Feb 14, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard
Jeff Teague(0) dribbles the basketball during the 2015 NBA All Star Skills Challenge competition at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Hawks
Most are still shocked that the Hawks have built such a big lead in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are 7th in the league in scoring, 2nd in assists per game and 3rd in points allowed. They had 4 All Stars (Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap) and have a truly balanced team. Even as they have run their record to 44 – 12, many don’t believe they would even make the Eastern Conference Finals, much less the NBA Finals. The Derrick Rose injury seems to have opened up that door but can they give the Cavs a run for their money?
Best Player: Jeff Teague – A tough question that could have a variety of answers but Teague comes out on top. He runs the Hawks offense like a well oiled machine and can play above average on the ball defense at the point. Teague is averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.73 steals per game. His all around game is reflective of the Hawks team.
Biggest Strength: Starters – Their 5 starters were name “NBA Player of the Month” this January. While that sentence is ridiculous, it speaks to the quality of their starting five. All five of them average over 10 points a game. They each have roles and play them very well and play well off of each other. Cavs GM David Griffin often talks about fit, the Hawks starting 5 fit very well together.
Biggest Weakness: Rebounding and Depth – The Hawks rank terrible in rebounding, 27th overall in the league. Facing a Cavaliers team with LeBron James, Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov, as well as Tristan Thompson off the bench, this will be a problem. Also, while the Hawks starting group is great, their bench is lacking. Outside of Dennis Schroder at the point, there isn’t another player that would crack the Cavs Top 10 rotation. Mike Scott provides energy, Pero Antic can stretch the floor a little bit and that is about it.
Chance of Beating the Cavs in the Playoffs: 35% – It is hard to give such a low number to a team that has such a great record. This is especially true when this team owns a 2 – 1 series advantage over the Cavs so far this year. Yet none of those games have been since LeBron’s injury sabbatical or the acquisition of the New 3 of Smith, Shumpert and Mozgov. Only the Detroit Pistons have won an NBA Title without a superstar in the last few decades, the Hawks do not have one. Don’t get us wrong, the Hawks concern us. Kyle Korver‘s shooting, Teague’s penetration and passing, Al Horford and Paul Millsap’s all around game down low and the Spurs like nature of their team are all impressive. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, along with the rest of the deep Cavaliers, are far more impressive.
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