Cleveland Cavaliers sweep Atlanta Hawks to punch ticket to NBA finals

Sport360 staff 08:42 27/05/2015
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  • LeBron James scored 23 points as Cavs booked a place in the NBA finals.

    LeBron James advanced to his fifth-straight NBA finals Tuesday, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-88 rout of the Atlanta Hawks and a sweep of the Eastern Conference finals.

    Once again James carried the Cavs on his back, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and then sitting on the bench and playing cheerleader for much of the final quarter of Tuesday's contest.

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    "We worked our tails off all season to get to this point," James said. "We have everything it takes to win. I have been there. We have grit, determination and a willingness to want to be great."

    It was an impressive 4-0 series sweep for the Cavaliers and their title-starved Cleveland fans.

    Cleveland advanced to its first NBA finals since James led a rag-tag group there in 2007, when they were swept by the mighty San Antonio Spurs. The city hasn't celebrated a major sports title since the Cleveland Browns won the National Football League championship in 1964.

    The Cavaliers franchise has never won an NBA title.

    Kyrie Irving returned for game four in front of a crowd of 20,500 at Quicken Loans Arena following a two-game absence due to a knee injury. He tallied 16 points and five assists in 22 minutes.

    Cleveland will face either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in the championship showdown. Golden State leads that series 3-1.

    Four-time MVP James is the first to make it to the finals five straight years with two different teams. He has been in the last four finals with the Miami Heat before deciding to return to his hometown Cavaliers at the beginning of the season.

    James battled through leg cramps late in game three but stayed in the tilt which the Cavaliers won 114-111 in overtime. 

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