INDEPENDENCE — The Cavaliers will be chomping at the bit as much as Dunkirk in the Kentucky Derby, but they’re not even headed to the starting gate yet.
Because the Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 Friday night, the Cavaliers will have been off nine days when they host the winner of that first-round series in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena.
Game 7 of the Heat-Hawks series will be Sunday at Atlanta’s Philips Arena.
“I could care less who wins,” Cleveland point guard Mo Williams said. “We’ll play Tuesday regardless.”
After having Thursday off and going through a practice on Friday that coach Mike Brown didn’t think “was that sharp,” the Cavaliers will return to Cleveland Clinic Courts for another workout today, still unsure who they will play.
“We’re definitely ready to get back to some games,” backup big man Joe Smith said. “At the same time, we realized what we did in Round 1 was going to get us some time off. I just didn’t know it was going to be this much time.
“It’s almost like training camp right now. You have so many days to practice, then you’re ready to play someone else.”
The top-seeded Cavaliers, who were an NBA-best 66-16 during the regular season, including 39-2 at The Q, went 3-1 against both No. 4 Atlanta and No. 5 Miami during the regular season, losing to each team once on the road.
The Cavaliers’ loss to Atlanta was a 97-92 setback on Dec. 13 —it halted a 10-game Cleveland winning streak —in a game center Zydrunas Ilgauskas missed due to a sprained ankle.
Though the final scores don’t reflect it, the Cavaliers dominated the two meetings against the Hawks at The Q, winning 110-96 on Nov. 22 —power forward Josh Smith didn’t play for Atlanta —and 102-96 on March 21.
In the first meeting at The Q, the Cavaliers jumped to a 28-12 lead after the first quarter and led by as many as 28 points. In the second, they led 27-13 after one and were up as many as 24.
The Cavaliers did a great job against 6-foot-7, 240-pound Joe Johnson in the Nov. 22 game, as Delonte West and LeBron James combined to hold Atlanta’s leading scorer during the regular season to four points on 1-of-8 shooting.
Brown has yet to show his players any videotape of the Hawks or Heat, but the Cavaliers, knowing they would have several more practices if Miami forced Game 7, did spend part of their workout on Friday going over a few of Atlanta’s offensive sets.
“First and foremost, Joe Johnson,” Joe Smith said when asked what aspect of Atlanta’s game concerned the Cavaliers. “He’s their engine. He gets them going. We’ve got to find ways to get the ball out of his hands as much as possible.”
Atlanta, which went 47-35 overall during the regular season and 16-25 on the road, has injury concerns regarding normal starting small forward Marvin Williams (wrist) and center Al Horford (ankle), but its athletic big men, especially Josh Smith, can be dangerous in transition.
“They’re long, they’re athletic and they get up and down (the court),” Joe Smith said. “As much as we can limit their transition baskets, that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Miami, which finished 43-39 overall and 15-26 on the road, prefers a slower pace, but has one thing in common with the Hawks in that its best player is a shooting guard, as Dwyane Wade led the NBA in scoring at 30.2 points a game.

Tip-ins

Wade had 29 points and eight assists in a Dec. 28 game at The Q, but was trumped by James, who had 33 points and nine assists in a 93-86 Cleveland win. Miami led by nine points and had held the Cavaliers to 58 points through three periods, but was outscored 35-19 in the final period. James defended Wade the entire quarter and outscored his good friend 11-6. Two nights later in Miami, on James’ 24th birthday, Wade had 21 points and 12 assists as the Heat triumphed 104-95. James had 38 points, but the Cavaliers chucked 30 3-pointers and made just 11.
• On March 2 in Miami, James (42) and Mo Williams (30) combined for 72 points in a 107-100 Cleveland win. James was 6-of-7 on 3-pointers and perfect on 10 free throw attempts. Wade, who hoisted 30 shots, nearly had a quintuple-double for the Heat, finishing with 41 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, seven steals and eight turnovers. Five days later at The Q, Wade got ejected — it was the first of his six-year career — as the Cavaliers won 99-89. Cleveland, which led 40-20 midway through the second period, got a triple-double from James, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Williams had 29 points for the Cavaliers and made 6-of-7 3-pointers, while a frustrated Wade had 25 points on 9-of-23 shooting, eight rebounds and 12 assists.
• Cavaliers power forward Anderson Varejao showed up at practice with his hair in braids, which went well down his neck and had his teammates referring to him as Josh Boone of the New Jersey Nets. “He’s got to go to ‘The Wild Thing’ once the game starts,” Cleveland’s Williams said of the Brazilian’s normal, free-flowing hairstyle.
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net.

LONG LAYOFFS

NBA playoff teams that had six-plus days off between series since 2004:

Year    Team                        Off     Result
2008    Detroit Pistons           6     Lost, 4-2
2008    Los Angeles Lakes    6     Lost, 4-2
2007    Detroit Pistons           6     Won, 4-2
2007    San Antonio Spurs     7     Won, 4-0
2006    Los Angeles Clippers 6     Lost, 4-3
2006    Miami Heat                6    Won, 4-2
2005    Miami Heat                6    Won, 4-0
2005    Miami Heat                8     Lost, 4-3
2005    Phoenix Suns              7    Won, 4-2
2005    San Antonio Spurs      7    Won, 4-3
2004    Indiana Pacers           10   Won, 4-2
2004    New Jersery Nets       7    Lost, 4-3
2004    San Antonio Spurs      6    Lost, 4-2

NEXT UP

WHO: Atlanta or Miami at Cleveland
WHEN: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
WHERE: The Q
TV/RADIO: TNT; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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