A few hours before the Atlanta Hawks took on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavs, a major power outage occurred in downtown Atlanta. Businesses were left in the dark for close to an hour and inoperable stop lights made traffic surrounding the Philips Arena a nightmare. The chaos served as somewhat of a prelude to a night where the Hawks, LeBron James, and T.I. would give fans a night to remember.
The nationally televised game (ESPN) began as a one-sided affair as the Cavs raced out to a 21 point lead over the streaky shooting Hawks. However, the Hawks owned the third quarter by outscoring the Cavs and erasing the 21-point deficit.
The fourth quarter resembled a slug fest as each team went back and forth trading baskets until the final seconds. By the end of regulation, it was only fitting that the score was tied giving both teams an extra period to battle.
The Cavs jumped ahead early in the overtime period and, again, the Hawks battled back to come within two points with six seconds remaining. Without timeouts, Hawks guard Jeff Teague pushed the ball up the court and passed to Al Horford who missed a three-point basket as the buzzer sounded. Regardless of the final score, the game proved that both teams are preparing for the intensity of playoff basketball.
Following the game, Atlanta’s rap king, T.I., took the court to perform a medley of his past hits including “Rubber Band Man,” “Live Your Live,” “What You Know,” and “About the Money.”
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Photos: Jamie Thompson
