We’re back to the scene of the crime. As expected by both books and the betting public, Cleveland reigned supreme over Atlanta on Tuesday, taking the 99-72 victory as ‘chalky’ 11 ½-point home favorites. While the Hawks were able to hang tight in the first half, Cleveland led 49-44, quarters three and four told a much different story. Behind a demoralized Josh Smith and Joe Johnson, Atlanta struggled to scratch together just 28 points in the second half (11 in the fourth).

Other problems that plagued the Hawks were generating a grand total of 10 points from the bench, allowing the Cavaliers to penetrate the paint for a 40 spot on the board and giving up 15 fast break points versus working for just six of their own.

And so we move to Game 2. If a price of +200 (bet $100 to make $200) for Cleveland to take the series in five games and a +160 value (bet $100 to make $160) for them to sweep were any indication of what was to come then should we have buried Atlanta in the series before making it out to the court on Tuesday? It might only be dawn before Game 2 but from an editorial perspective the answer looks to be unequivocally, yes.

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The first indication of foreseeable problems for the Hawks was turnovers. In the three defeats versus Miami in the first round, Atlanta managed to cough the rock up for an average of 12.3 TOs per game (with a high of 16 versus Miami in Game 6). It might not compare to say New Orleans’ 18.4 turnovers per game or Chicago’s 16.1 in the postseason, but Tuesday underlined the butterfinger problems as the Hawks clocked in at 17 losses of possession. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

If shooting is the basic fundamental of basketball then hitting a dismal 42.5 percent of its shots isn’t going to get the job done, period. Atlanta was responsible for shooting under 40 percent twice in its best of seven against Miami. Its current average of 42.4 percent from the field in all eight playoff games ranks 14th worst out of the 16 clubs that have participated this postseason. And forget about the three-point shot as a bailout plan. Atlanta is clocking in at only 34 percent from beyond the arc.

In defense of a team whose entire roster is averaging 25.2 years of age, the Hawks have maintained a relative stiff defense. Atlanta has allowed opponents throughout the playoffs to sink in 89.5 PPG. This has trickled down to the ‘under’ record sitting at 6-2 in the last eight. Coincidental or not, the same six ‘under’ games have seen the Hawks outrebounded by a total margin of -19 (margin of -3.2 RPG).

We can look at the inferior statistics until blue in the face but the fact is Atlanta is a group of outstanding players without a central go-to guy. Josh Smith’s 17 PPG in the last eight isn’t indicative of a marquee player. Joe Johnson’s 16.4 PPG, Mike Bibby’s (the guy with the most playoff experience) 15.4 and Ronald Murray’s 11.4 scoring figures point to role players instead of the clutch standouts this team is in need of as conference semifinal competitors.

But more importantly, how are we going to pull out a profit?

In a recent discussion with senior writer Chris David, a 4-1 ATS record in favor of Cleveland’s second half performance has been a solid avenue for figures in the black. The lone ATS loss came in Game 2 of the first round as Detroit was able to crank out 32 points in the fourth quarter. The Cavs were favored by three-points in the second half, and the final 50-48 score from the third and fourth quarters equated to backers missing out by the skimp, one-point on the board. Minus this one isolated incident, it’s been smooth sailing. Even in Tuesday’s contest as a 6 ½-point favorite in the second half, Cleveland was able to keep the pedal on the metal, outscoring its foe 50-28.