Well, it is clear that the Atlanta Hawks, who were the top seed in the Eastern Conference this season, have not been able to come to the table with the right game plan, or the right level of intensity in order to defeat Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last time out, Cleveland was down to only one member of their "Big Three" but it didn't matter, as they still scored a 94-82 victory at the Philips Arena over an Atlanta squad that has been God-awful shooting from long-range. Now those prospects get even dimmer, as Game 3 approaches, with NBA playoff betting action tipping off at 8:30 PM ET at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, where, due to recent events, there might be a rather explosive atmosphere OUTSIDE the building.

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It seemed like a very long evening for the Hawks on Friday, as they once again missed the mark from beyond the three-point arc, making just six out of their 26 attempts, which brings their two-game total to 10-49. So will that improve? Well, not likely, since they have lost Kyle Korver for the remainder of the playoffs. Korver suffered a high ankle sprain on Friday and he was almost immediately ruled out.

In the NBA playoff odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, Cleveland is the solid favorite as they begin at two-game set at home, where they can conceivably close out the series and move onto the NBA Finals:

Cleveland Cavaliers -9
Atlanta Hawks +9

Over 189.5 points -110
Under 189.5 points -110

What is especially tough for the Hawks here is that they are running out of potential defenders against Cleveland's small forwards (i.e., Lebron). Granted, to DeMarre Carroll did very courageously make it to post on Friday, despite a sprained knee, but his movement on the floor was not what he is normally used to exhibiting. Carroll has had only four field goals over the last two games, and this is a time when Atlanta could really have used the kind of boost he offered at the tail end of the first series and the beginning of the second, when he put together six straight efforts with 20-plus points. He will go out there again in Game 3, but he's going to need a lot of help to handle Lebron.

Even though defense is not his strong suit, perhaps Korver could have been of some assistance in that area, since he is 6-7 playing at the shooting guard position. But he is gone, and so is his outside shooting ability. BetAnySports customers had seen him slumping in the post-season, they can just 35% of his triples, well down from his standard over the course of the regular season, which was 49%, a league-leading percentage. And at times he was shy about taking a shot. But the fact remains that he was a weapon, and Atlanta is not the deepest team in the world.

There is very little any team can do when Lebron gets the ball in his hands and decides he's not only going to finish plays, he is going to be the guy who becomes the playmaker as well. James has led his team in assists throughout the playoffs, and he dished out eleven on Friday, to go with his 30 points. It was also not inconsequential that power forward Tristan Thompson pulled down 16 rebounds. The Cavs did win the rebounding battle, although Atlanta had a clear edge in terms of points in the paint (48-30).

The Cavs have the luxury of being able to play Kyrie Irving on Sunday or sit him down, in order to afford him more rest. Irving sat out Game 2 with the tendinitis problem in his left knee, and if Cleveland is to get through this series as expected (they are -3100 favorites) and move onto the NBA Finals, a healthy Irving is going to be necessary.

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