Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
7 Years Ago Today: Cavaliers Sweep Hawks
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The 2014-15 NBA season was an emotional roller-coaster for the Atlanta Hawks. It was easily the strongest roster in the history of the organization. Coached by Mike Budenholzer and led by four All-Stars, the team finished the regular season with a 60-22 record. At one point, they won 19 straight games and easily clinched the Eastern Conference 1-seed.
On the flip side, an encounter with New York City Police left forward Thabo Sefolosha with a broken tibia. Sefolosha was ruled out for the season on April 9. Additionally, the franchise was sold during the season. Luckily, a strong ownership group won its bid in April 2015 and secured the Hawks for the City of Atlanta for decades to come. However, that couldn't save the team from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The prior summer, LeBron James left the Miami Heat to return to Cleveland. James united with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - a new big three. The Cavaliers won 53 regular season games before flipping the switch in the playoffs. They swept the Boston Celtics, defeated the Chicago Bulls in six games, and swept the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Today marks seven years since the embarrassing end to the best season in Atlanta Hawks history. The Cavaliers easily won Game Four by a score of 118-88. James led the way with 23 points and 9 rebounds. J.R. Smith provided 18 points off the bench, while Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov owned the boards.
The Hawks were led by Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap, who scored 17 and 16 points, respectively. But points were at a premium. The Hawks shot 5-32 (15.6%) from three and were outrebounded 56-39.
LeBron James dominated the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Standing on the podium, James said, "I understood what these people were going through, the people here. Not only in Cleveland but Northeast Ohio and all over the world who love and bleed wine and gold. To be at this point tonight, it's very emotional."
The Hawks went home, while the Cavaliers traveled to Oakland to face the upstart Golden State Warriors. Injuries derailed the Cavaliers' hopes of winning the 2015 NBA Finals, and the Warriors won the series in 6 games, clinching their first championship since 1975.
The 2015 Eastern Conference Finals are still a sore subject among Hawks fans. Recently, when Trae Young led the Hawks to an improbable comeback over the Cavaliers in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament, fans were claiming it was payback for 2015. While that might be a stretch, it's easy to understand why Hawks fans won't soon forget May 26, 2015.
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