Cavs complete another sweep by dispatching Raptors
LeBron James and the Cavaliers are going back to a familiar place after sweeping another overmatched opponent.
James scored 35 points, Kyrie Irving added 27 and Cleveland swept Toronto, beating the host Raptors 109-102 on Sunday to give James his seventh consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference finals.
“It’s rewarding when you can advance,” James said. “It’s not just given to you, you have to go out and earn it. Once again, I’m part of a team that’s been able to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. It’s going to be my ninth time in 14 years. I’ll take those numbers.”
Kyle Korver scored 18 points to help the Cavaliers become the first team to win eight straight playoff games the year following a title, and the first team to win eight straight in consecutive postseasons.
“The fact that we play our best basketball in the postseason lets us know that we’re up for the challenge,” said James, who had nine rebounds and six assists.
Irving had nine assists for Cleveland. The Cavs were 16for-41 on three-pointers.
“When LeBron is shooting the three-ball the way he is, at the rate he’s shooting it, they’re difficult,” Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said. “It’s going to take a Herculean effort to beat them.”
The Cavs finished off the Raptors about an hour before Game 4 between the Celtics and Wizards tipped off in Washington. That series won’t end until Friday night at the earliest, and could run until next Monday night, meaning the Cavs will have lots of rest.
Serge Ibaka scored 23 points, and DeMar DeRozan had 22 for Toronto. The Raptors took their first fourth-quarter lead of the series but couldn’t avoid the sweep.
“We needed that, we needed to be tested throughout 48minute games,” Irving said. “One of the hardest things to do is sweep teams.”
Making his second start in place of injured point guard Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph had 20 points and 12 assists for Toronto, which lost in six games against Cleveland last year in the conference finals.
Toronto posted back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time in franchise history and reached the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Bolstered by late-season deals for Ibaka and P.J. Tucker, the Raptors expected to push Cleveland a little harder this year, but showed they still couldn’t handle the Cavs.
“It’s on us to let this sink in and understand we’ve gotta come back better, individualand team-wise,” DeRozan said.
Wizards 121, Celtics 102: Bradley Beal scored 29 points and host Washington used a 26-0 third-quarter run to tie the series at two games apiece. John Wall added 27 points and 12 assists for Washington. Wall had seven points, three assists and two steals during the third-quarter spree that featured eight Boston turnovers. Isaiah Thomas had 19 points for the Celtics; he scored 17 in the first 15 minutes. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Boston.
Rockets 125, Spurs 104: James Harden scored 28 points, Eric Gordon added 22 and host Houston rebounded from consecutive losses to beat San Antonio and tie the series 2-2. The Rockets did not trail and used hot three-point shooting to take control in the third quarter. Jonathon Simmons had 17 points for the Spurs. Game 5 is Tuesday night in San Antonio.
Coaches share award: The NBA’s coaches have spoken: No one did a better job this season than Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Houston’s Mike D’Antoni. Spoelstra and D’Antoni were named co-recipients of the inaugural Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award. The league’s 30 head coaches are the only voters. A media panel voted separately for the NBA’s Coach of the Year award, which will be announced June 26. The Warriors’ Steve Kerr was among seven other coaches to receive votes.