The Atlanta Hawks are on the brink of elimination after entering the NBA Playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The team certainly never expected to be in this position in the first place as most preseason polls had the franchise finishing in the bottom three of the Eastern Conference. They certainly defied expectations all season, but seem to have met their match as LeBron James aims for another NBA Finals performance.
The Hawks are not giving up and certainly plan on competing until the very end. The Eastern Conference finals have been a tough break for the team. They dealt with a DeMarre Carroll injury in Game 1. They lost Kyle Korver to an ankle injury in Game 2. Al Horford was ejected in the second quarter of Game 3. In the second half the team started Kent Bazemore and Mike Muscala, a far cry from the January Players of the Month which were the original starting five for the Hawks. According to Paul Millsap, the team has not lost faith regardless of the standings.
"No matter what happens, we're still going to be confident," Millsap said, via ESPN.com. "We believe in our team. We believe in the guys that we have. We feel like we can do something special, whether this year, next year, whatever. We're going to stick to this. It's not over 'til it's over."
James has once again proven why he is one of the best players in the league. The forward has been carrying the Cavaliers with Kevin Love out and Kyrie Irving on and off the court. He started Game 3 on an 0-for-10 start and then managed to put up 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists to get the team the overtime victory. James opted for the dramatics by collapsing on the court when the game was over, something the Internet had a field day making fun of him for.
The Cavaliers are ready to break out the brooms for a win on Tuesday night and wrap up the Eastern Conference. The team is banged up as Irving once again remains a game-time decision while he deals with knee tendinitis. The Cavaliers would like some time to rest up before potentially facing the Golden State Warriors in the Finals as they lead the Houston Rockets 3-1.
