After Dennis Schroder gave the Hawks a one-point lead with 90 seconds remaining, LeBron James scored two baskets sandwiched between a Tristan Thompson block, to give the Cavaliers a three-point lead (100-97).
Advertisement
“He did a great job of getting into the paint as he’s done all season”, James said of Schroder.
Kevin Love scored 27 points and tied his career-high with eight three-pointers to help Cleveland wrap up the 4-0 series victory. “We’re in a great rhythm right now, as far as us three. He did exactly what we dared him to do”.
The Atlanta Hawks saw their season come to an end on Sunday with a 100-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson went to half court, while Smith went into the corner.
The Cavaliers relied on 3-pointers in the first three games and used that same tactic early in the fourth game. He was 5-for-6 from the field with 15 points and five rebounds in the opening frame. He would score nine more points in the quarter, including seven straight during a 56-second stretch.
But James said in the locker room afterward that he knew the ball had hit the glass first, and as you can see below, the ball did indeed touch the backboard before Millsap got to it. “We wanted to beat this team so bad”.
The Cavaliers’ core – Love, James, and Kyrie Irving – combined for 69 points. The Cavs are unbeaten in the playoffs with James, Irving and Love all healthy.
After intermission, Love just kept on grooving.
Tyronn Lue was happy with the Cavs defense in the second half after allowing 58 points by Atlanta in the first half.
Let’s also put a bow on some pretty wonderful LeBron James tidbits. When a team has confidence like that, it’s tough to stop them.
“I’ve been here for a long time, feel good being here”, he said.
Hawks: Thabo Sefolosha started for the second straight game, leaving Kyle Korver to come off the bench.
“Kevin just stayed with it”. “So if anybody thinks I’m being disrespectful to a country, then they don’t know who Dwyane Wade is”. That’s how he’s been. “He’s been staying with it”, said Lue.
Atlanta enjoyed its biggest lead of the series, up 12 in the second quarter, but it never felt like the Hawks were in control or would be able to withstand an inevitable challenge from the Cavaliers.
He had Stephen Curry like shooting today, as he went 8-15 from threes and scored 27. But James, after having one shot blocked and missing two tip-ins, got another chance when a video review overturned a call that Cleveland had knocked the ball out of bounds. In the final moments, Schroder diced his way through the lane on a few consecutive possessions to give the Hawks the 97-96 lead with just 1:31 left on the clock.
Heat’s Whiteside has sprained knee • Miami center Hassan Whiteside has a sprained right knee, putting in serious doubt his status for the remainder of the Heat’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Toronto Raptors. “I love coach (Mike Budenholzer)”. “They out-played us in the fourth quarter”.
Advertisement
Let’s put a bow on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 3-point shooting prowess, just as the Cavaliers put a bow on the Atlanta Hawks in finishing off a four-game sweep, which made them the ninth team in National Basketball Association postseason history to start a postseason 8-0 or better.
