It’s always easier to look at things in retrospect. Perhaps figuring out what happened and what will happen was and is more a factor of logic and not special insight. After the first two losses the Atlanta Hawks one must wonder how can a team with a 60-game winning season collapse under a team that’s largely road weary and incomplete?

The Cavaliers were missing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, two key players. The Hawks had a 19-game winning streak earlier this year leaving many punters loyal betters according to gambling laws. Lebron James may be the finest player of his generation, but Iman Shumpert, J.R Smith and Timofey Mozgov gave James something to work with.

sbnation.com Cavaliers vs. Hawks 2015 results: 3 things we learned from Cleveland’s shorthanded win

In game two, James got aggressive early, attacked and put up five shots quickly. Unfortunately for the Hawks, James never let up. Poor DeMarre Carroll, of the Hawks, had the unpleasant job of defending James while having a knee injury. Game two clearly showed that the Cavaliers weren’t going to allow a simple one-game split. Despite any of the injuries of his team, James put up 30 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists.

The second quarter caused no alarm to anyone as the abuse of Atlanta continued. James simply doled out the passes which led to 3-pointers by Shumpert, Smith and Jones. Tristan Thompson dominated the boards with 16 rebounds while dismantling Atlanta’s Paul Millsap. Whatever strategy the Hawks had proved moot against Cleveland’s fervor. Kyle Korver was able to produce for Atlanta while Jeff Teague was held to the outside.

Mozgov proved to be influential on defense along with Shumpert. As the Hawks shortened rotations, the injuries had their affect in the second half. Korver had to leave the game with ankle trouble. Carrol and Horford were not up for the part they had to play. The 94-82 win by Cleveland was accomplished by collapsing Atlanta’s defense. Atlanta was also the victims of a horrendous second half.

foxsports.comCleveland Cavaliers beat Atlanta Hawks in OT to take 3-0 series lead

One should not look at Cleveland’s 114-111 victory over Atlanta as simply more of the same. There were definitely different factors affecting the outcome of the game. The foremost factor being that this match, going into overtime, clearly showed that the Hawks didn’t want to lose. The second factor lies in a Cavaliers player called Matthew Dellavedova, an Australian who replaced Kyrie Irving, the All-star. A move which may have surprised a few punters out there waging by use of sports score news.

Dellavedova, in the 45 minutes he played, was able to score 17 much needed points for Cleveland. In the third quarter Dellavedova was involved in a collision with Atlanta’s Al Horford which left him ejected from the game on a flagrant 2 foul. Dellavedova tripped over DeMarre Carrol of the hawks and then fell back into Horford. The center got out of the rubble, then dropped his elbow and body on Dellavordova’s back and head.

James was still a bit cold in shooting. That changed as James started to put up points and ended with 37 points 18 rebounds and 13 assists as the game was tied at the end of the fourth quarter. Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap gave great performances for the Hawks, but Cleveland came a bit harder with J.R Smith scoring 17 points. At the end of the overtime, James collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.

usatoday.com Cavaliers sweep Hawks as LeBron James reaches fifth consecutive NBA Finals

Too much was stacked up against Atlanta for them to survive this series. Yes it must be considered that no team in NBA history has ever climbed out of 3-0 deficit. Yes three teams have come back to reach a seventh game. But do you really see Atlanta being in that company? The 118-88 slaughter is to be expected. Making gambling news, James is the first player to enter five consecutive finals with 2 different teams.

Cleveland simply swept over Atlanta like a tsunami from the beginning. By the time the Cavaliers were up in the first quarter 24-14, the Atlanta became Atlantis with the Hawk’s players submerged bodies floating in the wake. Unfortunately, James’ contributions of 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9.3 assists were modest and all that was necessary. Irving, with tendinitis in his left knee scored 16 points.

Mozgov, Thompson and Smith had 14,16 and 18-point contributions to the Cavalier’s grandeur on the court. The first half had Atlanta down by 20 points. Cleveland shot at 51% in the first half and it marked the end of the game for most. Although Teague scored 17 points and Millsap 16 respectively, the Atlanta team couldn’t do anymore. The Atlanta team, who was once the second best 3-point shooting team in the NBA, was diminished to 23.4% for 3-pointers in the entire series.

It’s always easier to look at things in retrospect. Perhaps figuring out what happened and what will happen was and is more a factor of logic and not special insight. After the first two losses the Atlanta Hawks one must wonder how can a team with a 60-game winning season collapse under a team that’s largely road weary and incomplete?

The Cavaliers were missing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, two key players. The Hawks had a 19-game winning streak earlier this year leaving many punters loyal betters according to gambling laws. Lebron James may be the finest player of his generation, but Iman Shumpert, J.R Smith and Timofey Mozgov gave James something to work with.

sbnation.com Cavaliers vs. Hawks 2015 results: 3 things we learned from Cleveland’s shorthanded win

In game two, James got aggressive early, attacked and put up five shots quickly. Unfortunately for the Hawks, James never let up. Poor DeMarre Carroll, of the Hawks, had the unpleasant job of defending James while having a knee injury. Game two clearly showed that the Cavaliers weren’t going to allow a simple one-game split. Despite any of the injuries of his team, James put up 30 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists.

The second quarter caused no alarm to anyone as the abuse of Atlanta continued. James simply doled out the passes which led to 3-pointers by Shumpert, Smith and Jones. Tristan Thompson dominated the boards with 16 rebounds while dismantling Atlanta’s Paul Millsap. Whatever strategy the Hawks had proved moot against Cleveland’s fervor. Kyle Korver was able to produce for Atlanta while Jeff Teague was held to the outside.

Mozgov proved to be influential on defense along with Shumpert. As the Hawks shortened rotations, the injuries had their affect in the second half. Korver had to leave the game with ankle trouble. Carrol and Horford were not up for the part they had to play. The 94-82 win by Cleveland was accomplished by collapsing Atlanta’s defense. Atlanta was also the victims of a horrendous second half.

foxsports.comCleveland Cavaliers beat Atlanta Hawks in OT to take 3-0 series lead

One should not look at Cleveland’s 114-111 victory over Atlanta as simply more of the same. There were definitely different factors affecting the outcome of the game. The foremost factor being that this match, going into overtime, clearly showed that the Hawks didn’t want to lose. The second factor lies in a Cavaliers player called Matthew Dellavedova, an Australian who replaced Kyrie Irving, the All-star. A move which may have surprised a few punters out there waging by use of sports score news.

Dellavedova, in the 45 minutes he played, was able to score 17 much needed points for Cleveland. In the third quarter Dellavedova was involved in a collision with Atlanta’s Al Horford which left him ejected from the game on a flagrant 2 foul. Dellavedova tripped over DeMarre Carrol of the hawks and then fell back into Horford. The center got out of the rubble, then dropped his elbow and body on Dellavordova’s back and head.

James was still a bit cold in shooting. That changed as James started to put up points and ended with 37 points 18 rebounds and 13 assists as the game was tied at the end of the fourth quarter. Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap gave great performances for the Hawks, but Cleveland came a bit harder with J.R Smith scoring 17 points. At the end of the overtime, James collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.

usatoday.com Cavaliers sweep Hawks as LeBron James reaches fifth consecutive NBA Finals

Too much was stacked up against Atlanta for them to survive this series. Yes it must be considered that no team in NBA history has ever climbed out of 3-0 deficit. Yes three teams have come back to reach a seventh game. But do you really see Atlanta being in that company? The 118-88 slaughter is to be expected. Making gambling news, James is the first player to enter five consecutive finals with 2 different teams.

Cleveland simply swept over Atlanta like a tsunami from the beginning. By the time the Cavaliers were up in the first quarter 24-14, the Atlanta became Atlantis with the Hawk’s players submerged bodies floating in the wake. Unfortunately, James’ contributions of 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9.3 assists were modest and all that was necessary. Irving, with tendinitis in his left knee scored 16 points.

Mozgov, Thompson and Smith had 14,16 and 18-point contributions to the Cavalier’s grandeur on the court. The first half had Atlanta down by 20 points. Cleveland shot at 51% in the first half and it marked the end of the game for most. Although Teague scored 17 points and Millsap 16 respectively, the Atlanta team couldn’t do anymore. The Atlanta team, who was once the second best 3-point shooting team in the NBA, was diminished to 23.4% for 3-pointers in the entire series.

Looking at only sports scores, this game would be hard for any punter to a wage on. You could say the team with the best player will win. Or you could say the team playing at home will win. The wisest thing would have been to simply look at J.R Smith’s Instagram message earlier in the week that said “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

J.R Smith was more a victim of collateral damage when he was traded mid-season by the New York Knicks to Cleveland. After Smith’s performance last night some may now consider Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin a genius. The people of the East Coast now have a new guest star on the LeBron James Show and his name is J.R

usatoday.com: Cavaliers beat Hawks in Eastern Conference finals Game 1

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 97-89 in Atlanta leading the series 1-0. Lebron James did what he does best, persevering through intense moments regardless of foul trouble. James has score 30 plus points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 52 playoff games as of last night which is an NBA record making sports scores news.

J.R Smith made the difference in this game with a playoff career high of 28 points. This man had the hot hand shooting 10 out of 16 shots from the field and 8 out of 12 three-point shots. Smith’s number of 8 rebounds may be even more impressive than the 8 three pointers. Like many teams, the Cavaliers were products of timing.

Waging on the second half would have been smart because after the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Cavaliers went on a 22-4 run that lasted into the heart of the fourth quarter. Smith managed to get 17 of those 22 points during that time. Smith was an unexpected surprise to a Cavalier team that was ready to take advantage of it.

gmanetwork.com: Cavaliers draw first blood against Hawks in Eastern Conference Finals

Mozgov led the defense by dominating the boards on the inside. Unfortunately, Irving re-ignited his knee injury allowing him to play only 27 minutes. With a stable defense, a warmer Smith and a ever ready James, the Cleveland Cavaliers may have a better than average chance of getting one more win on the Hawk’s home court.

Apart from injury or fatigue, The Atlanta Hawks were the better team. They are at least nine deep. They have a chemistry that affords them good defense and unselfish ball handling. Atlanta is equipped with four All-Stars. But what Atlanta doesn’t have any more is a home court advantage that was stripped from them last night.

It was known that Jeff Teague of the Hawks would have to “come correct” in this game. Able to cut into the Cleveland defense, Teague scored 17 points in the half. Cleveland was able to muster up a respectable 26-20 lead after the first quarter. Losing their grip a bit, Cleveland was able to tie the game up 51 a piece by half time.

si.com: LeBron James’s sidekicks, led by J.R. Smith, fuel Game 1 win over Hawks

Then Cleveland’s Smith took over and kept the team in the lead until the end. Equally important was that the Hawks struggled offensively as well making shooting only 30.8% in the second half. Kyle Korver, the three-point man for the Cavaliers has gone fishing and has been replaced by his stunt double. Korver was contained to 9 points by Shumpert of the Cavaliers.

Perhaps the largest obstacle for Atlanta will be the absence of DeMarre Carrol who injured his knee in the fourth quarter. With a knee sprain or worse, the Hawks lose their only player with a remote chance of covering James on both ends of the court. Atlanta will hopefully start the second game more aggressively before James effectively reads the defense while checking it for weaknesses and making online mobile news.

Looking at only sports scores, this game would be hard for any punter to a wage on. You could say the team with the best player will win. Or you could say the team playing at home will win. The wisest thing would have been to simply look at J.R Smith’s Instagram message earlier in the week that said “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

J.R Smith was more a victim of collateral damage when he was traded mid-season by the New York Knicks to Cleveland. After Smith’s performance last night some may now consider Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin a genius. The people of the East Coast now have a new guest star on the LeBron James Show and his name is J.R

usatoday.com: Cavaliers beat Hawks in Eastern Conference finals Game 1

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 97-89 in Atlanta leading the series 1-0. Lebron James did what he does best, persevering through intense moments regardless of foul trouble. James has score 30 plus points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 52 playoff games as of last night which is an NBA record making sports scores news.

J.R Smith made the difference in this game with a playoff career high of 28 points. This man had the hot hand shooting 10 out of 16 shots from the field and 8 out of 12 three-point shots. Smith’s number of 8 rebounds may be even more impressive than the 8 three pointers. Like many teams, the Cavaliers were products of timing.

Waging on the second half would have been smart because after the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Cavaliers went on a 22-4 run that lasted into the heart of the fourth quarter. Smith managed to get 17 of those 22 points during that time. Smith was an unexpected surprise to a Cavalier team that was ready to take advantage of it.

gmanetwork.com: Cavaliers draw first blood against Hawks in Eastern Conference Finals

Mozgov led the defense by dominating the boards on the inside. Unfortunately, Irving re-ignited his knee injury allowing him to play only 27 minutes. With a stable defense, a warmer Smith and a ever ready James, the Cleveland Cavaliers may have a better than average chance of getting one more win on the Hawk’s home court.

Apart from injury or fatigue, The Atlanta Hawks were the better team. They are at least nine deep. They have a chemistry that affords them good defense and unselfish ball handling. Atlanta is equipped with four All-Stars. But what Atlanta doesn’t have any more is a home court advantage that was stripped from them last night.

It was known that Jeff Teague of the Hawks would have to “come correct” in this game. Able to cut into the Cleveland defense, Teague scored 17 points in the half. Cleveland was able to muster up a respectable 26-20 lead after the first quarter. Losing their grip a bit, Cleveland was able to tie the game up 51 a piece by half time.

si.com: LeBron James’s sidekicks, led by J.R. Smith, fuel Game 1 win over Hawks

Then Cleveland’s Smith took over and kept the team in the lead until the end. Equally important was that the Hawks struggled offensively as well making shooting only 30.8% in the second half. Kyle Korver, the three-point man for the Cavaliers has gone fishing and has been replaced by his stunt double. Korver was contained to 9 points by Shumpert of the Cavaliers.

Perhaps the largest obstacle for Atlanta will be the absence of DeMarre Carrol who injured his knee in the fourth quarter. With a knee sprain or worse, the Hawks lose their only player with a remote chance of covering James on both ends of the court. Atlanta will hopefully start the second game more aggressively before James effectively reads the defense while checking it for weaknesses and making online mobile news.