Live Thread: Cavs @ Hawks, Game 4

[KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK]

“Housekeeping!”

[KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK]

“Hooousekeeeping! Please, we need to get in to sweep.”

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Somebody better answer the door and let in housekeeping. Through three games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cleveland Cavaliers have put on a downright dirty three-point shooting display against the Atlanta Hawks, and coming into Game 4 in Atlanta, are looking to sweep up the mess they’ve made. So far this postseason, the Cavs have muddied up the NBA record books with outrageous shooting — after splashing a single-game record 25 three-pointers in Game 2, LeBron James and his “non-jump-shooting team” brought that dirty Cleveland weather down to Atlanta in Game 3, raining another 21 threes and causing extensive water damage to the Philips Arena. The Cavs’ play even has Hawks such as Al Horford reconciling their NBA existence in describing Cleveland’s unprecedented three-point clinic as “unstoppable.”

The Cavs’ shooting proficiency may or may not actually prove unstoppable, but the series hasn’t been a pretty one for Hawks fans, with the Wine and Gold winning the first three games by an average margin of 16.3 points. The Hawks were able to make the pivotal Game 3 competitive through three quarters before Cleveland outscored Atlanta 36-17 in the final frame, scoring 22 of the game’s final 27 points. The Cavs now seem to have absorbed the Hawks’ best shot in the series, and if business carries on as usual, will likely sweep their overmatched opponent. A win by the Cavs today will see their all-time dominance over the Hawks extend to 12 consecutive games in the postseason, tying an NBA record (a tie also shared by the Cavs in the Cleveland-Detroit series).

Will the Cavaliers take care of their business? Do the Hawks have something to say about having their season ended prematurely? Find out this afternoon at 3:30 pm (EST) as the Cavs take on the Hawks in Atlanta!

What to Watch For:

-In case you haven’t seen the graphic (below), the Cavs have been shooting the ball pretty spectacularly these playoffs. Will Cleveland continue it’s record-setting ways in Game 4?

-JR Smith went 7-for-13 from deep in Game 2; Channing Frye went 7-for-9 from deep in Game 3. Who will continue the Cavs’ hot shooting and hit precisely seven three-pointers today? Dare I say, could someone hit even more?

-If the Cavs do finally cool off and start to miss from three, how will their gameplan adapt?

-The Kevin Love and Channing Frye combination was wildly successful in Game 3 after seeing hardly any use during the regular season. Will the two power forwards continue to play alongside each other to such a degree of success?

-Hawks’ coach Mike Budenholzer came into Game 3 with a lineup change that saw Kyle Korver come off the bench and Kris Humphries receive more minutes. The Hawks were able to stay in the game and even held a lead in the 4th quarter — will this lineup continue to bring Atlanta some degree of success? Does Coach Budenholzer have any more tricks up his sleeve?

-Following Game 3, LeBron spoke about expecting a lineup adjustment from the Hawks that did not come to fruition. What was this tweak, and will the Hawks utilize it? Perhaps LeBron thought the Hawks might start Dennis “Umlaut” Schröder off the bench?

-By now you’ve all heard Charles Barkley’s comments about the Hawks needing to “take someone out” in a series in which they are getting destroyed. The fear coming into Game 3 was that the Hawks might take heed and attempt to make up for the two teams’ talent disparity by ratcheting up the physicality, Olynyk-style. Regardless of how one interprets Barkley’s comment, that fear was realized when Hawks guard Jeff Teague shoved LeBron into the stands late in the 4th quarter at a time when the game was out of reach. The shove didn’t appear to harm James, but earned Teague a flagrant 1 foul. There are those who will say it should have even garnered a flagrant 2. Keep an eye out for extra chippiness from a desperate team looking to avoid elimination.