What was pegged by many to be a blowout in favor of the Cleveland Cavs over the Atlanta Hawks turned out to be a classic overtime battle full of heart-stopping clutch plays on both end. A truly legendary performance by LeBron James proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth tilt, sealing a 114-111 win with five HUGE late points in the OT frame.
With the Cavs now up 3-0 and approaching a closeout game on Tuesday, it's a good time to step back and assess the 3 Things We Learned From Game 3 Of The Eastern Conference Finals.
1. LeBron James Is Doing Some Next Level Work
James posted his first playoff triple-double since 2013 in this one (37 points on a career-high 37 shots, 18 rebounds, 13 assists), once again functioning as the end-all, be-all for the Cavs on both ends of the floor. Golden State's Steph Curry is getting mad love from the media for his parade of threes in these playoffs -- and rightfully so -- but there's still really no doubt just who the most complete player left in these playoffs is.
Even while he was hobbled and visibly in pain due to cramps (and/or injuries plural), LeBron strapped the Cavs to his back and carried them one way from the NBA Finals.
2. Atlanta's Heart Alone Is Worthy Of Their #1 Seed
The loss of sharpshooting swingman Kyle Korver for the rest of these playoffs had plenty of NBA talking heads writing Atlanta's playoff obituary. The noise got even louder in the first half when big man Al Horford was sent packing with a flagrant 2 after a scuffle with the Cavs' miniature Bill Laimbeer, Matthew Dellavedova. Atlanta defied all expectations and odds in this one, gritting their teeth and perservering before bowing out late.
Guys like Jeff Teague (30 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (22 points, 9 rebounds) have nothing to hang their heads about. No one should have lost a game this amazing.
3. This Series Would Have Been A Classic If...
...both teams were at full strength. Imagine if Kevin Love was around. Think about what this series would look like if Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha were around, or if DeMarre Carroll wasn't laboring on one good knee. The Hawks showed they have the will to take these Cavs to the limit. We just wonder what we'd be watching if they had the ammunition player-wise to back up that mentality.
Back to the Cleveland Cavaliers Newsfeed