James spoke Thursday during the morning shootaround before the Cavaliers play the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
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Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots against Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics late in the third quarter during Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 23, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio.
There’s also the irony that Brown, the first coach who took James to an NBA Finals in 2007 – Cleveland was swept by San Antonio – will now coach against him, likely in the same leading role he’s had for Golden State since head coach Steve Kerr was forced to take a break because of continued problems with his surgically repaired back.
One win from a return trip to the NBA Finals, the club needs Irving at his play-making best to defend its title against Golden State. By contrast, Jordan averaged 33.4 PPG over 179 postseason games, competing in his last playoff game at the age of 35. “They’ve been right at the top, best team in the league for three years straight now”. Game 1 is set for May 29 in Pittsburgh. The Cavaliers won three in a row to take the title. Everyone wants to say, “Ah, man, this is boring” and this that and the other, but you usually don’t appreciate something until you don’t have it anymore. Kyrie’s a very tough guard.
Following the Cavs victory and elimination of Boston on Thursday night, Irving heaped praise on the Celtics and their injured leader Isaiah Thomas. “It’s been a high-scoring year throughout”.
While the Warriors have posted a ideal 12-0 record in the playoffs this season, the Cavs have almost matched them. Remember, before the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead to the Cavs in last season’s Finals, Durant and the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals to the Warriors. “You can flip a coin with the talent, but I just can’t see the Warriors letting it slip away again”.
The Warriors responded to the disappointment by signing Kevin Durant this offseason and went from a team that broke the regular season wins record to one threatening a postseason mark. In the process, Cleveland set an National Basketball Association record by winning their 13th consecutive series closeout opportunity. Fitz expects closer games this time around, and so do we. You’ve just got to do what you can and have the intentions to win the game, not to go out there and score a number of points but to just go out there and win the game and make winning plays.
They are chief elements when debating the legacies LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
For reasons I can’t explain, Love does not get enough love for how well he plays defensively. Cleveland won the 2016 after Golden State prevailed in 2015. “So I didn’t think I could be Mike”.
Asked about suffering his injury, Irving said, “My adrenaline is still going at this point, so I’m pretty sure when I get home my body will probably hate me, but it’s the magnitude of the moment and what’s at stake, and I wasn’t coming out for any margin”.
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The Cubs’ 5-4 win over the Giants on Wednesday was a painful reminder to bettors that backing big favorites on the run line is a treacherous proposition. Tonight was no different, with the ex-Maverick dropping 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range.
