Categories: Editorials

Five Keys for Cleveland Cavaliers to Defeat Atlanta Hawks in Eastern Conference Finals

Published by
Andrew Salmi

2. LeBron James Against DeMarre Carroll’s Stellar Defensive Play

From an offensive standpoint, superstar LeBron James has a clear and definitive advantage over Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll. Based off their numbers from this season, James should have no issues with his matchup against Carroll, right?

2014-15 Regular Season Per Game Statistics Comparison:

Player Season Age G MP FG% 3P% FT% TRB AST STL BLK PTS
DeMarre Carroll 2014-15 28 70 31.3 .487 .395 .702 5.3 1.7 1.3 0.2 12.6
LeBron James 2014-15 30 69 36.1 .488 .354 .710 6.0 7.4 1.6 0.7 25.3

2014-15 Playoffs Per Game Statistics Comparison:

Player Season Age G MP FG% 3P% FT% TRB AST STL BLK PTS
DeMarre Carroll 2014-15 28 12 35.2 .524 .439 .811 6.8 2.2 1.1 0.3 17.1
LeBron James 2014-15 30 10 41.7 .424 .146 .776 10.2 7.9 1.9 1.6 26.5

Wrong. Don’t let the statistics fool you. Carroll was an absolute pest on defense during the regular season against James.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, James was a dismal three of 15 from the floor and had five turnovers against Carroll when the Hawks small forward guarded him one-on-one.

“I like the challenge and I love opportunities,” said Carroll on guarding James during the upcoming series. “I’ve been through a lot in my life. Whenever you get an opportunity, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”

James will need to be a lot more aggressive than in the past against Carroll and the rest of the Hawks, who continue to prove all season that they are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA as a unit.

Next: Win The Point Guard Matchup

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Andrew Salmi

Andrew Salmi is a recent graduate of California State University, Fullerton after he previously attended Arizona State University. He is proud to be a staff writer for Cavaliers Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @andrewsalmi.

Published by
Andrew Salmi

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