The Atlanta Hawks will play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday in Game 3 of their NBA Playoffs 2015 series, and coming into today's game the Cavaliers seemingly have complete control of this series. If Cleveland can win again in front of their home fans today they will be just one win away from sweeping the Hawks and moving into the NBA Championship Game.
Today's big game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers has a scheduled start time of 8.30 p.m. ET and takes place from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The game will be broadcast live on TV on the TNT network, but can also be watched online through live stream via the link provided below.
This Eastern Conference Final has been distinctly one-sided until now, and it could get worse with the series moving to Cleveland, potentially handing the Cavaliers an even bigger advantage as they look to finish things up early against the No.1 seeded Hawks.
Much of the talk ahead of Game 3 has been about Kyrie Irving, who was seen wearing a brace on his left knee on Saturday. The Cavaliers have explained that he is questionable for today's game and if he doesn't make it, it will be a big loss for them.
Cavs coach David Blatt has said, "If he's able to play, then he'll play. He's a big part of the team, and this series is not finished. But if he's not able to play, he won't. That's the determining factor."
At the other end of the court, the Hawks will be without Kyle Korver. Coach Mike Budenholzer has spoken about how big a player he is for their team, indicating what a loss his absence will be: "He's a huge part of our leadership, our fabric, our fiber."
If the Hawks are to fight their way back into this Eastern Conference Finals then they must find a way to stop LeBron James, who has run free through the Atlanta defensive line all series so far.
James is averaging a massive 30.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists through the first two games of this series, and if the Hawks continue to allow him so much freedom then it is unlikely they will make it even to a Game 5.
Budenholzer said, "There's no doubt we have to do a better job defending him, both individually and as a team. We've got to do a better job taking away the passing lanes, a better job arriving on the pass and a better job contesting shots. That's really not any different than what it was coming into the series. But as you see it, experience it, feel it, hopefully we'll get better as the series goes on."
Today's big Game 3 between the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers has a scheduled start time of 8.30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on TV on the TNT network, but can also be watched online through live stream by clicking here.
