The Cavaliers and Hawks meet again in the playoffs.
The Cavs have been idle for the better part of a week after sweeping the Detroit Pistons in the first round. The young Pistons made the defending Eastern Conference champs work for it in every game, but to their credit, the Cavs rose to the challenge. The Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love came up big in that series, the first one they completed as a trio.
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After dropping back-to-back games in Boston, the Hawks came up with a blowout win at home on Tuesday before putting the nail in the coffin in Beantown Thursday in Game 6 to meet back up with the team that kept them out of the NBA Finals last year.
Regular season series: Cavs won 3-0
Cavs 109-87
Cavs 110-108
Cavs 109-98
Matchup to Watch: LeBron James vs. Kent Bazemore
Guarding James is a tough task, but making James work on the defensive end will be just as important for Bazemore. Bazemore scored just seven points in his only one-on-one match-up against James, who went for 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in that 110-108 overtime win.
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Prediction: The Hawks depth could give the Cavaliers problems, but the Big Three had big games against them in the regular season. Cavs win it in six.
Schedule:
Game 1: May 2, Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (7 p.m.) on TNT
Game 2: May 4, Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (8 p.m.) on TNT
Game 3: May 6, Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m..) on ESPN
Game 4: May 8, Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks (3:30 p.m.) on ABC
Game 5: May 10, Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (TBA) on TNT
Game 6: May 12, Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks (TBA) on ESPN
Game 7: May 15, Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers (TBA)