It's hard to imagine Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals going much worse for the Atlanta Hawks.
A quick start -- and LeBron James got two quick fouls -- was as fake as Falcons crowd noise in a 97-89 loss. And to make matters worse, Demarre Carroll injured his left knee. His status is questionable for tonight's game, although the Hawks were optimistic after further examination Thursday showed only a sprain.
With Carroll not on the floor Wednesday and the game still in doubt in the final 40 seconds, James went from halfcourt to the rim in like four strides and delivered a tomahawk dunk that dotted the exclamation point on Atlanta's loss.
If Carroll misses extended time, it spells real trouble for Atlanta. He is by far the best defensive option for the Hawks against the best player on the planet.
And in Game 1, even Carroll was overmatched. James was great after the sluggish start, making 7 of 9 shots in the second quarter as the Cavs pulled even at halftime. He finished with eight rebounds and six assists. He now has totaled more than 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in a record 62 playoff games -- one more than Michael Jordan.
While no other team has a difference-maker like James, the Hawks' lack of a singular presence is magnified in this series.
When the Cavs have to have a basket -- like they did leading 101-97 with 40 seconds left, before James' emphatic jam -- everyone from Cleveland, Tenn., to Cleveland, Ohio knows who will get the basketball.
It's James.
For Atlanta, the balance that produced four All-Stars after a 40-8 start to the season becomes bittersweet. Call it sluggish by saturation, but if the Hawks have to have a bucket, who has the ball? In Game 5 of their second-round series against Washington, it was Dennis Schroder.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves the ball as Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) looks on during the first half in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs, Wednesday, May 20, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Yikes.
Some have tried to label this Hawks team the Spurs 2.0 as a tip of the visor to Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer's pedigree as a Greg Popovich protégé.
It makes for a convenient narrative, but it sells short the talent gap between the Spurs and these Hawks.
Yes, the Spurs have embraced a similar system and a team-oriented style that is a joy to watch. But on their march to five titles in the last 18 years, they had the best power forward of all time in Tim Duncan and one of the top-10 foreign-born players in Manu Ginobili and perennial All-Star Tony Parker.
The Hawks' nucleus has grit and a collective focus that makes division titles attainable. There is no singular star who decides championship moments in the playoffs, however.
And of all the major team sports, none is more star-driven than the NBA.
Look back over the last 35 NBA titles, and the commonality is an all-timer was on the team standing at the end at least 33 times. The only sure the-whole-is-better-than-the-parts NBA champion was the 2004 Detroit Pistons. You could argue in favor of the 2006 Dallas Mavericks as well, but Dirk Nowitzki is among the top-10 scorers in league history.
The other champions since 1980 have featured guys like Magic and Bird and Jordan and Kobe and Shaq and LeBron and Timmy, among others. It's a litany of one-named superstars that has become the center of attention when the NBA calendar clicks to June.
Even the fringe championship teams like the 76ers and the Pistons in the 1980s, the Rockets in the 1990s and the Celtics in 2008 had Hall of Famers who were among the top-10 all-time players at their positions. Guys like Dr. J or Isiah Thomas or Hakeem Olajuwan or even Kevin Garnett were elite.
Sure, the championship adds the legend afterward, but the path there was paved with star power.
Who is the Hawks' best player?
It's a question that was positively irrelevant and irrelevantly positive during a record-setting regular season.
It's also the question that will linger when the Cavs bounce the best team in the franchise's history in Atlanta.
Jay Greeson's column appears on Page A2 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. His sports columns are scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays. You can read his online column the "5-at-10" Monday through Friday at times freepress.com after 10 a.m.
Contact him at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter at @ jgreesontfp.