Cavaliers mull Hawks’ Game 4 options: Hack-a-Tristan, physical play

6:13 PM ET

ATLANTA — The Cleveland Cavaliers will get their first chance to close the Atlanta Hawks out of the second round of the playoffs on Sunday when they play Game 4, with the Cavs already up 3-0.

While Game 3 saw the Hawks resort to an array of tactical adjustments — namely starting Thabo Sefolosha instead of Kyle Korver in order to get Korver off the Cavs’ defense’s radar from the tip, and also bringing Kris Humphries in for extended minutes off the bench — there are two much more radical directions Cleveland knows that Atlanta could choose in Game 4, since whatever the Hawks tried wasn’t enough on Friday.

One strategy sure to be explored is Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer calling for the hack-a-whomever strategy on Cavs forward Tristan Thompson.

Knowing that the Hawks may try to get more physical on the brink of playoff elimination, the Cavs say they have to keep their cool, much like how LeBron James did after drawing a flagrant-one foul by Jeff Teague on Friday. Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

Thompson, a career 63 percent foul shooter, went just 5-for-12 from the line in Game 3 as the Hawks repeatedly fouled him on purpose.

How will Cavs coach Tyronn Lue respond if the Hawks target Thompson again?

“Keep him in the game,” Lue said Saturday, speaking to a group of reporters at the team hotel. “Show confidence in him. He’s going to make one or two every time. So, just show …

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