After losing two at home, Hawks' woes prove playoffs are a different animal

ATLANTA — Overmatched by the opponent and perhaps overwhelmed by the moment – at least through Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finals – the Atlanta Hawks are two games from a quick exit from the playoffs and a disappointing, unexpected end to their best season in franchise history.

Who saw this coming?

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 94-82 on Friday and took a dominant 2-0 series lead, and the Hawks have shown nothing through the first two games that they are in capable of winning four of the next five games, despite Kent Bazemore telling reporters, "I still think we're the better team."

Confidence and belief is fine, but that's not reality. Not right now. The playoffs are a different beast, and it's a beast with which the Hawks are unfamiliar.

"Things in the playoffs, it takes more. It takes better execution, better screening. You've got to do things harder," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

The Hawks had the best regular-season home record in the East, but Cleveland took the first two games in Atlanta, building an 18-point lead in Game 1 and a 20-point lead in Game 2.

The Hawks are a discombobulated mess on offense, unlike their regular-season performance in which they were one of the NBA's most efficient offenses, and they are struggling to defend a team without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

LeBron James is difficult for any team to defend, but he is abusing Atlanta's defense, which has allowed James to get what he wants either through scoring or passing.

Offense is the bigger issue, and some of the cracks in an impressive regular-season offense were starting to show late in the season and early in the playoffs.

Through two games, Atlanta is shooting 42.9% from the field and 24.5% on three-pointers, lower than their regular-season numbers of 46.6% and 38%. Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll said the Hawks got away from their trademark ball-movement, where the rapid passes lead to open shots near the basket or on the perimeter, especially at the three-point line.

"That's what we said at the end of the game, that we played too much isolation ball. We didn't play our team ball, and that's what really hurt us," Carroll said. "The biggest thing going into Game 3, we've got to look at film and get back to playing Atlanta Hawks basketball, because I think we didn't do that tonight."

After shooting 49.2% on three-pointers during the regular season. On threes, Hawks guard Kyle Korver is shooting just 35.5% in the playoffs and 40% on against the Cavaliers. But shots, let alone open ones, are difficult for him to find.

Guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder have been OK, but with Irving less than 100% in Game 1 and absent in Game 2, Atlanta has not taken advantage of Matthew Dellavedova's extended minutes.

The biggest mystery is Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who scored just four points on 2-for-8 shooting Friday after going 3-for-11 with 13 points in Game 1. Cleveland forward Tristan Thompson has Millsap on lockdown, and if the Hawks want to push this series past four, five games, they need Millsap to rediscover his offense.

And the Hawks, maybe not as injured as the Cavaliers, are beat-up, too. Carroll played Game 2 with a sprained left knee, an injury he sustained in Game 1.

"Considering the injury or what happened two nights ago, for him to be able to bounce back is a real statement for DeMarre, how he takes care of his body, how much work and time he puts in with our training staff, massages, various people who allowed him not to be as injured as seriously as we all were worried," Budenholzer said. "Physically DeMarre's in a pretty good place. Not perfect, but pretty good."

Korver left Game 2 with a sprained right ankle in the third quarter and did not return. Al Horford, who already has a bad finger, limped off the court during Game 2 but returned.

"We'll know more tomorrow about Kyle. Again, same with DeMarre," Budenholzer said. "We'll be hopeful that it's something relatively minor, and he'll be able to bounce back and play. Until tomorrow we won't know more. Al Horford, he had two or three different times where he got hit in the same spot. The feedback from him after the game, I think that he's going to be OK. It's just one of those things. Couple hits, couple bangs, we're hopeful that he'll be fine going into Game 3."

Don't forget Thabo Sefolosha is out, and he would've been a significant contributor, especially on defense. Of course, Cleveland isn't a picture of health either and has found a way. It helps to have James, who had 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

But right now – and right now is an important caveat because the complexion of series can change quickly – this is not as competitive a series as Cleveland's series against Boston and Chicago were.

That's the disheartening part. Atlanta had such a great season. A roster fully bought into the idea of team offense and defense. Four All-Stars. But no one player bigger than the rest. Share the ball. Find the open man. Defend. Communicate. Help your teammate. An ideal team. Fun to watch. For a long stretch of the season, it was one of the best acts going in the NBA.

And now, with even more eyes on the Hawks, that's not as apparent. Right now, they're getting exposed in the Eastern Conference finals.