The Cavaliers were 0-4 in Toronto coming into this game. The win in Canada gave the Cavs a 4-2 series win.
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For the Raptors, their All-Star guards Kyle Lowry (35) and DeMar Derozan combined for 65 points but it obviously wasn’t enough.
“I don’t know. I’ve heard all the questions and that’s a stumper”, James told ESPN’s Doris Burke after she asked him what he was most proud of. Love took it upon himself to play aggressive on both ends of the floor and he made the most of the opportunities he was given.
Game one of the National Basketball Association finals will be played on Wednesday.
“Your hat goes off to them”, he said of the Cavaliers.
While James and his team were extremely giddy about clinching the East again, the Cavaliers know what remains ahead.
Cavs coach Lue meanwhile said he was looking forward to challenging in the finals with a full complement of players.
It happened in Game 6 and it was the close out game. They’d survived elimination twice, beating both IN and Miami IN seven games. So could they be ready to contend with the Cavs? Jonas Valanciunas grabbed nine rebounds. “We all have trust in each other, we all have each other’s back”, he said.
The Raptors’ playoff run this spring caps the most successful season in franchise history, with their six-game series with the Cavs serving as icing on the cake. No excuses, but I did think mental fatigue did set in a little bit which is not an excuse at this time of the year.
LeBron James has only two championships to show for his previous six trips to the NBA Finals, so it’s not as if everything he touches turns to gold. “Let’s go, Raptors!” throughout most of the final three minutes.
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.
James, who grew up in nearby Akron, is well aware of what a championship would mean to Cleveland. To go to a place they’ve never been before, to get to the Eastern Conference finals. He wouldn’t share what he said except to say what the two all-stars have done this season “is nothing short of awesome”.
With the Eastern Conference victory, superstar Lebron James has reached the NBA Finals for the sixth straight time, and a total of seven in his career. The Cavs ended up winning that Q by 20, as the Raptors’ one-trick-pony offense became laughably easy to shut down. He sticks with those players who’ve won for him in the past, even if their present play is disappointing. Love would end up with 20 points on the night. The Raptors hit just eight of their 25 shots from long distance.
“They’ve got a lot more weapons”, Carroll said.
The Raptors just did not have the pieces to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers, three-pointers killing them in the first half.
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Thousands more fans gathered outside to watch the game on the giant screen in a crowd that bulged well beyond the borders of Jurassic Park.
