith, Timofey Mozgov, and Iman Shumpert in Cleveland. After that trade, the Cavs went 34-10.
Also: LeBron.
Doesn’t it always seem to come down to that? Here’s a headline... Read More
Golden State made it look easy against New Orleans and there is no reason to think it will be any different against the Grizzlies , even though Memphis dispatched Portland like it... Read More
Is the sweep a blessing or a curse? Does it let you rest or rust?
The Warriors, Wizards and Cavs have moved on to the next round with sweeps, while the Clippers and Spurs seem locked in a battle that has all the makings of a down-to-the-final-buzzer seven-game series.
For the teams that swept, there’s no way they would rather be in the kind of fight that L.A. and San Antonio are in.
Being rusty is better than being battered and bruised.
And a sweep is no guarantee that you’ll escape unscathed. The Cavaliers lost forward Kevin Love for two weeks to a dislocated shoulder. The longer Cleveland can wait tom play the winner of the Bulls-Bucks series the better.
Atlanta took the NBA by surprise this year and had a playoff spot secured so soon that it made the end of their regular season anti-climatic.
Most people refuse to pick a team to win the Eastern Conference that doesn’t have a player named LeBron James, but the Hawks went 3-1 against Cleveland in the regular season and have home court advantage.
But that’s getting too far ahead. Atlanta has to get through Brooklyn first (which, let’s be honest, shouldn’t be hard) and the Cavs have to put down a Boston team that surprised many by slipping into the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record.
The East, however, isn’t a two-horse race. Chicago is easing Derrick Rose back just in time for the playoffs. It’s not easy recovering... Read More
