featured-image

5 Things To Enjoy About Watching Game 2

1)  Korver's screens

J.R. Smith and the Cavaliers limited Kyle Korver to just one field goal attempt. Expect the same focus from Cleveland on Atlanta’s sharpshooting guard in Game 2.

But it's always fun to watch Korver maneuver away from the ball, even when he isn't getting lots of shot attempts. One of the joys is watching how his screens routinely free his teammates for opportunities.

Here is a play where Korver sneaks up on LeBron James to send Kent Bazemore hauling in for a layup.

The fact that Smith doesn't want to leave Korver limits Smith's ability to help stop Bazemore and Korver's screen keeps James occupied until it is too late.

On this other screen, Korver sets off a chain reaction that ends with a Mike Scott Richter-registering dunk. 

Korver sets the screen for Dennis Schröder and pops out to the opposite side. If you watch closely, you can see Kevin Love, the player guarding Scott, eyeing Korver when Korver gets separation from Smith. 

At that point, Scott already has a step on Love, but a back pick by Thabo Sefolosha and a no-look pass from Schröder finish the sequence leading up to the dunk.

While Korver will almost certainly have more shot attempts than he did in Game 1, it will be fascinating to see how the Hawks manipulate the extra defensive attention being paid to him. The screens he sets should be a big part of that plan in Game 2.

2)  Using two bigs to guard three bigs

The Hawks have two big men in their starting lineup, but the Cavs, thanks to the versatility of James, essentially have three: him, Love and Tristan Thompson.

At times, Bazemore will guard LeBron. At other moments, you'll see Korver guarding Love or perhaps Bazemore guarding Thompson. Watching the chess game within the game as the coaches mix and match their lineups will be super interesting in Game 2.

3)  The return of Mike Scott

Scott made all three of his shot attempts and had 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 16 minutes against the Cavs in Game 1. He made a perfect pass to assist Bazemore on a three-point shot in the final minute of the third quarter that gave the Hawks a bit of momentum going into the fourth quarter.

Game 1 marked a big improvement for Scott over last season's playoff matchup against Cleveland, when he had 16 total points in the series and went 0-for-12 on threes.

4)  The clocked swats

Paul Millsap and Al Horford combined to block 7 shots in Game 1. Millsap, in particular, had a couple of devastating blocks to protect the rim against Cleveland's fast breaks. Always fun.

5)  Cavaliers playing under picks

The Cleveland defense is daring point guards Jeff Teague and Schröder to beat them. More often than not, when the Hawks set up their offense with a high pick and roll, the Cavs' point guard defenders are running behind the screen instead of over the top of it. It's an attempt to cut off Teague and Schröder from driving into the paint, and beyond that, to disrupt the Hawks' drive-and-kick offense.

The Hawks should have counters, though: Teague made 40 percent of his three-point shots this season, and Schröder scored a game-high 27 points in the series opener. In Game 2, the Hawks will need Teague and Schröder to be on top of their respective games.

Story by KL ChouinardTwitter: @KLChouinard