The Atlanta Hawks are simply going to have to improve upon the metrics that they showed in their first game against the Cleveland Cavaliers if they are going to have any hope of winning the Eastern Conference championship series. They have already lost one game at home, and if they get swept in these first two contests, they may never get the opportunity to return to the Philips Arena. They already knew they had to come up with some kind of a formula to contain Lebron James, but now a new weapon has emerged – or perhaps it is more accurate to say it is the re-emergence of a well-known weapon in JR Smith, who had EIGHT triples and 28 points – and this is something the Hawks have to contend with. They will go into Game 2 as a favorite in the NBA playoff odds, and after this game tips off at 8:30 PM ET the action continues for BetAnySports customers, who can wager on the side, total and various props through the magic of Live Betting Extra.

If you are a team like Atlanta, which predicates itself on ball movement and distribution, you really don't want one player who is going to take twice as many shots as anyone else in the lineup. But that is exactly what they wound up with on Wednesday night, as Jeff Teague heaved up 24 attempts, and although he didn't have such a bad game offensively, with 27 points, he was ineffective beyond the arc, missing five of his six tries, and was not much of a distributor himself. Also, Paul Millsap had all kinds of problems, as the Cavaliers gave him difficulty not only with their power forward, Tristan Thompson, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds, but also with Lebron James, who Millsap often had to guard after Demarre Carroll was removed from the contest with a knee injury. Carroll is listed as questionable, as an MRI has revealed a sprain.

In the NBA playoff odds posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, Atlanta is slightly favored at home:

Atlanta Hawks -1.5
Cleveland Cavaliers +1.5

Over 196.5 points -110
Under 196.5 points -110

Carroll is the guy who guards the other team's small forward, and he is generally regarded to be a high-level defender. He also happens to be probably the Hawks' best player during this post-season, is he a shot 51.3% from the field and had one stretch of six straight games where he scored 20 points or more. Losing him might not make things impossible for Atlanta, but it would be very difficult, because there really is no good matchup with Lebron that they can grab off the bench. Kent Bazemore may be their only alternative, because Lebron is going to blow by everybody else. That includes Millsap, who was a 55% shooter against the Cavaliers during the regular season but made just three out of his 11 field-goal attempts before fouling out.

BetAnySports patrons know that a lot of credit has to go to Cleveland's frontline, and that includes Thompson, who can be of bruiser at times. He pulled down five offensive rebounds, more than anyone else in the game, and he was one of the people who held Atlanta to only six second-chance attempts on the evening. If the Hawks could get hot from three-point range, that would be a big boom to their efforts, but this squad, which was 38% accurate this season, was held to 4-23 beyond the arc, and is followed a series with Washington in which they made only 33% of their triples. Kyle Korver has been disappointing, to say the least, and depending on whether Carrlol can make a significant contribution on Friday night, he may be a casualty as coach Mike Budenholzer tries to get more defense into the lineup.

BetAnySports has your ticket to more fun and more opportunity as you challenge the NBA playoff odds. You can get reduced juice wagering on your basketball action, as well as the opportunity to make bets on the game as it is progressing with Live Betting Extra. Don't forget that if you are one of those people who has some Bitcoin, you can use that to open up an account as well!