First-Round Sweep Proves Cavs Will Reach Finals
Despite all the talk heading into the 2017 NBA Playoffs regarding the Cleveland Cavaliers and their potential postseason struggles, the defending champs are already on to the second round. They became the first team to win their first-round series, sweeping the Indiana Pacers in four games.
Indiana wasn’t a title contender, and defeating the Pacers is no great feat. But the sweep further reinforces the fact that no one is stopping LeBron James from reaching a seventh straight NBA Finals.
Cleveland won’t have an easy time defending their title. The Golden State Warriors are even better than the team that won a record 73 games in 2016, and the Cavaliers’ defense is still suspect. That won’t matter much against the rest of the Eastern Conference, however, which doesn’t contain a legitimate championship threat.
As close as the Pacers came to stealing a game in the first round, the Cavaliers did what James’ teams have been doing for five straight seasons. James hasn’t suffered an opening-round loss since 2012, and the NBA’s best player hasn’t slowed down one bit.
For many NBA fans, James isn’t even in the conversation for the 2017 MVP award, with Russell Westbrook and James Harden almost certain to finish first and second in the voting. Kawhi Leonard will get more votes than James, as well, and there has been some discussion that perhaps he’s surpassed James as the league’s best player.
James, however, put that argument to bed with a first-round series for the ages. His greatness has become so commonplace that it’s hard to marvel at the numbers he puts up, but his performance against the Pacers further proves that no one in the East can stop the Cavaliers.
Scoring 32.8 points per game on 54.3 percent shooting, James nearly averaged a triple-double in four games against Indiana. He led the Cavaliers on the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history in Game 3 and never seemed to run out of gas while playing nearly 44 minutes per night.
Westbrook has been a triple-double machine for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he isn't nearly as efficient as James. Harden turns the ball over more than anyone in NBA history, and Leonard isn’t nearly the passer or the rebounder that James is.
The idea that playing so many minutes could hamper James this postseason no longer seems to be a real concern. He was terrific against Indiana after leading the league in minutes per game, and the Cavaliers will be rewarded with some much-needed rest.
Maybe if the Pacers took the Cavaliers to six or seven games, James could potentially feel the effects in the later rounds. But the first-round sweep means Cleveland will have more than a week off until they have to take the court again in the conference semifinals.
The playoffs are not like the regular season. There are no back-to-backs and no stretches of four games in five days. Teams always have at least one day off in between contests, and often times they get to rest up for two whole days during a series.
Despite being 32 years old in year No.14, there simply isn’t any evidence that James will break down this postseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James reacts after a dunk in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on April 15, 2017. Photo: Reuters/David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The Cavs will likely hit at least one bump on the road to the NBA Finals. The Toronto Raptors won two games in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, and Cleveland lost two games to the Chicago Bulls in the 2015 conference semifinals. But no one in the East can match up with Cleveland for seven games.
The trio of James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving will just be too much for the likes of the Raptors, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. Irving averaged more than 25 points against the Pacers, and Love is having his best season with the Cavs.
Cleveland has three All-Stars in their starting lineup, and Toronto is the only other team in the conference with two All-Stars on the roster. No East team besides the Cavs will exit the first round in fewer than six games.
James’ reign of dominance in the East will eventually come to an end, but 2017 isn’t that time.
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