Cavs Vs. Hawks: 5 Standout Stats From Game 4

In the aftermath of the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-88 dismantling of the Atlanta Hawks, LeBron James and his team were whooping it up in the locker room. And why not? They deserved every moment of it as the Cavs Vs. Hawks Game 4 lacked the suspense deserving of the big stage of the Eastern Conference Finals.

In the second-most lopsided 4^th game of a series sweep, the Cavs looked like they were the team with nothing to lose, taking the game over early and pouring it on late on their way to a 30-point winning margin. The Cavs stepped on the gas pedal from the start and were unrelenting, applying more and more pressure on the Hawks until they gave up, more than half-a-quarter left in the fourth with James sitting on the bench. Cavs Vs. Hawks Game 4 may have looked easy but the next stage is definitely going to be a war—the NBA Finals.

1. LeBron James: 23 Points, 9 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block, 1 Turnover There was no denying James in Game 4 as the game’s best player led the Cavs to its biggest win since making it to the NBA Finals in 2007.

The King may not have filled up the stat sheet as much as he did in the previous games, but he did more than enough in only 29 minutes of action. According to ESPN Stats & Info, at one point in the second quarter, James “scored or assisted on 17 of the Cavs’ 23 points (10 points, 5-7 FGs, 3 assists)”, controlling the game like few have ever done before. In the four-game series, LeBron nearly averaged a triple-double with 30.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, to go along with 1.5 steals per game.

James also took the time to pass another legend on his way to the Finals, moving from a tie with Maurice Cheeks (295) and past Larry Bird (296) for 7^th most steals in the playoffs with 297. Next up the list is Jason Kidd who has 302. Another stat that LeBron will be most proud of is the single turnover that he committed in this game.

2. CAVS: 56 Rebounds; HAWKS: 39 Rebounds For the fourth straight game, the Cavs owned the Hawks on the boards with a devastating 17-rebound advantage. Led by the merciless rebounding monster that is Tristan Thompson who had 11, the Cavs rebounded almost every ball that went off the rim. J.R. Smith had his second game with 10 boards while James chipped in with nine, Iman Shumpert eight, and Timofey Mozgov had seven. The team also had 13 offensive rebounds that gave the Cavs new life after missed shots. The Hawks were simply outmatched by the Cavs’ size and tenacity throughout this series and it was very evident on the boards in this game.

3. CAVS: 13-31 (41.9%) 3-Pt. FGs; HAWKS: 5-32 (15.6%) 3-Pt. FGs Believe it or not, once upon a time in the regular season, the Hawks were the second-best three-point shooting team in the league at 38%.

May 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) shoots the ball over Atlanta Hawks guard

(24) during the second quarter in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Believe it or not, once upon a time in the regular season, the Hawks were the second-best three-point shooting team in the league at 38%.

That quickly faded away in the playoffs especially in this series as the Hawks couldn’t find their mark as they shot a lowly 23% (26-for-111) while the Cavs were at 40% (49-for-123) in four games as per ESPN Stats & Info. This game was a perfect example of their atrocious shooting in the series as the Hawks barely made any threes.

In the Cavs’ case, three-point shooting was hardly a problem as J.R. Smith led the three-point barrage, nailing four of them often in the face of a defender and falling away at that. James and Kyrie Irving contributed two each while five other players nailed one each, providing confirmation of the Cavs’ depth in three-point shooters.

4. CAVS: 19-30 Free-Throws; HAWKS: 11-18 Free-Throws Free-throws are often a barometer of how hard a team works in a game and when you have a 12-shot-attempt advantage over your opponent like the Cavs had, you’re really working your butts off. Though the Cavs missed 11 free-throws, they made enough to pad their lead with an extra seven points over the Hawks who only converted on 11 of their 18 shots. Thompson and Mozgov led the way for the Cavs with four makes each though the former actually had eight attempts overall.

5. CAVS: 43 Defensive Rebounds, 7 Blocks, 5 Steals; HAWKS: 32 Defensive Rebounds, 3 Blocks, 4 Steals The key to the series was defense and the Cavs showed terrific defensive intensity all throughout especially in this game, showing the kind of D that wins championships.

More from King James Gospel

• 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
• The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
• 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
• 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
• This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead

Those two series against the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls helped prepare these Cavaliers for the Hawks who had a won 3 of the 4 regular season meetings between the teams. The defense the Cavs employed in Game 4 of this series put the clamps on the shooters and kept Hawks players from making any shots consistently.

Mozgov anchored the Cavs’ interior defense as he authored three of the team’s seven blocks against the Hawks smallish players. Smith (10), James (9), and Thompson (6) contributed mightily to the defensive rebounding cause, limiting their opponents to only seven offensive rebounds, many of which most likely came during garbage time in the fourth quarter.

What was the most important stat in the game for you? Let us know about it in the comments section below!

Next: Cavs Celebrate At Presser, In Cold Tub