LeBroom: James, Cavs sweep Raptors to make conference finals

CLEVELAND — LeBron James sent Toronto into summer vacation for the third straight season as the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a series sweep of the Raptors with a 128-93 win in Game 4 on Monday night to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

James finished with 29 points, 11 assists and spent some of the final 7:38 dancing near the bench during Cleveland’s 10th straight playoff win over Toronto, which changed its system, its roster and its approach but still can’t beat the game’s best player.

Kevin Love added 23 points and J.R. Smith 15 for the Cavs, who can now rest while waiting for the Boston-Philadelphia semifinal series to end.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 18 and Kyle Lowry had 10 assists to lead the exasperated Raptors. Toronto’s frustration hit its peak late in the third when All-Star DeMar DeRozan was ejected for a flagrant foul.

Cleveland will be appearing in its fourth straight conference final despite a turbulent regular season and a bumpy start to the playoffs. The Cavs needed seven games to get past Indiana before tormenting Toronto — again.

James arrived at Quicken Loans Arena three hours before tip-off wearing a baseball cap that said: “Don’t Trip.” If the message was directed at his teammates, they got it.

The Cavs didn’t stumble and had one of their best all-around games of these playoffs after so many tight ones. They won Games 1 and 3 over Toronto by a combined three points, needing a buzzer-beater to outlast the Raptors on Saturday night.

There was no need for such heroics and for a change, James, who came in averaging 41.7 minutes per game in the postseason, had plenty of help. All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures and Love continued his spring rebirth after struggling against the physical Pacers.

The contributions from Cleveland’s supporting cast came two days after “Saturday Night Live” poked fun at the team in a skit entitled “The Other Cavaliers,” which didn’t air but went viral on social media.

Cleveland took control with a 12-0 run over the final 2:12 of the first half. The Cavs didn’t let up, pushing their lead to 30 as their fans finally got a chance to relax and start making plans for the next round.

After James dropped a fadeaway baseline jumper to give Cleveland a 27-point lead, the 33-year-old stared at Toronto’s bench as he ran back on defense.

The Raptors must see him in their dreams.

It’s back to the drawing board for Toronto. The Raptors had the league’s second-best record, the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, a deeper bench and in Lowry and DeRozan enough firepower to offset James.

But after blowing a big lead and giving away Game 1 on their home floor, the Raptors never recovered and now face an offseason full of questions and second-guessing.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey, looking for a spark to save the season — and maybe his Job — switched starting lineups for the second straight game. He gave C.J. Miles his first start and put Serge Ibaka back with the first five after using him in a reserve role in Game 3.

But Miles picked up two quick fouls and the Cavs’ offense was in gear from the start as Cleveland opened 12 of 15 from the floor while building a 26-17 lead.

COACHING CHANGE

Lue was shocked to learn of coach Stan Van Gundy’s firing in Detroit. Lue played for Van Gundy in Orlando and has always respected his basketball IQ.

“He’s emotional because he’s into the game,” said Lue, who added Van Gundy supported him during his health absence. “He loves the game that much. But as far as Xs and Os, understanding different teams, different schemes, his players, he’s one of the best as far as knowing the basketball game and what it takes.”

And as rumors swirl about Casey’s future, Lue said Toronto would be foolish to do anything rash.

“It would be absurd to make a move like that,” he said.

TIP-INS

Raptors: DeRozan was tossed after hitting G Jordan Clarkson in the head on a layup. DeRozan finished with 13 points after sitting out the fourth quarter in Game 3. … Fell to 0-7 in playoff games in Cleveland. … Didn’t lose three straight during the regular season, then lost four in a row to the Cavs.

Cavaliers: Improved to 10-0 in Game 4 closeouts. … Won their 15th straight second-round game dating to the 2015 playoffs. … James entered Game 4 with 348 points in these playoffs, the most through 10 games by any player since Michael Jordan (354) in 1992. … Love became the fourth player in Cleveland history with 500 career playoff rebounds, joining James, Thompson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: Await Sixers-Celtics winner.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Cavs’ struggles continue with shock loss to Knicks

LOS ANGELES - Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis combined for 66 points Sunday as the New York Knicks stunned the struggling Cavaliers 114-95 in Cleveland.

The Knicks notched their first win over the Cavs since October 30, 2014, ending a 10-game losing streak against the NBA Eastern Conference powerhouse.

Hardaway scored 34 points and Porzingis added 32 with 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who handed LeBron James and the Cavaliers a fourth defeat in eight days.

A day after falling to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Cavaliers looked lethargic as they fell behind by 18 points in the third quarter.

They trimmed the deficit to 94-88 on a James layup with 8:20 to play before the Knicks regained control.

Kevin Love again led Cleveland with 22 points and 11 rebounds. James added 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Derrick Rose returned after four games sidelined by a sprained left ankle and scored 15 points against his former team.

In Indianapolis, Victor Oladipo drained the game-winning three-pointer with 10.3 seconds remaining as the Indiana Pacers downed the San Antonio Spurs 97-94.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points to lead perennial Western Conference contenders San Antonio, who have lost two in a row.

The Pacers led much of the game before the Spurs rallied to take a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter.

"We just stayed poised," said Oladipo, who finished with 23 points. "It's a long game, there's a lot of ups and downs. It's a game of runs. You've just got to lift each other up. We did a good job of that."

Oladipo admitted that his shot from 30 feet away, which put the Pacers up 95-94, was "maybe too deep".

"Honestly, I didn't really want to shoot it that far, but the move felt good and I just held my follow-through and it went in," he said.

"He was deep and he was off-balance, but give him credit, he knocked it down," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

San Antonio's LaMarcus Aldridge missed a jump shot with 5.1 seconds left. Cory Joseph was fouled with 3.4 seconds remaining and hit both free throws to push the lead to 97-94 before San Antonio's Patty Mills missed a potential game-tying three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points -- his fifth 30-point game of the young season -- to lead the Bucks to a 117-106 win over the Hawks in Atlanta.

With 12 rebounds and five assists, Greece's Antetokounmpo notched his fourth double-double of the season and the Bucks won their second straight.

The Bucks also got a season-high 27 points from Khris Middleton, who also  pulled down seven rebounds and handed out eight assists. —Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

LeBron scores 39, Cavaliers rout Raptors in Game 2

CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 39 points, hopped Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the career playoff scoring list and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 125-103 blowout over the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time).

Just like a year ago in the conference finals, the Cavs are up 2-0 on the Raptors, who had better figure some things out or this series will be over quickly. Toronto was blown out for the fifth straight time in Cleveland in the playoffs, losing each by an average of 24.2 points.

Game 3 is Friday night at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, where the Raptors will have the crowd on their side.

However, they won’t have James, who has won a road game in 27 consecutive series and appears determined to toss Toronto aside. He finished 10 of 14 from the field.

Kyrie Irving had 22 points and 11 assists and Channing Frye scored 18 points for the reigning champions, who are 6-0 so far defending their title. Cleveland is 9-0 since losing Game 4 of last year’s NBA Finals.

The Raptors didn’t start Jonas Valanciunas, but he led them with 23 points. Toronto only got five points from All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who didn’t make his first field goal until the first minute of the fourth quarter.

Of bigger concern might be the status of guard Kyle Lowry, who sprained his left ankle in the third quarter. Lowry spent the fourth quarter in the locker room icing his ankle.

James came in needing 25 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar, and he overtook the Hall of Fame center with a 3-pointer in the third quarter, when he scored 17 points and helped the Cavs open a 26-point lead. James now only trails Michael Jordan (5,987), the player to whom he has been compared since he was a teenager, for the most points in postseason history.

James is also trying to match Jordan’s six titles. He’s halfway there, and the way the Cavs are playing, he could have No. 4 before long.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey promised the Raptors “would be a different team tonight coming out.” He meant in terms of energy, but Casey also started a smaller lineup, benching the 7-foot Valanciunas and forward DeMarre Carroll in favor of guard Norman Powell and forward Patrick Patterson. He also moved Serge Ibaka from power forward to center.

The moves were intended to give Toronto more ball handlers and open the floor on offense.

They didn’t work simply because the Raptors couldn’t contain James.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Cavaliers down Raptors in second-round playoff opener

WASHINGTON, United States — LeBron James scored 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Monday, leading the reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers over Toronto 116-105 in the opener of their second-round playoff series.

Kyrie Irving added 24 points and 10 assists while Kevin Love had 18 points and nine rebounds as the Cavaliers seized the edge in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference matchup with game two set for Wednesday.

The Cleveland-Toronto winner next faces Washington or Boston, which leads that series 1-0 entering Tuesday’s second game.

Houston visits San Antonio later Monday to open their Western Conference matchup. The winner will face either Utah or Golden State, who begin their second-round series Tuesday.

James hit 13-of-23 shots from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line while Tristan Thompson contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers, whom James warned will be even better next time out.

“I feel like I’ll be a lot better on Wednesday,” James said, citing an eight-day layoff since completing a first-round sweep.

“Little bit of rhythm here and conditioning there, I think a lot of our mistakes we were able to cover up for because our energy level was high.

“It’s the feel out game so we’ll break down the film and we’ll be much better Wednesday.”

The Cavaliers scored 10 consecutive points to grab a 22-11 edge, stretched it to 38-20 early in the second quarter and led 62-48 at half-time. They led by as much as 25 points on the way to victory.

Irving scored 16 first-half points while James had 13 and Love 11.

“We want to continue to move the ball, share the ball and make everybody feel comfortable with what we’re trying to do,” James said.

The Raptors, who fell to 1-12 in playoff series openers, were led by 20 points from Kyle Lowry and 19 from DeMar DeRozan. CBB

source: sports.inquirer.net

James reaches another milestone in Cavs win over Hornets

CLEVELAND — Standing at midcourt, LeBron James spun the ball on his index finger as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

He had the Hornets turning in circles all night.

James scored 17 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth quarter and reached another career milestone as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight, 116-105 over Charlotte on Saturday.

James did it all, making five 3-pointers and adding 10 assists and nine rebounds in 43 minutes. He took over in the fourth, scoring 13 straight during one stretch to help the Cavs hold on.

“A lot of our guys had heavy legs tonight and it was up to me to get through it,” he said.

“He carried us,” teammate Kevin Love said. “I kept telling him, ‘Take us home.'”

James, who moved into ninth place on the career scoring list Friday, recorded his 7,000th assist in the first half, becoming the first frontcourt player in NBA history to reach the plateau.

The 31-year-old is the only player with 27,000 points, 7,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds.

“I don’t know what to say,” James said when asked about the achievement. “That’s the triple threat of me. To rebound, to pass, to put the ball in the hole a little bit. It’s just an honor. I’m just blessed. To be the only one to put up those numbers is pretty cool because this is the game I love. It’s the game I watched my whole life growing up, so it’s incredible.”

Cleveland shot a season-best 58 percent from the field and beat Charlotte for the sixth straight time at home.

Kemba Walker scored 24 to pace the Hornets, playing the first of five consecutive road games. Walker sat out the final few minutes after banging knees with James.

“It’s not bad at all,” said Walker, who had a sleeve over his left knee. “At the moment it looked pretty bad, but I’m good. I was coming off a ball screen and he ran into me.”

Charlotte coach Steve Clifford knew his team was going to have trouble defending the Cavs if the reigning NBA champions were clicking.

Once James warmed up, there wasn’t much the Hornets could do.

“He passed. He rebounded. He made 3s. He was great going to the basket,” Clifton said. “He was phenomenal. He made three or four 3s that he’s going to make. You can’t block them. You can’t contest them. When he’s shooting the ball like that there’s nothing you can do, other than blitz, and that’s what he wants you to do, and then he really makes you look bad.”

The Cavs were on target from the start, shooting 71 percent while building a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Cleveland stayed around 70 percent for most of the first half and had a 15-point lead at halftime.

The Hornets cut it to three in the third, but James countered with a pair of 3s in a span of 25 seconds, straddling the arc after the second make while looking in the direction of Clifford, who was calling a timeout.

NO REST

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue intends to rest James at some point, but not on a night when Kyrie Irving said he was tired.

“I didn’t want to play LeBron this many minutes, but he came and said, ‘Coach, I’m fine,'” Lue said. “Then, he started raining 3s. We had to ride him tonight.”

TIP-INS

Hornets: Nicolas Batum is one of five NBA players averaging at least 13 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. James, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are the others. Of that group, Batum came in averaging the fewest turnovers (2.3). … Walker entered with the second-most 3-pointers (61) in the Eastern Conference. Only Toronto’s Kyle Lowry had made more. … Charlotte’s trip includes stops in Indiana, Washington, Boston and Atlanta. The Hornets won’t play at home again until Dec. 20 when they host the Lakers.

Cavaliers: Irving scored only 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. … J.R. Smith returned after missing two games with a hyperextended left knee and scored six points in 32 minutes. … Irving joined James and Mark Price as the only players in Cleveland history with 600 career 3-pointers. … Cleveland improved to 41-10 at home against Charlotte. … Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles, an Ohio native, was introduced during a timeout in the first quarter. … F Channing Frye missed his second straight game to attend his father’s funeral.

UP NEXT

Hornets: At Indiana on Monday.

Cavaliers: Host Memphis on Tuesday before flying to Tennessee to face the Grizzlies again on Wednesday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

UFC 203: Miocic keeps heavyweight title, KOs Overeem

CLEVELAND—Stipe Miocic climbed to the top of the octagon and threw his legs over its sides, straddling the cage like he was riding a horse.

He had defended his title in stunning fashion, and Cleveland’s hometown hero has no plans to give it up.

“I’m going to stay champ for a long time,” he said.

Floored by an early punch, Miocic recovered and knocked out Alistair Overeem at 4:27 of the first round to conclude UFC 203 on Saturday night in front of nearly 20,000 delirious fans.

Miocic, whose title in in May set off a run of championships in a city that didn’t celebrate one for 52 years, was in big trouble after Overeem caught him on the jaw with a short left. Overeem pounced on Miocic, a Cleveland fire fighter, and put him in a guillotine hold as he tried to choke him out. But the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Miocic, urged by the crowd chanting “Stee-pay, Stee-pay,” escaped the hold and quickly pressed the action.

In the final minute of the round, Miocic stunned Overeem with a punch and then held him down and delivered four devastating right-handed punches to the challenger’s head to finish him off.

“When I got on top of him, game over,” Miocic said.

When the fight was stopped, Miocic ran and climbed the cage, a move he had planned for months. Soon after, he took the microphone and yelled “O-H” to the crowd, which responded “I-0,” to the local champ, whose knock out of Fabricio Werdum this spring was followed by the Cavaliers overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat Golden State in the NBA Finals.

“I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life,” Miocic said.

Overeem almost ruined things for Miocic when he knocked him on his butt and attempted to end the fight. But Miocic wasn’t going to be denied and was offended when he learned that Overeem had thought he tapped out.

“I don’t remember tapping out,” Miocic said. “I remember punching him in the face until he was unconscious.”

Before Miocic’s stunning comeback, former WWE superstar CM Punk could have used a folding chair or a tag-team partner.

Out of pro wrestling’s scripted ring, his first visit into the octagon didn’t last long.

Punk, who was one of WWE’s biggest stars when he left it two years ago to try his hand in ultimate fighting, tapped out just 2:14 into the first round after he was pummeled and choked by welterweight Mickey Gall.

The 38-year-old Punk charged Gall but was on his back less than 10 seconds into the fight. Pinned up against the fencing, he was unable to get out from under Gall, who smashed a right hand into Punk’s temple and then kneeled on top of him and swung both arms like a pendulum, connecting with one hard shot after another.

Punk nearly got free, but Gall regained a dominant position and squeezed his opponent’s head like he wanted to snap it off. Punk had no choice but to tap his hand on the mat, ending the fight the way many inside UFC predicted.

“Yeah you know in life you go big or you go home,” Punk said afterward. “I just like to take challenges. It was a hell of a climb, I didn’t get to the summit tonight but it doesn’t mean I’m going to give up it doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere, it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.”

The 24-year-old Gall never doubted he would crush Punk.

“I know my kill stuff would be more than his kill stuff,” he said. “I knew what to expect and I was ready to dominate.”

Prior to Miocic’s bout, former heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum won a unanimous decision over Travis Browne.

Following the heated bout, Werdum put his gloved hands to his face and was pretending to wipe away tears when he was confronted by Browne’s coach Edmond Tarverdyan. Werdum tried to kick Tarverdyan and security rushed into the ring as both corners jawed at each other.

Just climbing the steps into the octagon was something of a victory for Punk, who became a villain of sorts inside UFC circles as fans, wrestlers and fellow fighters questioned his motives for taking up a new sport with no experience.

He was accustomed to the outside distractions – media requests, fans and travel – for years. But despite working with Duke Roufus and other top trainers at the Roufusport Martial Arts Academy in Milwaukee for the past year, he wasn’t ready for Gall.

Still, Punk intends to stick with his new love.

“Obviously, Mickey’s a hell of a fighter. I will be back, believe it or not,” Punk said. “This was the most fun I’ve had in my life, second best night of my life after marrying my wife. I know there’s a lot of doubters but listen, life’s about falling down and getting back up. Doesn’t matter how many time you get knocked down, get back up.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA Finals: Curry has 38, Warriors take 3-1 lead over Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — Stephen Curry found his long-range touch and scored 38 points, Klay Thompson added 25 and the Golden State Warriors moved within one win of defending their title by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.

Curry had scored just 48 total points in the first three games, but the two-time league MVP made seven 3-pointers and Thompson, his Splash Brother, drained four 3s as the Warriors took a 3-1 lead in the series.

Golden State, which made history with a 73-win regular season, can become the seventh franchise to win consecutive titles with a victory in Game 5 on Monday night at rip-roaring Oracle Arena, where they won the first two games by a combined 48 points.

After blowing out the Warriors by 30 in Game 3, the Cavaliers had a chance to even the series. However, LeBron James and Co. didn’t enough to contain Curry, Thompson or Harrison Barnes, who made four 3s and added 14 points.

Kyrie Irving scored 34 points for the Cavs, who will need much more in Game 5 or they’ll finish as runner-up to the Warriors for the second year in a row.

James added 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but the superstar also had seven turnovers and was too passive at times. Kevin Love returned to the lineup after missing Game 3 with a concussion and added 11 points off the bench.

source: sports.inquirer.net