Cavaliers Sweep Raptors to Advance to NBA Eastern Conference Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors 109-102 in Toronto on May 7th, sweeping the Raptors to advance to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliers have been very impressive in the post season and are 8-0 in the playoffs. Cleveland swept the Indiana Pacers in round one.

LeBron James played like a man on a mission, because well, he’s on a mission. He’s now reached seven straight Eastern Conference Finals. James led all scorers with 35 points. Kyrie Irving scored 27, and Kyle Korver came off the bench to score 18. The Raptors were led by Serge Ibaka with 23 and DeMar DeRozan with 22. The Raptors were without star point guard Kyle Lowry for the second straight game due to a sprained ankle. Cory Joseph filled in for Lowry and did an admirable job, scoring 22 points and had 12 assists. Joseph may very well have more starts next season, as reports are that Lowry will opt out of his contract and become a free agent after averaging 22.4 points and 7.0 assists this season.

The Cavaliers will now wait for the winner of the Boston Celtics—Washington Wizards series. That series is tied and 2-2, with Game 5 on May 10th. The Cavaliers will be well rested. Boston is the top seed in the East, so if the Celtics win they’ll have home court advantage over #2 Cleveland, but the way the Cavaliers are playing now that may have little effect.