By Jason Lloyd / Akron Beacon Journal
ATLANTA—The Cavaliers are down to one superstar and plenty of helping hands.
The Hawks might be down to their last rites.
LeBron James had 30 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists and the Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks, 94-82, on Friday in Game Two of the Eastern Conference finals to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. And they did it without Kyrie Irving.
Irving was held out of Friday’s game because of tendinitis in his left knee, yet his absence was barely noticeable.
Matthew Dellavedova had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in place of Irving, Iman Shumpert scored 16 points and the Cavs held the high-powered Hawks to 42-percent shooting while dismantling the best team in the East on their own floor.
Tristan Thompson grabbed 16 rebounds and Timofey Mozgov had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Now the series shifts back to Cleveland on Sunday and thoughts of a sweep become realistic—something unthinkable just a few days ago.
The Cavs buried the Hawks by outscoring them 30-17 in the third quarter and growing the lead to 20 while limiting the Hawks to 32-percent shooting (seven-of-22). Shumpert and James Jones, meanwhile, continued the trend of terrific play out of the supporting characters.
Dellavedova’s glowing performance in Game Six was enough to close out the Chicago Bulls. J.R. Smith’s franchise-record eight three-pointers were enough to beat the Hawks in Wednesday’s series opener and Friday it was Shumpert and Jones, who combined to shoot seven-of-11 on three-pointers.
Denis Schroder had 13 points off the bench and Jeff Teague had 12 points and six assists for the Hawks. Kyle Korver and Al Horford both scored 12 points before leaving with injuries, compounding the Hawks’ already-bleak outlook.
Korver sprained his right ankle late in the third quarter when Dellavedova rolled up his leg while diving for a loose ball, then Horford had to be helped off the floor early in the fourth with what appeared to be a left foot injury. Horford seemed to have problems with the foot throughout the night.
All of that came after DeMarre Carroll gutted out 34 minutes on a sprained left knee. Carroll injured the knee during Game One on Wednesday and was a surprise starter on Friday night after he had to be helped from the floor following the injury. Carroll had six points on two-of-6 shooting.
“He’s such a big part of our group. DeMarre has a great impact on us, so for him to come through in a way that wasn’t more serious is great for all of us,” Hawks Coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. “I don’t know if boost is the right word but whatever it is it’s good for the group to know that it wasn’t something more serious.”
Ultimately, Carroll’s presence wasn’t much of a lift at all.
James was sensational in attacking early, scoring half of the Cavs’ 26 points in the first quarter. Then he shifted into more of a facilitator role, piling up nine assists in just the second and third quarters. Eight of those were assists on three-pointers. The Cavs shot 55 percent on threes through the first three quarters before cooling in the fourth. By then, however, it didn’t matter.
The commanding 2-0 series lead gives the Cavs options regarding Irving. The Cavs have maintained throughout this process that the series score would have no bearing on any decision to rest him. But now up two games with the series shifting home, they could take their time in bringing back their All-Star point guard. The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on June 4.
Image credits: AP