Cavs defeat Celtics in five, advance to NBA Finals

“We have to go in with a bunker mentality that we had in Game 1 and Game 2, to go out and do what we do, but we have to defend”, James said. They have played in all of the team’s last three finals appearances and have showed they are not afraid of the moment.

Caron Butler of the Wizards vividly remembers trying in vain to stop LeBron James. They are two or three years away from competing with Cleveland. “He’s doing a lot more movement, which makes it even tougher to guard after being one of the tougher scorers I’ve ever seen”. “I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just because of what he was able to accomplish. So it makes it even more unsafe when you equip that talent, that skill with those guys”. We’ve been through it all … we’re prepared for pretty much anything. In fact, that Cavaliers team wasn’t considered championship material.

The Cavs, meanwhile, wouldn’t be on the cusp of the Finals without Irving. “You guys are gonna have the conversations about who’s the greatest of all time and things of that nature, it doesn’t matter to me”. But there’s also a clear respect level between the clubs as well. The Celtics are also guarding against ending their season by having to watch the Cavs celebrate a conference title on their home floor.

“I feel like I’m playing well on both sides of the ball”, Thompson told Malinowski last week. And that was our play-by-play chalk talk.

“He’s moving around a lot more”, he said.

For the third consecutive year, it’s Cleveland and Golden State in the NBA Finals.

“So now with the way the Finals went down previous year if I were in his shoes, I would want the same thing”.

The pain couldn’t stop him. They have went 8-4 against the spread in those 12 games, with the four failed covers all at home. Cleveland won by one point on Christmas Day and Golden State prevailed by 35 points on January 16. Outside of the addition of Durant, not much has changed roster-wise or strategically for either team.

James scored 35 points, passing Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list along the way, and Kyrie Irving had 24 for Cleveland. LeBron James has only spent 34 minutes of this series on the bench.

This challenge is more than just “up there” for James. He is averaging 32.5 points and shooting 56.6 percent in the postseason this year and with the exception of the Cavs’ only loss, Game 3 against the Celtics, James is controlling his opponents like a puppeteer controls a puppet.

The Celtics season ended well before Game 5 did last night.

It’s that time of the year again. “Obviously, I mean, I’ve played against four Hall of Famers as well too with Manu [Ginobili], Kawhi [Leonard], Tony [Parker] and Timmy D [Tim Duncan] on the same team”. I’m a playmaker. I’m a player. I had nothing left.

“I only play blackjack in Vegas anyway, so it doesn’t matter”, he said. Those are the mini pockets that Warrior coaches believe they can uncork JaVale McGee, plant him on a non-shooter like Jefferson and Shumpert, and hope, at least once or twice in the series, he can have one of those game-altering lob-filled sequences. The fans have always been pretty great. “I’m not sure there are good choices”.

James called the Warriors, “the best team in our league the last three years”. The first “threematch” – rematch of a rematch – in the league’s final round. The Spurs were a championship machine by then. Against Cleveland, they have a matchup problem at every position.

They swept the Cavaliers with LeBron struggling against the defense of veteran agitator Bruce Bowen. That popular sports cliché is about as truthful as a dating profile, especially with oddsmakers setting a record-high betting total for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The future looked extremely bright. “They’ve been super-impressive”, Love said.

All year – along with bouts of careless turnovers – that’s been the Warriors’ primary weakness.