Hawks vs Cavaliers 04/04
Cleveland is back in the business. They have now won 5 of their last 6 games and are with 31 wins and 45 losses. That is 2 wins behind the 8th seed and only one win behind the Hawks. With 6 games to play, the margin of error is very small though. The Cavaliers have to be almost perfect to have a chance against the Knicks. Good news is, their schedule is rather easy, with all games against the Eastern Conference teams and 4/6 played at home.
The Cavaliers playing better has not come out of the blue sky. The reason has a name – Luol Deng. Cleveland`s run started when he returned from his injury break and he has been playing great. It is not only his stats though, but rather the glue effect he has on every team. With his outside shooting ability, great court vision and excellent defense he makes teammates around him better. The Cavs got Kyrie Irving back from a biceps injury on Wednesday and destroyed the Magic by 21 points in an away game.
Of course, the game is important for the Hawks aswell, as they still have a chance to steal that illusive 8th seed in the East. Difference is, the Hawks have been in a must win situation for the last 10 games and they have not been able to show any heartbeat. They have lost 7 of their last 8 games (only win against the tanking PHI) and with that have lost their 8th seed. Although Kyle Korver is back in their lineup after missing couple of weeks with back spasms, but his return has changed nothing.
Atlanta will play at home, but that`s their only advantage. The Cavaliers have been on a rise playing much better, now have realistic hopes for the play-offs and their key players are back in the lineup. The Hawks have been in a deep hole and the Cavaliers should be good enough to keep them there. Cleveland to win @2.30 with 5/10 units.
GL