NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference - Finals
Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:35 p.m. ET
Line: Atlanta -1.0, Total: 197.0

The Hawks look to take a 1-0 series lead when they host the Cavaliers in Game 1 on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers are coming off of a tough series victory over the Bulls, but they were dominant in closing out the series. Cleveland won 94-73 as 2.5-point underdogs in Chicago in Game 6 and should enter this series with a lot of confidence. The Hawks were also tested last round, being pushed to Game 6 after trailing 2-1 in the series against the Wizards. Atlanta won 94-91 as 2.5-point underdogs in Washington in Game 6 and the team will need to recapture some of the magic it had in the regular season if it is going to defeat the Cavaliers. The Hawks have dominated the Cavaliers at Philips Arena over the years, going 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS in their past 10 meetings in Atlanta. Cleveland is 21-9 ATS after five straight games allowing a shooting percentage of 42% or less from the field over the past two seasons. Atlanta, however, is 24-8 ATS after winning in six or seven of their past eight games this season. The Hawks are also 8-1 ATS off an upset win as a road underdog this year. PG Kyrie Irving (Knee) was injured last game, but is probable to give it a go in this one. PF Kevin Love (Shoulder) and C Anderson Varejao (Achilles) are out for the year for Cleveland and SG Thabo Sefolosha (Fibula) is out for the year for Atlanta.

The Cavaliers dominated the Bulls in Game 6 and will now try to steal a game in Atlanta in order to grasp control of this series. SF LeBron James (26.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.6 BPG in playoffs) averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.7 APG and 5.0 RPG on 53.1% shooting against the Hawks in the regular season. He will need to do a little bit of everything for his team in this series, as Cleveland is extremely banged up right now. James has a tough matchup with DeMarre Carroll in this series and must find a way to stay effective even with Carroll bodying him up and playing physically. PG Kyrie Irving (19.8 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG in playoffs) was injured in Game 6, but will likely give it a go on Wednesday. Irving averaged 21.0 PPG and 6.0 APG against the Hawks in the regular season and would need to be effective if he plays. He is the key to the series for Cleveland, as James needs help in order to get this team to the Promised Land. Irving will need to be ready to play well offensively and also hold his own on defense against Jeff Teague. SG Iman Shumpert (10.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG in playoffs) and C Timofey Mozgov (8.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.2 BPG in playoffs) will need to contribute big time in this series. Shumpert had his moments against the Bulls and will need to knock down some jumpers and play relentless defense. Mozgov must hold his own against Al Horford or the Cavaliers will have trouble with the Hawks.

The Hawks snuck into this round and will now need to start playing like they did in the regular season. PG Jeff Teague (15.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG in playoffs) is the key to this series, as he’s going to be going up against an injured Kyrie Irving. Teague will need to attack the basket and take advantage of Irving’s limited mobility. C Al Horford (15.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 BPG in playoffs) is going to need to use his speed against Timofey Mozgov. Horford is a lot quicker than the Cavaliers’ big man, so he should be able to face him up and blow right by him. PF Paul Millsap (15.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.1 BPG in playoffs) will be able to dominate the paint alongside Horford. Millsap averaged 18.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in the regular season against the Cavaliers and will be looking forward to banging inside against a team that is weak at the power forward position without Kevin Love. He is also capable of creating a lot of turnovers defensively with his excellent hands. SF DeMarre Carroll (17.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG in playoffs) had 25 points, 10 boards and two steals in Game 6 of last series. He’s shooting 44% from the outside in the postseason and will need to keep that up moving forward. He defended LeBron James very well in the regular season and will be counted on to do so again starting on Wednesday. SG Kyle Korver (11.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.6 SPG in playoffs) is shooting just 35% from behind the arc in the postseason and must start to hit shots or it will be tough for his team to win this series.