No surprise: It’s Cavs-Warriors in the NBA Finals yet again

The Golden State Warriors will meet them there, waiting since Monday after sweeping the Spurs and becoming the first team in National Basketball Association history to go 12-0 through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Though there were more blowouts a year ago by almost any measure, the 2017 postseason’s average margin in pre-Finals games (13.5) is fifth-highest all-time and second-highest since 1959 (behind 2016, 14.2). The points made James the NBA’s all-time leading playoffs scorer.

Kyrie Irving (24) and Kevin Love (15) also combined for 39 points, in a game the Cavaliers never looked like losing. “We’re going to enjoy this for a couple days before we have to lock in on that juggernaut out West”.

“This team is a insane team”, Cavs coach Ty Lue said.

“Whatever they have to do to continue to play at – not just a normal level – at an MVP level, that’s what I’ve been on the doctors about”, he said. “We need to understand the privilege that we have and the opportunity that we have to play in the Finals again, to have the opportunity to win a championship”. The two teams are separated by a single game over the past two seasons, regular season and playoffs. The Cavs led 43-27 after the first quarter and built their lead to 23 points when Love hit two free throws with 7:00 left in the second quarter. The Cavs took a 75-57 lead to the locker room at the half. 43 points set a Cavs playoff record for the most points scored in a quarter.

“I think the first thing for me was seeing the excitement on Kyle (Korver’s) and Deron (Williams’) face”, James said.

He did it with a three-pointer late in the third quarter – the first of a string of three straight from beyond the arc.

It was a very welcomed sight in Irving’s case, after he rolled his left ankle in the third quarter of Cleveland’s Game 4 win. James and the Heat took that Finals in five games.

Now that we’ve finally got what we were waiting for, it’s tempting to recast this Finals as a best-of-69 series and root for one or the other to finally claim it, 35-34.

“King” James surpassed National Basketball Association icon Michael Jordan as the league’s all-time leading playoff scorer. Jordan won six championships in six NBA Finals appearances, while James is is going for his fourth. Reserve James Jones is also making his 7th-straight trip, as well as a teammate of James.

After one quarter, the C’s defense was on pace to allow 172 points to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

More germane to the present, the Cavs officially rebounded from their out-of-character Game 3 loss and their shaky first half in Game 4 with a game of vicious execution and momentum. James had 20. Kyrie Irving had 19 and Kevin Love 12 points. They finished 19 of 41 Thursday. In regard to opponent field goal percentage, they rank No. 2 in the restricted area, No. 4 on other paint shots (and No. 1 in the paint overall), No. 2 from mid-range, and No. 4 from 3-point range. Irving knocked down four treys and handed out seven assists.

That Over/Under number is the largest total in the Covers database (1990-91-2017) and easily eclipses the previous high of 214 points, which was set for Game 3 of the 1995 NBA Finals between the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets.