2015 NBA Predictions: Eastern Conference Finals Picks – Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks

2015 NBA Predictions: Eastern Conference Finals Picks – Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks: When the season began, just about everyone expected LeBron James to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference finals. However, it is safe to say that a lot fewer people had them facing the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks earned the top seed is dominating fashion, getting over a hump of mediocrity that had plagued them for the last several seasons in a big way.

Of course, Cleveland’s path to the conference finals has been far from smooth. They lost Kevin Love for the duration of the postseason to a shoulder injury in a first-round sweep of the Boston Celtics, and Kyrie Irving was inconsistent as he battled a foot issue during the semifinal matchup with the Chicago Bulls. The one constant has been James, who has carried the load for the ailing Cavaliers when needed.

Balance has been the key for the Hawks all season, and it has continued to fuel them in the playoff run. Atlanta has six players averaging in double figures, and the Hawks can score efficiently from the inside with Al Horford and Paul Millsap and from the outside with Kyle Korver. The Hawks can also smother teams on the defensive end, and Atlanta’s balance on both ends of the court is a big reason why they survived solid challenges from the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards in the first two rounds.

The Cavaliers Win If: 

If the Cavaliers are going to advance to the NBA Finals, James has to be the best player on the court by a wide margin. Yes, Irving needs to play solid as a secondary scoring option, but the Cavaliers don’t have a lot of key contributors with playoff experience, and James is going to have to set the tone on the court and in the huddle. Solid play from Cleveland’s role players, particularly from the perimeter players, would go a long way to tilting the scales in favor of the Cavaliers. On the defensive end, the Cavaliers need to press Korver and take away the 3-point line in general to take away the spacing of Atlanta’s offense.

The Hawks Win If: 

For the Hawks to win the series, they have to continue to slow down James as they did during the regular season. Atlanta was arguably the best team in the league at limiting James on the offensive end, and with Love out and Irving hurting, Cleveland is going to have a tough time winning if James is struggling. On the offensive end, the Hawks need the point guard tandem of Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder to make sure the ball moves freely. When Atlanta is sharing the ball and scoring from every position, they can be a dynamic offensive team. When the try to win with isolations and one-on-one play, they can be shut down.

Bottom Line:

During the regular season, the Hawks controlled the series against the Cavaliers. Atlanta won three of the four meetings and forced James and company to routinely take contested jumpers. That being said, James has already shown his willingness to abandon Cleveland’s pick-and-roll heavy offensive sets if necessary during the postseason. After it appeared Chicago had figured out the Cavaliers, James adjusted by taking defenders into the post and facilitating from the block. Expect him to make a similar move in this series, and while Atlanta has several athletic wing defenders, the Hawks don’t have anyone with the muscle to handle James one-on-one in the post. It might not be pretty, but James will do whatever he needs to do to push the Cavaliers into the NBA Finals. Get more NBA picks and predictions against the spread from NSAwins.com’s top handicappers.

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers Win in 6 Games

Get the latest 2015 NBA Finals Odds from Bovada everyday on NSAwins.com.