Game 1 of the Eastern Conference NBA Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers came prepared for their first game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavs were upped to play up-tempo defense so they could stop the Hawks from running their team plays. The Cavs made sure they didn’t give Kyle Korver any open looks and made it hard on Jeff Teague to get his open looks at the basket. Lebron James was the centerpiece of Cleveland’s offense and J.R. Smith made most of his open looks. The Hawks looked frustrated, partly because they weren’t prepared by the Cavaliers’ onslaught. Every time the Hawks made a basket, Cleveland made sure they run a half-court offense so they could get their two points on the other end. In order to win the game, the Cavaliers had to neutralize the Hawks’ up-tempo offense and they did that with defense and making stops before Atlanta could hoist a three-point shot or a bucket near the basket.