Jeff Teague and the Atlanta Hawks boasted the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2014-15. Still, they were promptly swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Atlanta didn’t even sniff 60 wins the next season, but the Hawks once again matched up with the Cavs in the 2015-16 postseason – this time with a chip on their shoulder.
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Once again, nothing the Hawks did could affect the Cavs’ hungry trio of James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. But that didn’t stop the Hawks from trying to make a little noise before eventually being swept again. In Game 3 of their second-round series, Teague memorably gave the much bigger James a hard shove out of bounds, which stuck with some fans more than the final result.
Teague recently shared that the consequences of that foul stuck with him longer than expected. At this point, the series was just about over, and even James shrugged off the push after being asked about it postgame. But that didn’t stop fans – in both Cleveland and Atlanta – from jumping to the King’s defense.
In an interview with DC Young Fly for an episode of Hawks and Friends, Teague reminisced on how much hate he got shoving the four-time MVP. “I just think about how many people wanted to kill me when I pushed LeBron James,” the former point guard said with a laugh. To Teague’s surprise, though, even the Hawks faithful weren’t riding with him.
“I thought the fans was gonna ride with me. I was like ‘Stand up, Hawks fans.’ They were like, ‘Nah, that’s the King,'” the 36-year-old continued. Teague was a beloved playmaker for nearly a decade in Atlanta, but for some, their fandom of LeBron tops all.
Teague knew that his team didn’t have much of a chance when he committed the tough foul. The All-Star point guard has recalled facing LeBron during his Hawks days on multiple occasions. Unsurprisingly, it often wasn’t pretty for LBJ’s opponents.
Jeff Teague recalled LeBron’s dominance against him
Facing off against arguably the best version of LeBron multiple times in the postseason, Jeff Teague often got a firsthand view of James’ superhuman capabilities. LeBron is still one of the best players in the world at 40 years old, so when the Hawks were tasked to take him down a decade ago, it was a nearly impossible feat.
“So Kyle, he broke his foot the first game… But LeBron was just too dominant, man. Like, y’all, you can see him now from the USA game,” Teague said last summer. “He’s 40 years old now. He’s still the most dominant player in the league. Ten years ago, we didn’t have a chance. We ain’t stand a chance for him, man. He’s just too dominant, man, too dominant.”
For Teague, LeBron was too dominant. The 12-year veteran was swept twice by LBJ’s Cavs as a member of the Hawks before once again being swept with the Indiana Pacers in 2016-17. In 38 career matchups between the pair, LeBron has won 35 – including all 12 postseason contests.
