For all the Hawks’ accomplishments last season, it took only four games in May for the team to realize that the road to the top is a long one.
The Hawks won 60 games, including three against the Cavaliers, last regular season. However, it was those same Cavaliers who made quick work of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals, abruptly ending their record-setting campaign in a minimum four games.
Yes, there is still a way to go.
The teams will meet for the first time since that playoff series Saturday in Cleveland. The Hawks insist the past is fully behind them.
“Honestly, it’s just another game for us,” Al Horford said Friday. “It’s going to be good to go out and compete against another good team. … We can’t get hung up on (last season). We are going to be ready to go, but it’s not about last year.”
The Hawks’ season ended with a 118-88 defeat in Cleveland on May 26. The 30-point victory tied for the largest margin of victory in Cavaliers’ playoff history — an exclamation point on the series.
The Cavaliers (9-3) lead the Eastern Conference, with the Hawks (9-5) in third place early in the new season. The Cavaliers are not going anywhere, it would appear. LeBron James carried them last season, and he could very well do it again.
The Hawks will face the Cavaliers without one, and possibly two, starters. Small forward Kent Bazemore (right ankle sprain) has been ruled out. Point guard Jeff Teague (left ankle sprain) is questionable.
The Cavaliers are injured themselves. Point guard Kyrie Irving (fractured left kneecap), guard Iman Shumpert (injured forearm), center Timofey Mozgov (right shoulder sprain) and guard Mo Williams (right lower leg soreness) all will not play. With Mozgov out, Tristan Thompson may start at center. He gave the Hawks fits in the postseason.
“Taking care of the defensive boards is something that is going to be important,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
That is an understatement. The Cavaliers outrebounded the Hawks in all four games by a substantial margin, with the total edge of 208-157. The Cavaliers have Kevin Love back after he missed the postseason series.
Guarding James will be the other challenge facing the Hawks. Budenholzer would not get specific about options with Bazemore out other than saying Paul Millsap and Thabo Sefolosha will see time defending James. Horford said defending the NBA’s best player won’t fall on one man.
“We’ll show him different looks,” Horford said. “Throughout the game, all of us will be on him at different points. Really when you are guarding LeBron, it’s not one man’s job. Everybody has to help defense. We normally help defense but it has to be more of a focus and understanding that it’s not just one player. The team has to help.”
The Hawks also were hindered by poor shooting, especially from 3-point range, where they shot a meager 23.4 percent.
The Hawks spent Friday, a rare practice day with a jam-packed schedule to start the season, working on transition defense among other things.
Don’t call Saturday’s game a measuring stick. The Hawks learned last season that it is the playoffs that count, even if a team wins three of four regular-season games. But the early-season matchup is a start to seeing if the Hawks have closed the gap on the Cavaliers.
“I’m sure we’ll learn a lot about our team, but the one game is not going to define the season,” Horford said.
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