7. Atlanta Hawks (1-0)
If the Hawks play as good as they did in the first half of Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, they’re going to have a shot to knock off the Cavaliers in the second round. However, in that same Game 1, we saw just how up and down this team can be.
Atlanta nearly gave the game away in the second half. Somehow, probably because of their experience and the exceptional play of Jeff Teague down the stretch, managed to pull the game out in the waning moments.
The Hawks might’ve caught a break with the expectation that Avery Bradley will miss the remainder of the series due to a bad hamstring injury.
However, if the Hawks can’t figure out how to get Kyle Korver going – he was 1-10 from the field and 0-7 from 3 – they could see another one of those second half Game 1 performances later in this series.
Next: Miami Heat