Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks - Game 4 - Full Highlights - May 8, 2016 - 2016 NBA Playoffs
Its long been assumed that the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs would meet in the Western Conference finals, with the winner expected to capture the NBA title by making quick work of any team that emerges from the East. But the surging Cleveland Cavaliers are proving they deserve more recognition considering the ease in which they have dispatched their playoff opponents.
Cleveland had arguably the most impressive performance of the postseason on Wednesday night. The Cavs set a playoff record by hitting 25 three-pointers in Game 2 of their second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, taking a 106-70 lead into the fourth quarter before winning by 25 points. The victory gave Cleveland a 6-0 record in the postseason in what has at times looked like a casualstroll into the conference finals. Tyronn Lue"s squad has won by an average of 11.7 points.
LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers could win the title if they continue their hot shooting. Photo: GettyThe winner of the series between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat gets a shot at stopping LeBron James from making a sixth consecutive NBA Finals appearance. Toronto finished just one game behind Cleveland in the regular season, but they barely escapedout of the first round and lost Game 1 to Miami. The Heat have defeated the Cavs twice in three tries, but theyd be hard-pressed to upset Cleveland in a seven-game series withChris Bosh sidelined and without home-court advantage.
Golden State andSan Antonio are both expected to be heavy favorites against Cleveland in the Finals, but things are starting to lookbetter for the Cavs.
Stephen Curry, who remains sidelined with a knee injury, is coming off such a dominant regular seasonthat James greatness seems to be overlooked. James had another MVP-caliber regular season (25.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 6.8 apg, 52 percent shooting), and has shown no noticeable change from the jaw-dropping formthat has defined his 13-year career. The 31-year-oldis just a postseason removed from nearly averaging a triple-double over 20 playoff games, and almost carrying the Cavs to a title over the Warriorswithout much of a supporting cast.
Having won a record-setting 73 games with Curry performing at an all-time level, Golden State is certainly better than they were a year ago. But it cant be discounted that James helped Cleveland take a 2-1 series lead without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Both players are healthy now, and barring an unforeseen injury, the Cavs will coast intothe NBA Finals with their "Big 3" operating at 100 percent.
James did what he could, but he didnt have the supporting cast to win a title in his first year back with the Cavs. While Wednesdays performance was an aberration, it underscored just why Cleveland can threaten any team that comes out of the West.
The Cavs arent facing legitimate title contenders, though their competition hasnt exactly been easy. The Detroit Pistons" 44-win season would have tied for the fifth-best record in the West, while the Hawks finished as the leaguessecond-best defensive team.
Cleveland wont hit 25 three-pointers in another playoff game, especially not on 45 attempts, but their ability to drain shotsfrom behind the arc bolsters their title hopes. Only the Warriors made more three-pointers than the Cavs this season, and Clevelands 36.2 percent shooting ranked seventh. In six playoff games, Cleveland has shot 45.3 percent from three-point range.
Love remains a consistent threat to convert three-pointers, and Irving and J.R. Smith are two of the streakiest shooters in the NBA. Irving shot 30.9 percent from three-point range, but he made 45 percent of his threes in April. Smith has heated up in the playoffs,converting4.7 three-pointersper game on 52.8 percent shooting,and hes an x-factor for Cleveland when he takes smart shots.
While theCavs may sleepwalk towardthe finals, that wont be the case for either the Warriors or Spurs. Golden State is up 2-0 in their second-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, but they are still waiting for Curry to get healthy. The point guard is recovering from a sprained MCL, and two different injuries have forced him to miss almost the entire playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Spurs are far from a guarantee to reach the Western Conference finals. They relinquished home-court advantage when they dropped Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Oklahoma City, an underdog contender with plenty of upside,went 0-2 against Cleveland in the regular season.
But James won"t let the Cavs get ahead of themselves, particularly with a young roster that includes Irving (24 years old), Tristan Thompson (25) and last-year"s surprise contributorMatthew Dellavedova (25).
"Tomorrow"s not promised," James said, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "For our team, we"re still a young group. Let"s not get this mistaken. We"re still a young group that was just put together last year and then put together again towards the All-Star break. We don"t have much experience. We don"t have enough games played in pressure situations for us to ever get lax and to ever lose focus on what the main thing is and that"s to play that next game. Can"t afford it.
"We don"t have the experience like the San Antonio and the Golden State and the OKC and even the team that we"re playing now. We don"t have that, so we have to understand and be in the moment every time we go out on the floor."
Before the start of the second round, both Golden State and San Antonio had better than 2/1 title odds. Clevelands odds were worse than 3/1 after they swept the Pistons in the first round, even though they are nearly 1/5 favorites to win the East.
The Hawks, Raptors and Heat have shown little evidence they will pose much of aroadblockto the Cavs" reaching the title series. Should Cleveland avoid an upset in the East, having a fitness edge over the West could be crucial. The Cavs won"thave home-court advantage against the Warriors or Spurs, but they will at least have good health on their side.
In a postseason so plagued by injuries,a relatively clear path to thefinals might be just what Cleveland needs to overcome the West powers.
Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/cleveland-cavs-finals-chances-lebron-james-cavaliers-show-why-they-can-win-2016-nba-2364760
