Cavs, Hawks could meet in 2nd round of playoffs

COULD MEET AGAIN: The way the playoff brackets would set up right now, the Hawks and Cavaliers could see each other in a potential second-round matchup.

And you can bet that was on the minds of players and coaches from both teams Saturday afternoon when they hooked up in their final meeting of the regular season at Quicken Loans Arena.

“Without a doubt you’re thinking like that,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson said.

He pointed to a late-April game against Indiana during his last season as an assistant in Detroit as the prime example of why.

The Pacers and Pistons were battling all season for Eastern Conference supremacy during that 2003-04 season. But they played only once after the Hawks traded Rasheed Wallace to the Pistons at the trade deadline.

The Pistons won the game by 30, sending a clear message to their Central Division rivals about what was in store for the playoffs. The Pistons beat the Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference finals on their way to the NBA title.

“The Pacers were saying at the time that the last regular-season game didn’t mean anything to them, but we knew it did because Rasheed Wallace was the difference for us in that game and he would be in the playoffs,” Woodson said.

The Hawks lost the season series to Cleveland 3-1, including losing both games here in Cleveland. They also dropped an 88-87 game to the Cavs on March 1 at Philips Arena.

BACK IT UP: Hawks reserve point guard Acie Law IV did not make the trip to Cleveland because of lower back pain. Law played just a minute in the Hawks’ victory over Dallas on Thursday before being pulled from the game.

“I don’t know how bad it is,” Woodson said. “I didn’t even know he had hurt it until the beginning of the game. But when I put him out there he didn’t look like he was feeling to good to me. I didn’t want to take any chances with him, so I got him out of there.”

Law joins Marvin Williams on the inactive list. Williams has with a lower back injury that is keeping him out indefinitely.

TAKE BETTER CARE OF THE BALL: After taking great care of the ball during their seven-game win streak, when they averaged only 11.1 turnovers, the Hawks got fumble fingers Saturday.

They turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter and 11 by halftime.

The Cavs used those gifts to build an early 16-point lead and never look back. Joe Johnson was the leading perpetrator, piling up five turnovers by halftime. Reserve guard Flip Murray had four, and Mike Bibby the other turnover before the break.

— Sekou Smith