NBA Playoffs Eastern Finals Game 1: (Shoe) Game Analysis

According to Nike, Cleveland should not just win the Eastern Conference Finals, but they should slay Atlanta.  Nike has a limited amount of signature athletes, and Cleveland's roster contains two of these esteemed players.  The Hawks, on the other hand, have no signature Nike athletes.  So far, with Cleveland up 1-0, it looks as though Nike is paying the right athletes.

Kyrie Irving is one of Cleveland's signature athletes.  His first signature released last year, and his shoes resemble a Velociraptor.  Dennis Schroder is known for regularly wearing Kyrie's shoes.  

Schroder vs. Irving in Game 1 (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

LeBron James is Cleveland's other signature athlete.  He is so special to Nike, that they actually gave him two shoe lines.  The LeBron 12, and the LeBron Solider 8 are his two most recent shoes in these lines, and were both released in 2014.    DeMarre Carroll is the only player from Atlanta to regularly play in the LeBron 12's.  However, he decided to switch up his shoe game for game 1 and wore a pair of Nike Air Zoom Flight The Glove.

James vs. Carroll in ECF Game 1 (Photo Credit: Dale Zanine - USA TODAY Sports)

This may not have been the best decision, considering the Hawks lost, and Carroll was injured during the game.  For some reason Carroll's shoe switch upset the Shoe Gods.  Hopefully game 2 goes smoother for Carroll, and the rest of Atlanta.