Cavaliers clinch Eastern Conference with 109-94 win over Hawks

BY STONE LEXINGTON

CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER

Controversy has circled the Cleveland Cavaliers the entire 2015-16 season. Despite being under the brightest of spotlights, the Cavs secured the best record in the Eastern Conference and home court advantage throughout the East playoffs with a convincing 109-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Monday night in Quicken Loans Arena.

“We didn’t downplay it,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said. “We said we wanted to get the No. 1 seed, but we also had to rest guys. I thought tonight starting the game, our guys were tired.”

It didn’t look like the Cavs were going to pull away from Atlanta early in the contest. The Hawks sprinted out to a 10-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. LeBron James, however, wouldn’t let the lead swell too much as he scored the Cavs first eight points, including back-to-back three-pointers that brought Cleveland within a 12-8 deficit. Cleveland trailed 26-22 when the first quarter ended but began to flip the contest in the second quarter.

The Cavs used a 29-19 second quarter to take a 51-45 lead into halftime and poured on the pressure in the third quarter. When Kyrie Irving sank the final bucket of the Cavs’ 39-point third quarter, Cleveland led 90-75 heading into the final frame. Atlanta never came within singe digits in the fourth quarter.

“If he (James) plays like this, we’re going to be tough to beat,” Lue said. “He’s just taken it to a whole other level the last three or four weeks, playing at a high level, shooting the ball very well, shooting it with confidence and also getting to the basket. I like the LeBron I see right now.”

The dynamic duo of Irving and James were the catalysts for the Cavs against Atlanta. Irving totaled a game-high 35 points, four rebounds and four assists, while James finished with 34 points, six rebounds and six assists. Despite the next closest Cavaliers to James and Irving in scoring finishing with 10 points each (Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova), James wasn’t needed in the fourth quarter.

With his second three-pointer of the night, Irving passed Danny Ferry (543) for 5th place in Cavs history in three-pointers made. Due to his inconsistent play, the Cavs point guard has received much criticism of late. Having Irving healthy in the playoffs, however, is better than what Cleveland experienced with Irving in last year’s postseason.

The Cavs extended their home record to 33-7 this season with one left to play in The Q. The win over Atlanta was also Cleveland’s seventh straight against the Hawks, including last year’s postseason. Cleveland has now scored at least 100 points in 13 of their last 14 games.

Three of the Hawks starters, Kent Bazemore (23), Jeff Teague (21) and Al Horford (20) finished with at least 20 points. None of the other Hawks finished in double-figures in scoring.

The Cavs have one game remaining on their schedule, a home meeting with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, before embarking on their quest for a championship.

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POSTED 04/11/2016 22:21

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