LeBron leads Cavs sweep; Sixers dump Celtics, avoid sweep

After a phenomenal Game 4, the Cleveland Cavaliers have turned their season upside down, sweeping the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Toronto aren’t without their warts – their All-Star backcourt has a tendency to either go missing or revert to an archaic style in the playoffs – but this may well be a LeBron problem and not a Raptors problem. It was clear in that moment this team had neither the mental fortitude nor the wing defense to finally overcome LeBron, and given Toronto’s reputation for choking, this self-sustaining prophecy made the ultimate outcome all but inevitable.

Yeah, yeah: LeBron James beat the Raptors at the buzzer in Game 3 – but that’s just because he’s a dramatist like Shakespeare and the Raptors are LeBron’s Globe Theater.

It’s been an epic postseason for James so far. Kevin Love, who has re-established his superstar credentials, was again his wingman with 23. Pat Riley would drive to San Antonio in August with no air conditioning and the windows stuck in the up position if that’s what it took to get that deal done. “I mean, we still have to keep getting better, but I like where we’re at right now”. “The guys around him that he gets involved in the game make plays for them”. They finished 17-of-22 for 43 points.

Perhaps Toronto is meant to rule the Eastern Conference after all – although the growth of teams like the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers suggests it will be a hard task (with or without James).

5 – Remember that time when some analysts were saying that this is the worst supporting cast LeBron has had since 2007?

Any team would actually want to have King James on their team, especially after he steered the Cavs to sweep the Eastern Conference semis over Houston Raptors.

“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best”.

All five of Cleveland’s starters scored in double figures on Monday, with Kyle Korver adding 16 points, JR Smith finishing with 15 points, and George Hill pitching in with 12 points.

With their effectiveness, the starters help lead the Cavs to shoot nearly 60 percent from the floor and 46 percent from three-point range Monday night.

They came close in Games 1 and 3. The Cavs connected on 80 percent of their free throws as a team.

But even his most frequent detractor, commentator Skip Bayless, seemed to understand that taking things easy for a little while and letting the other Cavs do the heavy lifting made sense for the 33-year-old.

This opens all kinds of possibilities for the next series, and, potentially, the one after that. Fell to 0-7 in playoff games in Cleveland. In 84 playoff minutes, the quintet is averaging 118.8 points per 100 possessions, is scoring 112.9 points per 48 minutes, and has a net rating of +9.3.

Until this series, the Raptors had not lost more than two consecutive games this season.

Hood has struggled in the playoffs after being acquired in a February trade from Utah. It will be interesting to see if he’s back in the rotation next series.

In Monday’s closeout game, James had only two points in the first quarter, but Cleveland was still able to build a 30-26 lead heading into the second. By the end of the series, he said he felt “burnt“.