Guest Post by: Aaron Palmer
Flash back to Monday, May 4th, 2015. I sat with a couple Ohio guys who were rooting against the Cavs in their series against the Chicago Bulls (the nerve of them, right? ). But, that night, Bulls fans everywhere felt there team may have been on to something after a convincing 99-92 victory at The Q. Five games and four Cavs wins later, Cleveland’s stock may be at it’s highest point of the year as they go into the conference final against a Hawks team that struggled mightily to put away a Wizards team that was without its best player, John Wall.
Atlanta has been stagnant this postseason (compared to the globetrotter-like start they had to the season). This looks like a completely different team from the one that won 60 games in the regular season. They find themselves in the conference final after two physically tiring matchups with the Nets and Wizards. Besides the fact that they are the # 1 seed, all signs would point to the Hawks being the underdog in this scenario. The only wild card would be the 3-0 mark they had against Cleveland during the regular season.
I’m no expert, but it doesn’t take an expert to know that the regular season and the postseason are two totally different entities. With that being said, these are also two totally different teams. Atlanta on one hand, has been exposed as a middle-of-the-pack Eastern Conference team, while Cleveland will be be finishing it’s season without its 3rd option, Kevin Love. Some may consider the Hawks’ perfect record against Cleveland this season to be a flash in the pan. This is their chance to prove it on the big stage, with home court advantage.
Game 1 – Wed. May 20, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2 – Fri. May 22, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 — Sun. May 24, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 4 — Tue. May 26, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 5 (If Nec.) – Thu. May 28, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 6 (If Nec.) – Sat. May 30, Atlanta at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., TNT
Game 7 (If Nec.) – Mon. June 1, Cleveland at Atlanta, 8:30 p.m., TNT
