LeBron passes Jordan as all-time National Basketball Association playoff scoring leader

The Cleveland Cavaliers were less than two hours removed from clinching their third straight Eastern Conference crown and James’ seventh consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.

The NBA’s championship eras have always been built by its biggest stars.

Yet the Warriors-Cavs rivalry carries even more than a ring count: It’s a battle over the outward identity of the National Basketball Association at one of the league’s most ascendant moments. Cleveland is expecting another unflinching effort in Game 5 from a Celtics team that isn’t backing down despite facing a 3-1 deficit in the series. There was too much jubilation and joy in the Cavs’ locker room to wade into that territory. Davis had allowed only one unearned run in his first 18 appearances this season before giving up a two-run homer to the immortal Mac Williamson. In Game 2, he scored 53 points – one shy of John Havlicek‘s franchise record.

The Boston Celtics’ accomplishments in 2016-17 – winning the Atlantic Division, getting the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern Conference and more – are nothing to downplay. So you have to appreciate it.

“We all need to soak this up”.

Already, the back-and-forth is underway.

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed Golden State as a -260 favorite, with Cleveland at 220. Those guys are going to challenge me, they’re going to challenge our ballclub. Thomas also has great speed for a point guard which helps Boston with their up tempo style of play.

The Warriors won an National Basketball Association record 73 regular-season games last season, then added one of the league’s best players in Durant. And while Kevin Durant is also exceptional, it’s Curry’s bursts of greatness that’s given him the edge and the MVP. “So it makes it even more risky when you equip that talent, that skill with those guys”.

And though the players know what’s coming and those who leave will still make more money than us at their next place of employment, the parting won’t be easy.

For James, this is his eighth Finals in the past 11 seasons. Each has taken a title from the other, and each wants to stake its claim as the defining team of its time.

James, who was joined on the podium by team-mates, pointed out that it was a special moment for Deron Williams and Kyle Korver, two veterans heading to the Finals for the first time in their careers.

They’ll collide again, starting next week. The Warriors have an average margin of victory in the postseason of 16.1 points, and have won by fewer than 10 points only once. They got a big scare in late February when Durant had a left knee injury, but he’s back and the Warriors have rolled since.

The three-pointer put the Cavaliers up by 32 points. So it’s a little different now, obviously. They’ve been super-impressive. It’s kind of in our minds that that’s who we were going to see.

The storylines are many.

DeMar DeRozan may have summed it up best earlier this month after a 51-win season for the Raptors was abruptly ended by way of a James-led sweep in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Can Durant win his first? The latest trip up came when his Thunder blew their own 3-1 lead to these Warriors just a year ago. Golden State was a blistering 36-5 at Oracle Arena this past regular season.