As it was, the task before the Hawks was great. With the loss of Al Horford, it became monumental
They still nearly won.
On a very contentious night, the Hawks lost their All-Star center to ejection in the closing seconds of the second quarter in a 114-111 overtime loss to the Cavaliers Sunday night at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals 3-0.
The No. 1 seed Hawks are in danger of having their dream season end in a sweep and the hands of LeBron James. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. Game 4 is Tuesday.
Horford was ejected after being called for a Flagrant Foul 2 with 34.3 seconds left in the second quarter. Horford got tangled up with Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova chasing a loose ball. Dellavedova dove into Horford’s leg in the pursuit and Horford responded by coming down with an elbow to Dellavedova’s head and shoulder.
After a lengthy review, Horford was called for the flagrant foul that carries an automatic ejection. Dellavedova was assessed a technical foul.
When asked if he should have been ejected, Horford said. “No.”
“(Dellavedova) plays hard but there has to be a line somewhere,” Horford said. “I should have handled it better. He is a competitor. We are out there competing but he’s got to learn. He’s only been here for a couple of years. He’s got to learn that at the end of the day, it’s a big brotherhood. Guys look out for each other. I don’t think it was malicious but he’s got to learn.”
Horford left with a team-high 14 points, including eight in the first quarter.
In Game 2, Dellavedova crashed into Kyle Korver, knocking him out for the remainder of the playoffs with a severe high ankle sprain. Dellavedova also got tangled up with the Bulls forward Taj Gibson, who was ejected for kicking in retaliation in Game 5 of the conference semifinals.
The NBA defines a Flagrant Foul 2 as unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent. The NBA reviews all flagrant fouls and maintains the right to impose a fine and/or suspension upon any player who commits such a foul at any time during the playoffs.
“I’ve looked at the play and officiating in our league is very difficult,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “From the replays, for me, it’s somewhat difficult to see if his elbow hits the shoulder first or hits the head first. If it hits the shoulder first, it’s not an action that deserves ejection. If he hit him in the head, it’s an action that deserves ejection.”
Lead official Ken Mauer said to a pool reporter after the game that the determination was made that Horford made contact about the shoulders of Dellavedova. All officials were in agreement with the final determination.
After missing his first 10 shots, James finished with a triple-double of 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. It was his 12th career playoff triple double. He scored the final five points of the game, including a 3-pointer with 36.4 seconds left, for the victory.
Jeff Teague had 30 points to lead six Hawks in double-figures. Paul Millsap had 22 points. Kent Bazemore, starting for Korver, finished with 14 points. Shelvin Mack added 13 points, including three 3-pointers off the bench. Mack had two 3-point attempts in the final possession but both were off the mark.
“I’m very proud of the way our group competed,” Budenholzer said. “They gave us chances and opportunities. If we compete like that every possession, that is how we are built. That is the character of our players. We’ll expect the same thing going into Game 4.”
The Cavaliers seemed in control in the third quarter and led by as many as 10 points, 88-78, early in the fourth quarter. But the Hawks wouldn’t go easily. They used a 19-7 run to take a 97-95 lead with 4:32 remaining. Teague scored back-to-back basket, with DeMarre Carroll drawing an offensive foul on James in between to take a 104-100 lead with 1:38 left.
The Cavaliers came back and tied the game at 104-104 when Iman Shumpert made 1-of-2 free throws with 18.1 seconds left. The Hawks held for the last shot but Teague missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.
Much of the conversation following the game was whether Dellavedova was a dirty player.
“I (told the referee) ‘He went after my legs. He went after my legs,’” Horford said. “If it was on purpose, we don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t on purpose but with his track record, I just felt like it was. On my part, (I feel) very poor for doing that.”
The Hawks had a chance early in the game. They led by as many as nine points in the first quarter as the Cavaliers shot just 6 of 27 from the field, including four 3-pointers. James missed his first 10 shots. He didn’t score a point until free throws with 8:05 left in the second quarter. His first field goal came with 7:03 left.
The Hawks ended the first quarter with just one field goal, a Mack 3-pointer, in the final 4:14.
With all that, the Hawks only led by three points, 24-21, after the first quarter. They took a 49-48 lead into intermission after the dramatics.
The Cavaliers came out strong in the third quarter with the Hawks missing Horford. They led by as many as eight points and took an 81-76 lead into the final quarter. James had 15 third-quarter points.
