Clicking Cavs oust Raptors
CAVALIERS 128, RAPTORS 93
CLEVELAND — Order has been restored for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Four games with Toronto straightened them out.
LeBron James sent the Raptors into summer vacation for the third consecutive season as the Cavs completed another series sweep over the East’s top team with a 128-93 victory in Game 4 on Monday night to advance to the conference finals for the fourth consecutive year.
James finished with 29 points, 11 assists and spent some of the final 7:38 dancing near the bench during Cleveland’s
10th consecutive playoff victory over Toronto, which changed its system, its roster and its approach but still can’t beat the game’s best player.
Pushed to the max for seven games by Indiana in the first round, the Cavs took care of Toronto quickly.
“It was a great series for us,” James said. “We had a lot of challenges to start the series knowing the domination they had in the regular season. We had a great game plan and we just tried to execute it.”
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 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 consecutive conference final despite a turbulent regular season and a bumpy start to the playoffs.
The Cavs 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.
“From Game 1, they were wonderful,” James said of his teammates.
“I was horrible in Game 1 and they picked it up for me. So I tried to follow their lead going into Game 2 and all the way through Game 4.”
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.
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.
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.
“We had a heck of a season,” Raptors Coach Dwane Casey said. “But there’s a different level, and you saw it tonight.
“Everybody called Cleveland out. But as long as they have [James], they have a chance.”
DeRozan was tossed after hitting guard Jordan Clarkson in the head on a layup. DeRozan finished with 13 points after sitting out the fourth quarter in Game 3. TORONTO Miles 12, 1-2 Lowry 5, 5-11 Siakam 2-7 (93) 3-4 0-0 3-4 13, 5, Anunoby 3-3 DeRozan 9, Nogueira 1-3 5-11 0-0 3-4 0-0 2, 13, Ibaka 0-0 Powell 0, 5-8 Poeltl 0-0 2-5 0-3 10, Brown 0-0 0, Valanciunas 0-1 1-2 1, VanVleet 7-14 4-6 2-5 18, 0-0 Wright 5. Totals 4-7 2-2 3679 17-23 93. CLEVELAND (128) Smith 6-6 0-0 15, James 12-19 5-8 29, Love 8-13 5-6 23, Hill 5-8 2-2 12, Korver 6-8 0-0 16, Nance Jr. 4-4 0-0 8, Green 3-7 0-0 8, Osman 2-5 0-0 5, Zizic 0-3 0-0 0, Thompson 2-3 1-1 5, Calderon 0-0 2-2 2, Clarkson
2-8 1-1 5. Totals 50-84 16-20 128. Toronto ............. 26 21 25 21 — 93 Cleveland .......... 30 33 37 28 — 128 3-Point Goals—Toronto 4-15 (Ibaka 2-3, VanVleet 1-3, Lowry 1-4, Anunoby 0-1, Wright 0-1, Powell 0-1, Miles 0-2), Cleveland 12-26 (Korver 4-5, Smith 3-3, Love 2-4, Green 2-6, Osman 1-3, Hill 0-1, Clarkson 0-1, James 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds— Toronto 32 (DeRozan, Valanciunas 5), Cleveland 37 (James 8). Assists—Toronto 19 (Lowry 10), Cleveland 29 (James 11). Total Fouls—Toronto 24, Cleveland 21. Ejected—DeRozan. Attendance—20,562 (20,562).