Wrap-Up – It’s a phrase that LeBron James has used since the historic letter he penned before his return to Cleveland, and one he used at the podium following Tuesday’s decisive victory at The Q …
”Unfinished business.”
That business – to bring a title to Northeast Ohio after half-a-century of sports torment – has been James’ singular mission all season. And on Tuesday night, he got his squad one step closer to finishing it.
The Cleveland Cavaliers trounced the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals – 118-88 – sweeping the circuit’s top seed in four games and punching their ticket to the second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
After winning an overtime thriller in Game 3, the Wine and Gold left nothing to chance in the close-out game: jumping on the reeling Hawks from the opening tip, running out to a 12-point edge after one quarter and not letting up until David Blatt emptied his bench with 5:26 to play and his squad up by 26.
”I told our guys at the guys at halftime – I said, our motivation for the second half is to get Joe Harris into the game,” smiled postgame James. “And they answered the call.”
After giving every ounce of energy in 47 awe-inspiring minutes of action on Sunday night, James – along with starters Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson – took the fourth quarter off in Tuesday’s Conference-clinching blowout. LeBron still managed to lead all scorers with 23 points in just 29 minutes, going 10-for-20 from the floor, adding nine points, seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
LeBron continued to rewrite the NBA postseason record books in the East Finals – becoming the first player in playoff history to average at least 30.0 points, 11.0 boards and 9.0 assists in a single series.
LeBron and the Cavaliers went to work early, opening a double-digit lead late in the first period and extending it to 20 with 5:25 to play in the first half. Atlanta got to within 15 midway through the third, but the Cavs quickly snuffed their rally and took a 25-point lead into the final quarter. Rookie forward eventually Joe Harris did get into the ballgame, and his finger-roll with 2:42 remaining gave Cleveland a 31-point advantage – its largest of the night.
After missing the two previous games while nursing left knee tendinitis, Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup and looked sharp in 22 minutes of play – finishing with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting – including 2-of-3 from deep – to go with five helpers, four boards, a steal and a blocked shot.
Irving wasn’t alone in his effectiveness from long-distance. The Cavaliers went 13-for-31 from beyond the arc in Game 4, the fifth straight playoff game in which they drilled double-digit bombs. Defensively, they held Atlanta – the top three-point shooting team in the East during the regular season – to just 5-for-32 from downtown on Tuesday night; 26-of-111 (23 percent) for the series.
In his first foray into the postseason, Tristan Thompson continued his incredible run – finishing with his fifth double-double of the playoffs with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Since his insertion into the starting lineup following the season-ending injury to Kevin Love, Thompson has grabbed double-digit boards in seven of his nine starts.
J.R. Smith, not known for his rebounding, doubled-up for the second straight game – finishing with 18 points and 10 boards – going an even 7-for-14 from the floor, including 4-of-10 from three-point range.
After starting the previous two contests, Matthew Dellavedova – who’s been in the unlikely role of lightning rod over the past few days – came off the bench to net 10 points, two boards and an assist. His first bucket – a three-pointer midway through the first period that sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy – was only eclipsed by his last – a tip-in and the tax midway through the fourth that let Coach Blatt know his squad was out of the woods.
”I think that moment came in a very, very memorable one, maybe the greatest below-the-rim tap in the history of the game,” beamed Blatt. “(Dellavedova) wasn’t above the rim, but he made it look natural and he made it look special – just like that kid is.”
Timofey Mozgov notched double-digits for the third time in the four-game sweep – finishing with 14 points, seven boards and a game-high three blocks – his sixth playoff game with at least that many. As a team, the Cavs – the top shot-blocking team in the playoffs at 6.9 bpg – had seven swats on the night, the seventh time they’ve posted at least that number in the postseason.
Once again, the Wine and Gold bested their opponent on the boards – out-rebounding Atlanta, 56-39, in the game and, 208-157, in the series. In the postseason, the Cavaliers are a perfect 12-0 when eclipsing their foe on the glass.
Six Cavs score double-figures.
View some of the best snapshots.
J.R. oops Thompson.
Go inside the locker room.
Watch super slow-mo highlights from Game 4.
Turning Point – Unlike Sunday’s Game 3 thriller with its countless twists and turns, Tuesday night’s contest was over early. Atlanta took a 2-0 edge – its only lead of the game – on Jeff Teague’s layup to begin the affair. From there, the Wine and Gold went to work – taking a 10-point lead on Kyrie’s first bucket of the game and not looking back.
The Cavaliers – who’ve now dropped the Hawks in all eight postseason contests between the two teams – led by a dozen after one quarter, by 17 at intermission and by 25 after three quarters. By the time the fourth quarter began, the only question was how long Coach Blatt would wait before replacing his rotation guys in preparation for the Finals.
By the Numbers – 27.6, 10.4, 8.2 … LeBron James’ scoring, rebounding and assist numbers in the 2015 playoffs – leading his team to a postseason-best 12-2 mark and his fifth straight trip to the NBA Finals. LeBron and James Jones are the first players since the Celtics dynasties of the ‘60s to reach the finals in five consecutive seasons.
Quotable – LeBron James, on his outlook for the upcoming NBA Finals …
”The coaching staff will give us the greatest gameplan they can to win against Houston, to win against Golden State, but as far as guarantees, I cannot guarantee anyone. I can’t guarantee a championship. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to lead. But I will guarantee that we will play our asses off. We will, from the first minute to minute 48, or if it’s overtime, 53. We will do that.”
Up Next – The Cavaliers will take a day to celebrate their Eastern Conference crown before getting back to work in preparation for the Finals foe. The Golden State Warriors currently lead the Houston Rockets, 3-1, in their Western Conference Finals matchup – with the series shifting back to Oakland for Game 5. In the regular season, the Wine and Gold split their two games with the Warriors, falling at Oracle Arena before taking an 11-point decision in early February at The Q. Houston was the only Western Conference team to beat the Cavaliers twice this season – topping a LeBron-less squad at The Q and squeaking by Cleveland in overtime at the Toyota Center in early March.