Best Coaching Advantage
Cleveland coach David Blatt almost blew its series against the Bulls by not knowing his team did not have any more timeouts in the waning moments of Game 5 in Chicago. That’s such an egregious error that he might not survive if the Cavaliers do not win it all. Meanwhile, the Hawks have the NBA coach of the year in Mike Budenholzer. He’s created a system that promotes reliance on each other, passing the ball and resilience. It has worked beautifully. On the other side, LeBron essentially coaches the team. As great as he is, it’s too much of a burden to play the game and coach the team.
Al Horford Advantage
This is where not having Kevin Love really hurts Cleveland. He was a big, aggressive body to bang against Horford, who made the Washington Wizards’ Nene look like a child, knocking him to the floor to corral the decisive offensive rebound and put-back in Game 5 that turned that series. Horford’s effort and energy—and ability to knock down the open jump shot—have been critical. Tristen Thompson will go hard against the Hawks’ front line, but he’s foul-prone and often will find himself on the bench.
