The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated in the second half against the Atlanta Hawks to secure a 94-82 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night.
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LeBron James ended the game with 30 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, but it was a team effort as the Cavs were hot from beyond the arc with Matthew Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert and James Jones all hitting threes regularly.
In contrast, the Hawks struggled offensively and seemingly departed from the system and style of play that has served them so well all year. Instead of focusing on ball movement, Mike Budenholzer’s players became too involved in isolation plays and they were made to suffer for it.
It is a quite remarkable feat for the Cavs given that they are marching on without either Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving, and they look completely comfortable as they now take a 2-0 series lead with Games 3 and 4 back in Cleveland on Sunday and next Tuesday respectively.
As a result, it could well have been the last home game of the season for the Hawks, who based on this effort will need something special to avoid a series sweep.
Shumpert added 16 points for the visitors as Tristan Thompson grabbed 16 rebounds, while Dennis Schroder led the way for the hosts with 13 points off the bench.
It was a real struggle for the No.1 seed in the East, and they may well find themselves on the brink of elimination sooner rather than later.
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