Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (4)

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

The Cleveland Cavs come off a series where they looked dominant, sweeping the former champion Detroit Pistons and winning by at least 11 points each game. THe Hawks come off a 7 game series that was almost the complete opposite of the Bulls and Celtics classic – filled with blowouts where each game was decided by 10 or more points and there were no lead changes after the 1st quarter. Hopefully this series will be a lot more exciting, with better matchups between both teams.

Regular Season: Cavs won 3-1

Nov. 22: at Cleveland 110, Atlanta 96

Dec. 13 at Atlanta 97, Cleveland 92

Mar. 1 Cleveland 88 at Atlanta 87

Mar. 21 at Cleveland 102, Atlanta 96

Starting 5

Point Guard (Mo Williams v. Mike Bibby)

Mo Williams had an All-Star season but his numbers in the Playoffs were down a little despite averaging more minutes. He has never been this far in the playoffs before and will have a more difficult task this series against the crafty PG veteran of the Hawks. Mike Bibby gives the Hawks a deadly shooter that is hard to stop when he is on. Williams needs to expose Bibby’s defense and mix up his outside shots with drives to the basket.

Edge: Even

Shooting Guard (Delonte West v Joe Johnson)

Delonte West gives the Cavs another ball handling guard on the court that can hit the outside shot. At only 6-3 and 180, his size can be a problem on the defensive end against taller, stronger guards. Unfortunately for West, his matchup, Joe Johnson, is just that. At 6-7 and 240 pounds, Joe Johnson is the heart of the Atlanta Hawks. He can shoot outside, drive, or post up and should have a distinct advantage over West. Expect LeBron to handle some of the defensive assignments against Johnson and vice versa.

Edge: Hawks

Small Forward (LeBron James v Maurice Evans)

Maurice Evans was given the unenviable task of guarding Dwyane Wade in the first round and will have an equally hard task in this series guarding the MVP, LeBron James. James just needs to continue doing what he has been doing all season, using his strength and speed to dominate opponents. James is averging 32 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists a game.

Edge: Cavs

Power Forward (Anderson Varejao v Josh Smith)

This should be an interesting matchup. Anderson Varejao won’t give you much on offensive but can be an annoyance on defense and plays well in the Cavs’ offense schemes. Josh Smith not only provides the shot blocking defense but helps energize the Hawks with his high-flying power dunks. Don’t expect Smith to try any between the leg dunks this series. He will need to hit his outside shots to get Varejao to step outside his comfort zone but can’t rely on it all series. Varejao will be looking to take charges and get Smith in early foul trouble.

Edge: Hawks

Center (Zydrunas Ilgauskas v Al Horford)

Zydrunas Ilgauskas gives the Cavs size in the middle that can hit the outside shot and rebound the ball. If Al Horford were injury free, he would have an advantage over the slower Ilgauskas. Since Horford is coming off a sprained ankle that forced him to miss a game last series, he may not be as productive in this matchup as he could be. Ilgauskas gets the edge here but only by a slight margin.

Edge: Cavs

The Bench

If round one was any indication, don’t expect the bench to have much impact for the Cavs. They rely heavily on their starters for scoring. Daniel Gibson, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak and Ben Wallace will be asked to play some defense and score the occasional points. For the Hawks, their bench is clearly lead by Flip Murray. Zaza Pachulia provides energy and a big man off the bench and Marvin Williams, coming off injury, was a starter most of the season. If Williams can play at a high level, the Hawks bench has the advantage over the Cavs.

Edge: Hawks

Intangibles

When game 1 of the Cavaliers and Hawks tip off on Tuesday, the Cavs will have had 8 full days of rest for players with nagging injuries (such as Ben Wallace) and players that have had a long season (such as LeBron James who played in the Olympics). The extra days of rest means the Cavs’ starters can play some extra minutes early on in the series. The Hawks could have used a lot more rest with injuries to Al Horford and Marvin Williams. The Hawks have great playoff experience from last season’s 7 game series against the Celtics and this season’s series against the Hawks. Both teams play well on their home court. The Cavs team has a lot of team camaraderie that helps them on and off the court.

Edge: Cavs

3 Questions

1) How much of an impact will the extra days of rest for the Cavs play?

2) Can anyone stop LeBron James?

3) How will the experience the Hawks gained last year against the defending champions help them?

Prediction

Cavs come out looking rusty from all that rest but eventually find their rhythm in game 1 and show the Hawks why it’s so difficult to win in their arena. The Hawks win a game on their homecourt but are not able to do much against LeBron James.

Cavs win 4-1