Cavs beat Celtics to earn NBA Finals rematch with Warriors

Although the Celtics have been able to be competitive in the last two games, even stealing one victory away on Cleveland’s home turf, they have yet to really show that they can play up to the level of the Cavaliers for a sustained period of time.

“He’s been the driving force, this entire playoff run, and all of us have just helped us along the way”, Irving said. Thomas initially injured his hip in March and played the final two months of the regular season before aggravating it during the playoffs. Cleveland won by one on Christmas Day, Golden State prevailed by 35 on January 16.

Up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, defending league champion Cleveland will attempt to close out the Celtics and advance to the NBA Finals for the third straight year in Game 5 tonight at 8:30 at TD Garden. “So however you want to take that, that’s how the season’s been”.

The team, however, all wanted to take a step back to shove James forward. So you have to appreciate it. We’re finally here. Sort of… The story lines are plenty, including a few fresh ones, such as acting Golden State coach Mike Brown going against the team he coached not once but twice.

The Los Angeles Lakers had set the previous record of 12 straight wins in potential elimination games from 2000-2004.

“This team is a insane team”, Cavs coach Ty Lue said. It has put everyone in a bad mood, including Kevin Durant, who flatly told people to stop watching if they didn’t like the games (then apologized, for some reason). “When we come into practice and everyone is locked in, true professionals, it makes the game a lot more fun”. James struggled offensively early in the game going 2/6, and facing foul trouble early in the game, collecting his 4th with 6 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter, forcing him to ride the bench for the remainder of the half. “We have to be ready for the challenge”.

That was 10 years ago, leading up to the heavily hyped draft in which the Oden-Durant debate raged throughout basketball.

Durant’s only other time in the Finals was 2012 when he was with Oklahoma City. I think the biggest thing for me sitting here today after breaking the all-time scoring record in playoff history is that I did it just being me.

James was mobbed by teammates, embracing him and shouting in his ear, in awe of his accomplishment. “But I’d say anybody up front”.

The last champagne bottle hadn’t been popped a year ago before the Cavs and Warriors were picked by odds makers to return for a third straight match up with the Warriors pegged as the early favorites.

The 51-year-old Kerr underwent a procedure May 5 to fix a spinal fluid leak stemming from complications after a pair of back surgeries in 2015, after the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years during his first season as coach.

“It’s a little different, definitely”. “I went when I was 23 years old, and it felt like the Western Conference Finals was nearly like the championship”.