The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics returned back to the TD Garden for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In the last game, the Cavaliers returned back to their dominating ways, allowing Kyrie Irving to take over the game and leading them to victory. The Cavaliers would be one step further to the NBA Finals, while Boston looked to stave off elimination.
In the first half, Cleveland went on a scoring tear against the Celtics, outscoring them 43 to 27, the most points made in a quarter by any playoff team. It would be their franchise record for any game, too. The Cavaliers’ lead would only continue to swell, thanks to offensive production from Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, and LeBron. By the end of the first half, Cleveland led 75 to 57.
In the second half, Cleveland continued displaying their dominance as Irving, LeBron, and Smith carried the scoring load, while contending against Boston’s Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and Terry Rozier (pronounced Ro-jeer). Despite the Celtics’ late rally in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers would eventually seize a major victory over the Celtics with a score of 135 to 102.
And so, the Cleveland Cavaliers will head to their third straight NBA Finals appearance. This will also be LeBron’s 7th straight appearance and 8th altogether. Speaking of LeBron, he surpassed Michael Jordan on the All-Time Playoff Scoring List, along with passing Manu Ginobili on the All-Time Playoff Three-Point Scoring List.
”I wear the number because of Mike,” James said. ”I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just because of what he was able to accomplish. When you’re watching Michael Jordan it’s almost like a god. So I didn’t think I could be Mike.”
With all the accolades and achievements LeBron has reached, it could be safe to finally compare him to Michael Jordan.
”The biggest thing is I did it just being me, I don’t have to score the ball to make an impact on the basketball game,” James said. ”That was my mindset. If I’m not scoring the ball, how can I still make an impact on the game?”
For the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron led the way with 35 points, Kyrie Irving had 24 points, Deron Williams scored 14 points, and Kevin Love with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Boston Celtics, Avery Bradley scored 23 points, Gerald Green had 14 points, Jae Crowder made 11 points, and Terry Rozier scored 10 points.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will now face the Western Conference Champion Golden State Warriors in another rematch for the Larry O’Brien trophy in the NBA Finals. This will surely be no doubt another chapter in the Cavs-Warriors storied rivalry.
The NBA Finals start Thursday June 1 on ABC, with Game 1 taking place at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Coverage starts at 9pm (Eastern Time)/ 6pm (Pacific Time).
The Heat Check Magazine 