James finished with 33 points, and Kyrie Irving added 30 – as the Cavs closed out the series to advance to their second straight NBA Finals.
Advertisement
The Eastern Conference Finals have been mostly about the Cavaliers blowing out the Raptors three times at home (116-78 in game 5) but losing twice in Toronto, including 105-99 in game 4, when they blew a late lead and their defense simply collapsed on the final possessions. But that’s James. It’s also James Jones, who has been a James teammate in Miami and Cleveland in the last six years.
LeBron James is going to the NBA Finals for the sixth straight year, but he couldn’t leave Toronto without saying a few nice words about Raptors fans. LeBron James scored 23 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, and a block in 32 minutes of action.
Now, the Cavs are off to the NBA Finals where they will face the victor of the Oklahoma City Thunder vs.
One player who plans to be more aggressive today is Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder has a 3-2 lead against the reigning champions Warriors.
James said he didn’t fully appreciate last year’s journey to the Finals in his return to Cleveland due to injuries that knocked out Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving in the postseason. I’m not so sure you can say that about their previous trip to Toronto – where they lost Games 3 and 4.
Toronto struggled from behind the arc all night, going 2-of-11 in the first half and finishing at just 32 percent overall.
Lue and James kept talking about this “being our Game 7”. This is about the now, and playing like they did in games 3 & 4: Making it hard for James and Irving to reach the basket, and hoping that Kevin Love sticks to the corners and doesn’t try to do anything in the post.
Lowry completed an 18-point third quarter when he converted three free throws in the final second and Cleveland led 86-74 entering the fourth quarter.
It’s as if by divine right, LeBron James Jr. was meant to go to every NBA Finals through Eastern Conference every damn year.
Channing Frye opened the second quarter with two 3-pointers, his only six points of the game, to increase the Cavaliers’ lead to 12 points.
Kyle Lowry kept punching, even as the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared in the driver’s seat just minutes from fulfilling the destiny many had prewritten for them before the season began.
The Toronto Raptors will be back home for Game 6.
After a second-quarter dunk, James shared some verbal barbs with rapper Drake, the Raptors’ global ambassador and the man who popularized the nickname “6ix” for Toronto. “I think he has to be very assertive”, Lue said.
The Raptors were within 13 points on a Lowry three with 8:21 to play, but barely two minutes later, Irving hit a dagger three that had the Cavaliers up by 21, and finally sucked any last hope the Raptors and their fans had of forcing a Game 7.
JR Smith [Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images] The Toronto Raptors looked like they were uncomfortable since the first quarter.
Advertisement
Irving is averaging 24.3 points and 5.1 assists and shooting 48% from the field and 45.6% on three-pointers.
