Preview/Live Thread: Cavs vs. Hawks, ECF Game 4

After 42 minutes of regulation and five more minutes of overtime, LeBron James looked as exhausted as he felt, having carried a team, a series and a city on his back. But it was a good kind of exhausted, because in the end, he and his Cavaliers found themselves just one win away from their second trip to the NBA Finals (and LBJ’s fifth in a row — a feat previously reserved only for players rocking a Celtics jersey).

Now, with Game 4 coming less than 48 hours after the physically draining overtime thriller, the question remains “how much does the King have left in the tank” for the closeout? If history is any guide (he’s 24-9 in 34 career playoff closeout games, averaging 27.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists), there should be plenty. However, it hasn’t stopped some from wondering if maybe Bron should get a day off.

The likelihood of that happening though is probably less than the prospect of Al Horford and Delly deciding to go on a summer vacation together in the off-season.

While LeBron finished with a monstrous 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in Game 3, he was ice cold to start the game, missing his first 10 shots. Granted, three of them alone were on his second “Glitch Bot” moment of the series to end the first quarter.

“I was kicking myself, putting my head down just because I was just disappointed with myself at the beginning,” James said after Tuesday’s shootaround. “I knew the shots that I was getting. I missed three layups in a row at the end of the quarter, so, I didn’t get too down on myself,” he said. “I just tried to make something happen and I was able to do that.”

Even though he was a miserable 3-16 at halftime, LBJ went 11-21 in the second half to finish up a “not horrible under the circumstances” 14-37. He also had one more run in reserve, scoring the Cavs last five points by drilling a corner three and following it up a possession later with a dagger drive to the rack.

It will be interesting to see if Coach Blatt looks for ways to get Bron some extra rest here and there as the game progresses. Although, if the Cavs can pull off the sweep, they’ll have plenty of time to rest and prepare for either Golden State or Houston.

And speaking of things that will be interesting to watch for, the Cavs, their fans and the officiating crew will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on how the Hawks interact with Matthew Dellavedova, especially if the Cavs are able to pull away in the second half. We’ve already spent a lot of bandwith on the whole #BlameDelly situation, but expect some raucous booing from the crowd whenever Al Horford has the ball (he faced no suspension following his Game 3 ejection for trying to drop an elbow on Delly’s head), and expect a quick trigger from the refs to keep things from getting out of hand.

The other burning question for Game 4 is whether or not Kyrie will see the floor. While there are certainly opposing views about playing him vs. resting him until the Finals (provided the rest of the Cavs can get past the Hawks), the latest updates still list him as “questionable” and a “game-time decision.”

Kyrie Irving will go through pregame warmups and be re-evaluated before a decision is made, David Blatt says. Still considered questionable

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) May 26, 2015

You playing Game 4, Ky?

Despite a tired LeBron, and a questionable Kyrie, hopefully the Cavs will still get enough from TT, Shump, JR, Delly, Moz and JFJ to send the Hawks home for the summer and earn themselves some well-deserved time off to recuperate before the Finals.

LET’S GO CAVS!