LeBron leads Cavaliers to Eastern conference finals
LeBron, Cleveland send Raptors packing again, head to conference finals
LCLEVELAND eBron James sent Toronto into summer vacation for the third straight season as the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a series sweep of the Raptors with a 128-93 win in Game 4 on Monday night to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
James finished with 29 points, 11 assists and spent some of the final 7:38 dancing near the bench during Cleveland’s 10th straight playoff win over Toronto, which changed its system, its roster and its approach but still can’t beat the game’s best player.
Kevin Love added 23 points and J.R. Smith 15 for the Cavs, who can now rest while waiting for the Boston-Philadelphia semifinal series to end.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 and Kyle Lowry had 10 assists to lead the exasperated Raptors. Toronto’s frustration hit its peak late in the third when All-Star DeMar DeRozan was ejected for a flagrant foul. Cleveland will appear in its fourth straight conference final despite a turbulent regular season and a bumpy start to the playoffs. The Cavs needed seven games to get past Indiana before tormenting Toronto — again.
James arrived at Quicken Loans Arena three hours before tip-off wearing a baseball cap that said: “Don’t Trip.” If the message was directed at his teammates, they got it.
The Cavs didn’t stumble and had one of their best all-around games of these playoffs after so many tight ones. They won Games 1 and 3 over Toronto by a combined three points, needing a buzzer-beater to outlast the Raptors on Saturday night.
There was no need for such heroics and for a change, James, who came in averaging 41.7 minutes per game in the postseason, had plenty of help. All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures and Love continued his spring rebirth after struggling against the physical Pacers.
The contributions from Cleveland’s supporting cast came two days after Saturday Night Live poked fun at the team in a skit titled “The Other Cavaliers,” which didn’t air but went viral on social media.
Cleveland took control with a 12-0 run over the final 2:12 of the
first half. The Cavs didn’t let up, pushing their lead to 30 as their fans finally got a chance to relax and start making plans for the next round.
After James dropped a fadeaway baseline jumper to give Cleveland a 27-point lead, the 33-year-old stared at Toronto’s bench as he ran back on defense. The Raptors must see him in their dreams. It’s back to the drawing board for Toronto. The Raptors had the league’s second-best record, the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, a deeper bench and in Lowry and DeRozan enough firepower to offset James.
But after blowing a big lead and giving away Game 1 on their home floor, the Raptors never recovered and now face an offseason full of questions and second-guessing.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey, looking for a spark to save the season — and maybe his Job — switched starting lineups for the second straight game. He gave C.J. Miles his first start and put Serge Ibaka back with the first five after using him in a reserve role in Game 3.
But Miles picked up two quick fouls and the Cavs’ offense was in gear from the start as Cleveland opened 12 of 15 from the floor while building a 26-17 lead.
76ERS 103, CELTICS 92
In Philadelphia, T.J. McConnell turned a surprise start into the save of the season and Dario Saric scored 25 points to help the 76ers stave off elimination with a win over Boston in Game 4.
The Sixers still face daunting odds headed into Game 5 and trailing 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals: No NBA team has ever won a series down 3-0.
McConnell had a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in only his second start of the season and meshed well in the backcourt with Ben Simmons. The crowd chanted “TJ! TJ!” each time he touched the ball in the fourth and proved why he has been so valuable even as bigger stars have sliced his playing time.
He was just what coach Brett Brown needed in a must-win game.
“I can tell you the Philadelphia 76ers spirit is just fine,” Brown said.
With NBA teams down 3-0 having lost all 129 series, the Sixers may need more than spirit to pull off this stunner.
Joel Embiid had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Simmons had 19 points and 13 boards.
The big 0 in the box score: Confetti pieces fired into the sky. The Sixers scrapped their traditional confetti cannon celebration after it was prematurely shot at the end of regulation in a Game 3 overtime loss.
The Sixers were in control in what could be their last home game of the season.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown and coach Brad Stevens were whistled for technicals late in the third and the Sixers capitalized with two free throws and an Embiid dunk that had rapper Meek Mill standing.
Embiid chirped at Marcus Morris and the Celtics forward flashed a “3-0” with his hands.
McConnell buried a 3 for a 14-point lead that would soon make that combination obsolete.
Brown was desperate to spark the Sixers and benched slumping forward Robert Covington (0 for 14 combined in Games 1 and 3) for McConnell.
McConnell, an undrafted third-year guard, had started 68 games combined over the last two seasons and served as an example of the type of player The Process was built on. He was an underdog, a hustler, a court general that made him a reliable favorite for Brown. But Simmons’ emergence put McConnell on the bench, and without complaint.
McConnell zipped inside for easy buckets, made the extra pass to keep the offense rolling and made the dive for loose balls.
“How do I help my stars be stars, because at the end of the day that’s what we need,” Brown said. “That’s my job.”
He turned to McConnell, that’s how.