Despite it’s team being out of the game in the closing couple of minutes, fans in the arena stuck around till the final buzzer and chanted “Let’s go Raptors” on Raptors’ possessions which would have made no impact on the result of the game.
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That’s not a concern this time around.
“There’s definitely a different feeling”, James said. “I don’t think a year ago I appreciated it enough getting back to the finals”.
Last year, the Cavaliers limped into the NBA Finals without power forward Kevin Love (dislocated shoulder), who missed all but one of the postseason series, and with point guard Kyrie Irving severely humbled because of knee tendonitis. “He understands that. But I think LeBron knows and understand that he has to set the tone early and everyone else will follow”.
“This year I’m going to appreciate this”. Had the series been extended to Game 7 on Sunday night, Biyombo would likely have been suspended for the contest.
“I don’t know”, James said on the court. “Throughout the first three rounds, they’ve been the reason we’ve played at such a high level. They’ve accepted the challenge”. “They pushed us around and took what they wanted”.
It was the second consecutive game Cleveland’s Big 3 all scored at least 20 points, and the Cavs also were once again devastating on three-pointers, making 17-of-31. No Cleveland team has won it all since the Browns blanked Baltimore 27-0 to win the National Football League championship in 1964.
Coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged the importance of getting James to come out firing on all cylinders.
“We are going to need to whole team”, said Lue.
Critics and haters can chime in about the teams James has had to face, as they always will, but when you win 18 straight playoff series in your own conference it’s incredible no matter who you played.
Regardless of how many rings he’s left on the table, James’ current run is something we’ll look back on 50 years from now with the appropriate sense of wonder and astonishment. “Thinking about just the steps it took to get back to where we are now, I really have a true appreciation for these guys and my teammates and just a true appreciation of the journey”.
“We’ve covered a lot of ground and I still believe we can get better”, he said. “They wanted to get back to this moment”, added James, who will be making his sixth consecutive appearance in the National Basketball Association finals next week.
Finally, the experience and leadership that the Cavaliers have on their team is unmatched in the National Basketball Association.
The Cavaliers could meet the Golden State Warriors in a repeat of last year’s Finals next month.
Toronto proved me wrong because I thought that the Raptors were totally going to get swept in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals with a Game-6 scenario only a fringe possibility in my mind.
The Cavaliers led by as many as 11 points during the first quarter, a lead the Raptors cut to 4 before James completed the scoring with a layup to give him 14 points.
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Afterward, LeBron clarified that because the team didn’t have champagne, they celebrated with water.
