Cavs press ahead, take 3-0 lead
Hawks’ Horford ejected from game for throwing elbow.
As it was, the task before the Atlanta Hawks was great. With the loss of Al Horford, it became monumental They nearly won. The Hawks lost their All-Star center to ejection in the closing seconds of the second quarter and yet forced overtime in a 114-111 loss to the Cavaliers Sunday night at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals 3-0.
The No. 1 seed Hawks are in danger of having their dream season end in a sweep by LeBron James and the Cavaliers. No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
Horford was ejected after being called for a Flagrant Foul 2 with 34.3 seconds left in the first half. Horford got tangled up with Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova chasing a loose ball. Dellavedova dove into Horford’s leg and Horford responded by coming down with an elbow to Dellavedova’s head or shoulder.
After a lengthy review, Horford was called for the flagrant foul that carries an automatic ejection. Dellavedova was assessed a technical foul.
Horford left with a team-high 14 points, in- cluding eight in the first quarter.
There’s some animosity here. Dellavedova crashed into Kyle Korver in Game 2 of the series, knocking Korver out for the remainder of the playoffs with an ankle sprain. Dellavedova also got tangled up with the Bulls forward Taj Gibson, who was ejected for kicking in Game 5 of the conference semifinals.
The NBA defines a Flagrant Foul 2 as unneces- sary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent. The NBA reviews all flagrant fouls and maintains the right to impose a fine and/or suspension upon any player who commits such a foul.
After missing his first 10 shots, James finished with a triple-double of 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, his 12th career playoff triple-double. He scored the final five points of the game, including a 3-pointer with 36.4 seconds left, for the victory.
Jeff Teague had 30 points to lead six Hawks in double-figures. Paul Millsap had 22 points. Kent Bazemore, starting for Korver, finished with 14 points. Shelvin Mack added 13, including three 3-pointers, off the bench. Mack had two 3-point attempts in the final possession but both were off the mark.