Atlanta Hawks look to remain undefeated with road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers
When discussing the elite teams of the NBA, nobody really talks about the Atlanta Hawks. While the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic receive much of the
attention, the Hawks, who finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference last year, often fly under the radar. And for at least one member of the Hawks, the lack of attention is just fine.
“We were the third seed last year for a reason,” said Jamal Crawford. “But those other teams are getting the hype for a reason. I just hope we’ll continue to shine under the radar and
go into the playoffs the same way.”
The Hawks (3-0) have picked up where they left off last season, undefeated on the season. They will look for their fourth consecutive victory on Tuesday 2 November when they pay a visit
to the Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2) at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Hawks are part of the Southeast Division but aren’t getting much attention with plenty of juicy storylines coming out of the division. With Miami’s
Big Three, Orlando’s continued excellence, and John Wall’s debut with the Washington Wizards, the Hawks have so far been an afterthought.
Their three victories so far have come in road games against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers as well as a home win against Wall and the Wizards. Crawford was one of five
Atlanta players to score in double digits in their 99-95 win against the Wizards on Saturday 30 October, finishing with 15 points on the night. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 25 points, including 14 in the final quarter, going 5-8 in the final frame after
shooting just 5-15 in the first three quarters.
“I’m a shooter,” he said after the game. “I’ve got to keep shooting.”
Atlanta, off to their best start in two years, have lost 17 of their last 22 matchups against the Cavaliers but that was before LeBron James decided to join the Miami Heat this off-season.
With James gone, the Cavaliers will be in tough to even make the play-offs.
The Cavaliers, who will get Mo Williams back for the first time this season, have been struggling out of the gate, not surprising given the departure of James. Despite a surprising 95-87
victory over the Boston Celtics in their opener, they have now dropped two straight, including a 20-point loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday 29 October.
The third quarter has proved to be deadly for the Cavaliers, who were outscored 31-17 in the period against Toronto and 31-15 in the third frame in a 107-104 loss to the Sacramento Kings
the very next night.
“The third quarter has been terrible for us,” said Cleveland coach Byron Scott. “Having a 14-point lead, I thought we took a big exhale instead of coming out with the other attitude of
going up by 20. We have a lot to learn about ourselves as a basketball team. It’s going to take some time.”
The return of Williams, an All-Star in 2009, should give the Cavaliers some much-needed firepower. With James in town, Williams was the second option on the team, averaging 15.8 points
and 5.3 assists last season.
Prediction: Hawks 99-Cavaliers 90
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