NBA Preview — The Cavs Have Fallen
Two disastrous losses to Atlanta has the Eastern Conference back in turmoil
From Friday to Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers played two games. One was against the Atlanta Hawks’ second and third string team at home, and the second was on the road against the full-strength (or at least closer to it) Hawks team. The Cavs lost the first in a bizarre turn of events, and then blew a 26 point fourth-quarter lead in Atlanta yesterday. Just look at the lead tracker above: the Hawks never led until deep in overtime.
Here are the final seconds of the fourth quarter in Philips Arena yesterday:
It’s difficult to sum up both of these two games in just a few words. It seems like the Hawks haven’t been able to beat Cleveland in years, and now Atlanta is somehow 3–1 against the defending champions this season. The first three quarters of Sunday’s game seemed to be going according to Cleveland’s infamous script of “flipping the switch” when it’s time, but the 26-point blown lead puts the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference in doubt. Boston and Cleveland are now tied, and FiveThirtyEight gives the Celtics better odds of finishing in the top spot. The two teams have similar schedules to finish out the the year, and Cleveland holds the tiebreaker, but the Celtics clearly have a chance again.
For Atlanta, this win places the fifth seed in reach. The Hawks need to keep playing well, but their final two games are both winnable contests. At home vs. Charlotte and on the road against Indiana to finish out the year, Atlanta has a reasonable chance of going 2–0 in these games. It’s been a weird season for the Hawks, but this past week has brought some of the season’s best performances. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up this high level of performance over the final two games.
Predictions
7–8 last week, 181–137 for the season. Tonight, TNT has two games:
Washington at Detroit: Washington
This is a tough one since the Wizards don’t have much to play for and the Pistons are saying goodbye to their arena tonight. However, I’m still going with the better team here. I think the Wizards will look to keep playing at a comparatively high level as the playoffs arrive.
Houston at LA Clippers: Clippers
Houston has little to play for, the Clippers want to lock down home-court advantage for the first round. In a vacuum I’d pick the Rockets, but LA has much more motivation to finish the season on a high note. I’m looking forward to their series against the Jazz, but this game should be a fun one.
