Playoff Update: Round 2, Game 4
Well that was easy.
The number 1 seed in the Eastern conference just went out with a whimper. The Raptors, holding a 59-23 record during the regular season, came into the playoffs as the team to beat. The talk was that they were different. They had gotten over the hump, and the Cavs had regressed. This was the year that they took it to the next level. Instead we got some old reruns.
Cleveland swept the second round playoff series with their 128-93 beat-down of Toronto Monday night, making it three consecutive years that Toronto has lost to the Cavs in the playoffs, and the second time in a row that they were swept. They have talent, both veteran and youth, but last night they showed that they still aren't even close to being ready. DeRozen is insanely skilled, but loses control often, as shown by his ejection in the game due to a flagrant 2 foul for knocking Jordan Clarkson in the head. Lowry and Valanciunas are both great players, but can get thrown off their games fairly easily as well. It will be interesting to see how they move forward from being exposed in this series.
Once again, Cleveland got a balanced attack from their "other Cavs". If you haven't seen the SNL skit featuring Donald Glover, I recommend taking a look. Maybe it gave the rest of the team a bit of an edge for this game. Kevin Love was great again, scoring 23 points on 8-13 shooting and adding 2 blocks and 2 steals. J.R. Smith woke back up after his 0 point Game 3 to score 15 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting night. Kyle Korver is continuing his steady veteran role by chipping in 16 points on his usual 3-pointers and backdoor cuts.
The surprise of the night came early on when PG George Hill threw down two dunks in transition that left everyone shocked. Hill looks like he has finally recovered from his nagging ankle injury that has limited him the last few months. He ended up with 12 points and 5 assists in a solid 29 minutes of action.
With a nearly 30 point lead going into the 4th quarter, LeBron finally got some rest. This is the first game in the series he has played less than 40 minutes, so getting that break, and the rest that comes from finishing the series before Boston does, should help James feel rejuvenated for the Eastern Conference Finals. Even with his reduced minutes he still put up a typical Lebron-esque stat line of 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. One of those assists being a nifty behind the back bounce pass through traffic to Kevin Love for a layup.
We really are watching another basketball great right now, one that in his 15th season is getting better, instead of fading away. While it is impossible to compare him with great players from different eras, James needs to be in any conversation about the greatest basketball players of all time. Conservatively estimating, James should finish his career top 3 in points, top 5 in assists, top 10 in steals, and top 40 in rebounds. Regardless of how this season ends up, I'm just enjoying the ride.
Eastern Conference Finals Preview
Barring an amazing comeback by the Philadelphia 76ers, it looks like it will be Cavs-Celtics for the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. As I have said before, this matchup would be a lot more interesting if former-Cavalier Kyrie Irving was healthy, coming back to play his former team after allegedly demanding a trade last off-season. As it is, Brad Stevens has done a remarkable job getting the most out of this group with no true superstar. They are pretty much the antithesis of the Cavaliers, relying on the system completely instead of one or two star players. This can make for some efficient basketball, but when it comes down to it, you need a guy you can trust to get you a bucket at the end of the game. It will be interesting to see how this clash of styles works out on the floor.
If the Celtics-76ers series ends in six games or fewer, the Celtics-Cavs series would tip Sunday. If Celtics-76ers goes seven games, the conference finals will tip Tuesday.
Cover photo credits: By Erik Drost (Cleveland Cavaliers) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons>via Wikimedia Commons
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