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NBA Playoffs 2015, Cavaliers vs. Hawks Game 2: Recap and highlights (Video)

By Josh Hill

May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts with guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the third quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts with guard Iman Shumpert (4) during the third quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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94. 156. Final. 82. 125

The Cavaliers vs. Hawks series is heating up, but Cleveland is starting to run away with things after a blowout Game 2 win. 

After Game 1, it appeared that the Atlanta Hawks were going to come out hard and fast in Game 2 and get a game in this series. All season long, the Hawks hadn’t lost back-to-back home games and they had a knack for giving the Cavaliers trouble.

But the Cavaliers vs. Hawks series has taken a sharp nose dive for Atlanta, as injuries have defined their play and it has caused a 2-0 series lead for Cleveland.

In Game 1, the Hawks lost DeMarre Carroll late in the contest, but that wasn’t as bad as things could and did get for Atlanta. Carroll played in Game 2 against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks lost both Kyle Krover and Al Horford in the second half to injuries that sidelined them.

Korver’s injury ended up being less serious, but the injury to Horford could cripple the Hawks — and it’s just the latest in a string of bad breaks for the team. They lost Thabo Sefolosha at the end of the season after a run-in with the NYPD and now losing Horford, Korver and Carroll depletes a team already operating without a superstar.

Meanwhile, the team operating with a superstar was down two of it’s Big 3 and still managed to dominate in an utterly incomprehensible way. LeBron James hasn’t had Kevin Love since Game 4 of the first-round series against the Boston Celtics and Kyrie Irving sat out Game 2  to rest up for the NBA Finals.

LeBron James was absolutely on fire, and that showed on Friday night when he went off on some great plays with some great passes.

He even chatted up a pregnant woman who was sitting in courtside seats.

And let’s not forget J.R. Smith and his spectacular reverse layup from early on in the contest.

JR Smith finishes the reverse layup with style! #NBAvine @cavs https://t.co/xZ3u57Sown

— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2015

It was utter domination by the Cavaliers, who might have earned their way into chill mode on Friday night.

You may say that it’s hasty to rest up this early in the series for a tomorrow that’s not guaranteed — but then we all watched the Cavaliers dominate Game 2 and our minds were changed.

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