The NBA playoffs standings has the Cleveland Cavaliers leading the Atlanta Hawks 1-0 in the Eastern conference finals after winning Game 1 and now LeBron James leads the Cavs into Game 2 with the chance for a 2-0 lead after getting the victory 97-89 in the first matchup between the two teams to see who gets to play for the title.
James led the Cavs with 31 points and six assists in the game and he came through at the end while pushing the Cavs to victory. Timofey Mozgov stepped up with 11 rebounds and while Kyrie Irving was banged up, the Cavaliers were able to win things out. The Hawks started off well and had a lead in the first after going up 26-20, but they could not keep things going and they only scored 16 points in the third quarter.
The Cavaliers stole a home game and now they can keep home court advantage if things hold through the series. DeMarre Carroll had to leave the game with a knee injury for the Hawks and if he is out for any period of time the team is in trouble. Jeff Teague had a strong game with 27 points and four assists, while Paul Millsap led the Hawks with seven rebounds.
JR Smith had a strong game and he was one of the reasons why the team won over the Hawks, adding 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Teague is going to have to keep playing well to keep Atlanta going and if Carroll is out, the Hawks will have a very tough time winning the series. Smith had a strong shooting night for the Cavaliers and he has been a key player for the team since coming over from the Knicks.
Smith his 10 shots and eight of those were from long range and if he keeps shooting this way, the Cavaliers have a very good chance of winning the series. The Cavaliers are the second seed going up against the top seed in the Hawks, while in the west the Rockets are also the second seed and the Warriors are the top overall seed in the west.
On the other side of things, the Golden State Warriors have a lead 1-0 over the Houston Rockets and they now will try and go for 2-0 in Game 2. The Warriors won the first game 110-106 and the Warriors have been the best home team in the league, losing only twice in the regular season. James Harden had 28 points and nine assists in the loss, while Dwight Howard had 13 rebounds in the game.
Howard dealt with an injury in the game and he could be limited or out in Game 2 and that could be big for the Rockets. The Warriors got another strong game from Stephen Curry with 34 points, six rebounds and five assists and he bested Harden in this matchup. Harden added 11 rebounds, while Draymond Green had 12 rebounds and eight assists.
