Cavs Take Game 1, Hawks Win Series

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics Saturday night in Game 1 of the 2nd round 101-93, after the Celtics held a lead for the majority of the game. F Lebron James didn't look as explosive as he normally does, clearly being bothered by that bum elbow. It was the play of G Mo Williams that sparked the Cavaliers comeback in the 3rd quarter. 14 of Williams 20 points came in that 3rd quarter, which included a dunk over F Paul Pierce that fired him up and the rest of the team. With the Cavs in early control of the series, they'll look to hold on to their home-court advantage in Game 2 on Monday.

The Atlanta Hawks wrapped up their 1st round series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a resounding 95-74 victory. The Bucks had a chance to close out the series at home on Friday night, when they were up 3-2. However, they came with their worst offensive game, only scoring 69 points at home. The Hawks pounced on them early, not giving them any signs of life in Game 7. G Jamal Crawford led the Hawks with 22 points off the bench, and G Brandon Jennings only scored 15 points, but led the Bucks in scoring. The Hawks will now play the Orlando Magic in the 2nd round, which will start on Tuesday.

The Celtics certainly competed with the Cavaliers, to my surprise. However, if James elbow continues to bother him, that could give the Celtics some hope in staying in contention in this series. This series, contrary to what many analysts have said, shouldn't go more than 5 games. The Celtics are no match for the Cavs. For the Hawks/Magic series, the Magic should win that series as well. The Hawks have shown that they are only middle-of-the-pack. The Magic is far superior than the Hawks, and the Hawks' lack of half-court offense will doom them in this series.

For the Celtics, this could be the last competitive run. G Ray Allen and Pierce are free agents after the season, and there's no telling what they'll do. The Celtics do have F Kevin Garnett and G Rajon Rondo, but those guys aren't able to get anywhere without Pierce and Allen. Garnett is also showing signs of slowing down, which would only leave Rondo as the only reliable player. We'll have to see what happens, however, in the future.