Previewing Cavs opponents: Hawks
Cavs news and links for Monday, September 16.
We’re starting our previews for Cleveland Cavaliers personnel and opponents. As such, Cup of Cavs will be dedicated to Cleveland opponents for the next few weeks starting with the Atlanta Hawks.
The first sip
There’s a sizeable gap between the haves and have-nots in the Eastern Conference. The top seven seeds from last season feel like playoff locks again barring significant injuries. Each of those teams believes that they should win a playoff series next spring. This leaves a small middle class of teams still trying to win in the Hawks, Miami Heat, and possibly the Chicago Bulls with the remainder of the conference rebuilding.
The Hawks aren’t tanking, but aren’t exactly going for it either. They traded away Dejounte Murray after two years of trying to get that backcourt to work with Trae Young. In return, they’ve added Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr. who should both help bolster a perennially poor defense. Still, it’s difficult to picture the best version of this team being relevant in the East barring another leap from Jalen Johnson and an impressive rookie season from first-overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.
This will ultimately be a transition season for Atlanta. They will need to decide if they want to continue retooling around Young or fully embrace the soft rebuild they’ve already started.
How the Cavs played the Hawks last season
Cleveland won three out of their four meetings last season. The most memorable game was the Cavs’ 128-105 beatdown in their final In-Season Tournament group stage game.
The Cavaliers needed to run up the score to advance in the tournament. Their 23-point victory wasn’t enough to do so, but it was weird to see their best players giving 100% late in the fourth quarter when the outcome was already decided.
Cavs vs. Hawks this season
- vs. Hawks - Nov. 27
- at Hawks, NBA Cup group stage - Nov. 29
- vs. Hawks - Jan. 30
They play again in the group stage of the NBA Cup. It will be difficult for the Cavs to run the table in their group given they will face the Celtics on the road. Winning against the Hawks by a sizeable margin will likely be necessary if they want to advance to the knockout round.
Notable players who have been with both franchises
- Lenny Wilkens - Wilkens is a Hall of Famer due to his career with the St. Louis Hawks. He did however play two of his last three professional seasons in Cleveland averaging 18.5 points and 7.7 assists per contest.
- Tree Rollins - Like Wilkens, Rollins is also known more for his 11 seasons in Atlanta where he was regarded as one of the best defensive centers in the league. Rollins played a reserve role in Cleveland from 1988-90.
- Kyle Korver - Korver was a part of the best regular season in Hawks history as he played an important role on the 60-win team in 2014-15. He also played a reserve role for two Finals teams with the 2017 and ‘18 Cavs.