Cleveland Cavaliers Face Their First True Test of 2016 NBA Playoffs

May 2nd, 2016 by Greg Swartz Leave a reply »

The Detroit Pistons put up a respectable fight in the first round, but the Cleveland Cavaliers' postseason effectively begins now.

The Cavs and Atlanta Hawks are set to meet in Round 2 of the playoffs, a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals.

Cleveland has waited over a week after sweeping Detroit in the opening round, while the Hawks needed six games to dispose of the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers should be considered heavy favorites yet again but need to be cognizant of Atlanta's elite defense, chemistry and experience, all of which Detroit lacked.

It took a spirited effort from all members of Cleveland's Big Three to defeat the Pistons. Taking down Atlanta will prove more challenging.

 

Why Atlanta Will Be a Formidable Opponent... This isn't quite the 60-win version we saw a year ago, but these Hawks are still very, very good.

Atlanta finished fourth in the East at 48-34, ranking second in defensive rating (98.8) and assist ratio (19.1) among all NBA teams, according to NBA.com. This commitment to defense and moving the ball has helped them become a regular participant ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
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