Beaten by the Nets earlier in the week in their first game of the “play-in”, the Cavaliers, 8th in the Eastern Conference, offer themselves a second chance to qualify for the playoffs. It will certainly be at home, but the task will not be easy against the Hawks, who trampled on the Hornets disinterested in the stakes during the meeting between the 9th and the 10th, and who have been surfing for several weeks on a good collective dynamic.
According to the latest news from Ohio, Jarrett Allen will try to play to help his people, even if he is very far from being recovered from his finger injury (broken left middle finger). The Cavs pivot believes his presence is “50/50”. On the Atlanta side, nothing to report apart from the now usual absences of Lou Williams and John Collins, on the sidelines for several weeks. The Hawks are in good shape at the end of the season, and they will be keen to spoil the party in Cleveland.
Presentation of the Cavaliers
Holders: D. Garland, I. Okoro, C. LeVert, L. Markkanen, E. Mobley.
The substitutes: K. Love, R. Rondo, C. Osman, L. Stevens, M. Brown, D. Windler.
The absents : D. Wade, C. Sexton, J. Allen (« questionnable).
The coach: J. Bickerstaff
Facing a strong offensive team from Atlanta, the Cavaliers will be crossing their fingers that Jarrett Allen is available. Even diminished, the former Nets pivot can be a game-changer on defense, thanks to his work as a deterrent in front of the circle, and his association with Evan Mobley can absolutely shake up the Hawks.
On offense, the Ohio squad will rely as always on a Darius Garland – Evan Mobley duo performing on “pick-and-roll”. Around this axis will revolve Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love, whose outside address will be useful to stretch the defense of the Hawks. Facing Danilo Gallinari, who starts on position 4 in the absence of John Collins and who is not a first-rate defender, the two fleeing interiors could shine.
The strong point
L’axe Darius Garland – Evan Mobley. As young and inexperienced as they are in the cleaver matches, the two players are certainly the pillars of the Cavaliers, and the fate of the club during this meeting will be partly linked to their performances. The first is the conductor of the attack, while the second is the defensive control tower. Without Jarrett Allen (or with him, but diminished), the rookie will have even more responsibilities in defense, especially against the duo Young – Capela, lethal on “pick-and-roll”. It is precisely on “pick-and-roll” that the two young stars of Cleveland can make the difference, facing a fairly largely permissive Atlanta defense.
The weak point
Recent dynamics. Plagued by injuries in recent weeks, the Cavaliers do not approach this decisive meeting with the best momentum possible. In reality, the dynamics of JB Bickerstaff’s men have been wobbly since February: Cleveland have won just 9 of their last 24 games, after the All-Star Weekend break. Long installed in the Top 6 of the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers have gradually slipped in the standings, finally finding themselves in the “play-in” in the final stretch. Dominated by the Nets, they are doomed to win this final match against the Hawks in the thick of it, on pain of enormous disillusionment…
Introducing the Hawks
Holders: T. Young, K. Huerter, D. Hunter, D. Gallinari, C. Capela
The substitutes: D. Wright, B. Bogdanovic, O. Okungwu, T. Luwawu-Cabarrot, J. Johnson, G. Dieng
The absents : L. Williams, J. Collins.
The coach: N. McMillan.
Winners of 7 of their last 10 regular season games, before crushing the Hornets in the first round of the “play-in”, the Hawks find the form at the best time. After a very disappointing first half of the season, Trae Young and company finished strong after All-Star Weekend and can count on their momentum.
Difficult to approach a cleaver match with a better dynamic, and against Cavaliers who cannot say the same, the Hawks will undoubtedly have a small psychological advantage.
Of course, the absence of John Collins, who weighs 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds this season, is not to be underestimated. Faced with the Cavaliers’ fleeing interiors, the presence of the former Wake Forest, and his ability to defend wide, would have been greatly beneficial. In his place, veteran Danilo Gallinari, no longer young and unable to keep up, will have to limit the damage. In this context, Clint Capela will have to be extra vigilant in the second curtain, and one can easily imagine that Nate McMillan asks De’Andre Hunter, irreproachable in defense, to take charge of defending wide.
The strong point
A steamroller on the attack… Over the entire regular season, Atlanta has the 2nd best offensive rating in the league, with 116.5 points scored on 100 possessions. Led by Trae Young, the Hawks can tear through any defense in the league. Capable of attacking the circle as well as drawing behind the arc, “Ice Trae” is also a very good passer (9.7 assists this season), and that makes him a permanent triple threat. In his wake, Clint Capela shines, the Swiss being sublimated by the caviars of the former Sooner. Around him, there are solutions: Huerter, Bogdanovic and Gallinari can torpedo behind the arc, when Hunter often shines at mid-range with his imposing physique. If the game turns into a festival of attack, the Hawks are heavily favored to win it.
The weak point
… But a permissive defense. If the Hawks are only 9th in the Eastern Conference despite the 2nd best offensive rating in the league, it’s because their defense has often ruined everything. Unable to find any consistency in their own half this season (114.9 points conceded on 100 possessions, 5th-worst total in the league), the Hawks have constantly shot themselves in the foot and failed to maximize their devastating offense . A reason for hope: in the last 10 matches, Atlanta has done much better and is in 15th place in the defensive evaluation ranking.
The key to the game
The experience. In this kind of knockout match, the team that already has experience of this scenario appears logically at an advantage. In this, Atlanta, which reached the finals of the Eastern Conference last year, seems better equipped to handle the pressure of a potential end of the game disputed. In Cleveland, it’s the first big game at stake since the 2018 Finals, and the entire roster has changed since then, except for Kevin Love and Cedi Osman. Younger, and largely inexperienced, the Cavaliers will have to stick together. Because facing a Hawks squad now used to the playoffs and unchanged after their superb run in the 2021 edition, the slightest stammering will be paid for in cash…
In regular season
Hawks 3-1
October 23: Cleveland – Atlanta (101-95)
December 31: Cleveland – Atlanta (118-121)
February 15: Atlanta – Cleveland (124-116)
31 mars : Atlanta – Cleveland (131-107)
Verdict
HAWKS. Despite the home field advantage for Cleveland, and a public that needed to be heard, the Hawks seem more solid at this stage of the season. Forged by its playoff campaign last spring, and catapulted by a good recent dynamic, the Georgia troop has everything to succeed in qualifying for the playoffs, where the Heat awaits them firmly in the first round. There is no doubt that the Cavaliers will not be there to make up the numbers, but their see-saw performances lately, which inevitably influence the confidence of the group, and the uncertainty which reigns around the presence of Jarrett Allen, are factors that do not plead in their favour.
Hourly
Tonight at 1:30 a.m. on beIN Sports 1.