Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Keys To Beating The Hawks

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Nov 21, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) defends against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) during the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 109-97. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Love Must Overcome

Remember that bit about Millsap and Horford being excellent, versatile defenders? Well, the Cavs won’t be relying on Tristan Thompson to produce at the starting center spot, but they’ll definitely want to see the high scoring version of Kevin Love they enjoyed in the first round.

Against Detroit, Love averaged 18.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game on 39.1 percent shooting from three-point range — notable increases from the 16.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game on 36.0 percent shooting from deep that he posted during the regular season.

That being said, facing Marcus Morris is a lot different than going up against an All-NBA caliber defender like Paul Millsap. Not only can Millsap cover Love when he slinks out to the perimeter, but he also has the strength to match him in the low post. On the offensive end, Millsap will also put Love’s less than stellar defense to the test as a big who can stretch the floor.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are explosive enough to win a series by themselves, but the Cavaliers could avoid unnecessary playoff mileage and wrap this series up more quickly if Love is able to produce at the same level he did in the first round. If Love can space the floor, knock down open threes and pull down rebounds against a bottom-10 rebounding team, Cleveland should advance handily.

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