Cleveland Cavaliers Atlanta Hawks Game 1 Predictions
Written May 5, 2009 by Jason Lowry
The No.1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers will continue on their quest to the NBA Finals this Tuesday when they begin their 2nd round series with the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavaliers will have had 8 days off before this series gets underway, while the Hawks just got down with their series with the Miami Heat on Sunday. The reason for that is the Cavaliers cruised past the Detroit Pistons in the first round winning the first four games to end the series in a sweep, while the Hawks needed 7 games to get past the Heat. During the regular season the Cavs won 3 of the 4 contests between these two teams, but the Hawks were in nearly every game. The series gets underway just a couple days after the announcement of LeBron James winning the 2009 regular season MVP award, but I think its pretty safe to say James could care less about that award, if he doesn’t come away with a championship ring at the end of the season. Here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win game 1, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.
What the Hawks have to do to win: I don’t know if the Hawks have much of a shot at all at winning this series, but they might be able to sneak out a big game 1 win if the Cavs come out flat after the long layoff. The only problem with that is the Hawks are not a good road team at all. It was a good sign for this team that Al Horford was able to make a quick recovery from an injury he suffered in game 5 against the Heat. If the Hawks are going to have any chance of winning this series, they need Joe Johnson to have a much more consistent showing, as Johnson really only had a couple good games in the first round. This team will also have to find a way to weather the storm when the Cavs go on a nice little run, as they can easily turn a 5 point lead into a 20 point lead. The Hawks will also need to be more consistent as a team, as it was hit or miss for them in round 1, as nearly every game was decided by double digits. The Hawks showed they can hang with the best of them, as they pushed the Boston Celtics to 7 games in round 1 of last year’s playoffs, so you can’t count them out just yet. Bet the Atlanta Hawks +11.5 at Sportsbook.com.
What the Cavaliers have to do to win: They will need to get into the flow of things quick, as the faster they can gain control of this game the better. James dominated the Pistons in the first round averaging 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game, but he can’t do it on his own every night, and will need a big series out of Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Zydrunas Illgauskas. I think it will also be important that Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, and Daniel Gibson have a good game off the bench, as the Cavs need some scoring from its reserves to keep the Hawks from making any runs while James is sitting on the bench. It will take a lot for the Cavs to lose this game, especially on their home floor where they were nearly unbeatable in the regular season. Bet the Cleveland Cavaliers -11.5 at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction: Hawks +11.5. This is a bit of stretch taking the Hawks away from home, but they are getting a ton of points and I think the Cavs are going to come out just a little flat, allowing the Hawks to get off to a good start. I still think the Cavs will find away to win this game, but I think the Hawks make this game a lot closer than a lot of people are thinking.
For those of you looking to do some NBA betting on the Cavs Hawks series, be sure to check out our expert NBA picks and NBA odds at Betfirms.
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