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Cavaliers Head To Conference Finals For Fourth Consecutive Year

LeBron James after the Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 3 of the NBA second-round playoffs over the Toronto Raptors.
Tony Dejak
/
Associated Press
LeBron James after the Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 3 of the NBA second-round playoffs.

With a dominating 128-93 win in Game 4 last night, the Cavs are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth straight year.

The Cavs ended the Toronto Raptors鈥� season for the third year in a row, as LeBron James put up impressive stats, including 29 points and 11 assists.

Catching Up With LeBron

The semifinals were a definite contrast from the Cavs鈥� grueling seven-game first round series that left James, who averaged 41 points, pretty exhausted.

WKSU commentator Terry Pluto said Kevin Love, George Hill and J. R. Smith stepped up in the conference finals.

鈥淭he team just seemed to catch up to LeBron,鈥� Pluto said. 鈥淗is confidence rubbed off on them.鈥�

It鈥檚 been an epic postseason for James so far. According to Pluto, James鈥� stats are only part of the picture.

鈥淗ow does his team grow around him?鈥� Pluto said. 鈥淭hey begin to develop a tougher playoff personality.鈥�

Love, who struggled in the Pacers series, averaged 26 points with the Raptors.

Scared To Death

And, there鈥檚 also the intimidation factor as the teams鈥� psyches change heading into the playoffs.

鈥淟eBron just scares other teams to death,鈥� Pluto said.

At a pregame press conference, the Raptors鈥� coach Dwane Casey said he doesn鈥檛 believe in ghosts in the playoffs, even after losing the previous two seasons to the Cavs.

鈥淗e may not subscribe to ghosts, but he can鈥檛 beat LeBron James,鈥� Pluto said. 鈥淭hat does get in their heads.鈥�

This is James鈥� eighth consecutive year in the finals: the first four were with the Miami Heat, and the last three were with the Cavs.

Another Uphill Series?

But can the Cavs ride this high into the conference finals?

Pluto predicts if the Cavs end up taking on the Celtics, fans might get flashbacks to the uphill seven-game series against Indiana.

鈥淏oston will probably play them in the slow physical style Indiana did,鈥� Pluto said.

The Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday. The winner will face off against the Cavs in the conference finals.

Mark has been a host, reporter and producer at several NPR member stations in Delaware, Alaska, Washington and Kansas. His reporting has taken him everywhere from remote islands in the Bering Sea to the tops of skyscrapers overlooking Puget Sound. He is a diehard college basketball fan who enjoys taking walks with his dog, Otis.
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