When the Cleveland Cavaliers limped into the NBA play-offs with a four-game losing streak to finish the regular season, some wondered if the reigning champions were vulnerable.
LeBron James, at least for one series, removed all doubts.
James scored 33 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining, and Cleveland defeated the Indiana Pacers 106-102 on Sunday afternoon, completing a four-game sweep in the opening-round series.
#CavsPacers sweep: complete ✔
Game 4 recap: https://t.co/vpsMFAu2lM #DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/S5UYWLfpDe— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 24, 2017
‘Once again, we just had to weather the storm,’ said James, who made 13 of 25 field-goal attempts and added 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks.
‘We beat a very good team. We had to make plays at the end, and we did.’
Cleveland’s four victories came by an average of four points, tying the smallest average margin of victory in a four-game series sweep, also set in the 1975 NBA Finals when the Golden State Warriors defeated the then-Washington Bullets.
Culled from Mail Sport