If Cleveland Cavaliers would win the National Basketball Association title, one player should step up and prove his critics wrong.
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“There is only one LeBron James, and he makes a difference on any team he plays on, and he’s proven that”, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said postgame.
It was also the sixth Finals in a row for LeBron, the first player in 50 years to accomplish that feat.
James, who grew up in nearby Akron, is well aware of what a championship would mean to Cleveland.
In Game 6, James had 33 points, 11 rebounds and six assists; Irving had 30 points and nine assists; Love had 20 points and 12 rebounds.
“We’ve covered a lot of ground and I still believe we can get better”. With three minutes left and the game long decided, the home crowd showered their team with “Let’s Go Raptors” chants for several minutes.
Toronto pulled to within six points midway through the second, but they shot just 5-for-20 in the frame and when an Irving steal resulted in a Love three with three seconds on the clock, it sent the Raptors into halftime trailing 55-41.
“I don’t know”, James said on the court as he marveled at the remaining Toronto fans chanting their appreciation for the Raptors. You gave it everything and made us proud.
Love dislocated his shoulder in the first round against the Boston Celtics past year and was lost for the postseason. Some of it is J.R. Smith, Irving, Love and Channing Frye easing James’ burden by shooting lights out from three-point range. He’s always won over the course of his career, and to go to six straight Finals is unbelievable. “Having these guys right here at full strength, having our team at full strength and the way I feel personally, I appreciate this moment, to be able to be a part of it and be there once again”.
“I think he has a chance in this league”, Casey joked before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Toronto, marveling at LeBron’s ability to get to multiple spots on the floor and be disruptive on both ends without tiring.
The Cavaliers came in 0-4 at Air Canada Centre counting the regular season and playoffs, but looked much more like the team that handed the Raptors a trio of lopsided losses in Cleveland this series.
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The Cavaliers made 10 of 15 3-point attempts in the first half, while Toronto was 2 of 12.
