2016 ECF vs Raptors

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CavsTV Top Plays From The East Finals

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Top Photos From the East Finals vs. Toronto

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Wrap-Up -- From the day the Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA Finals last June, they’ve been a team on a mission. And after Friday night, only four victories stand between them and its completion.

Granted, those four wins will be the toughest they’ll earn all season – but unlike last year at this time, the Cavaliers head to the NBA Finals with three-thirds of their Big Three completely healthy and hitting on all cylinders.

The Wine and Gold emphatically snapped the trend of each Eastern Conference finalist winning on their home floor – manhandling the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, 113-87, to punch their ticket to the Finals, where they’ll face either Oklahoma City or Golden State beginning on Thursday night.

In the previous two matchups in Toronto, the Cavaliers dug themselves an 18-point first-half hole and spent the second half digging their way out. In Friday night’s Game 6, Cleveland took control early and never looked back.

“We wanted to approach this game like it was our Game 7,” said Coach Tyronn Lue, who took over midway through the season and has guided Cleveland to a 12-2 postseason mark. “We didn’t want to leave anything to chance and we wanted to come out and we wanted to play aggressive on both ends to start the game.”

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for 83 of the Wine and Gold’s 113 points. James and Love both doubled-up in the win, with Irving barely missing that mark – but still pacing both squads with nine assists, one less than the Raptors tallied as a team.

Fourteen games into the 2016 Playoffs, LeBron notched his first 30-point game of the Playoffs – leading the Wine and Gold with 33 points on 13-for-22 shooting, including 3-of-6 from long-distance, to go with 11 boards, six assists and a game-high three blocks.

Determined not to let his squad get off to another slow start, James came out of the gate firing – netting 14 points in the first quarter, going 5-of-6 from the floor, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. LeBron was in attack mode the entire evening, hitting the gas whenever the squad fell into a funk or the Raptors made a run.

Kyrie Irving did his damage in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his 30 points – his third 30-point outing of the postseason – and hitting on an even 12-of-24 from the field overall. His nine helpers marked a career postseason best – adding four boards, a game-high three steals and a blocked shot.

”Last year I remember embracing (LeBron), and he hugs me, and he said, ‘Get your hobbling ass over here,’ and he gave me a hug,” recalled Irving, who played just one Finals contest before suffering a knee injury in overtime of Game 1. “I just remember having that knee brace on, and it just didn't feel the same hobbling into the locker room knowing that we were going to the Finals but I wasn't at full strength.

“Thinking about just the steps it took to get back to where we are now, I really have a true appreciation for these guys and my teammates and just a true appreciation of the journey.”

After bouncing back from two poor performances over the weekend in Toronto with a big game on Wednesday night, Love capped the Conference Finals with a 20-point, 12-rebound performance in Game 6 – his ninth double-double of the Playoffs.

J.R. Smith rounded out the Cavaliers in double-digits, finishing with 15 points – going 5-of-8 from deep.

Channing Frye led Cleveland’s reserves with six points – going 2-of-3 from long range. In the 2016 Playoffs, Frye’s hit on 58 percent (26-450 of his three-point attempts.

The Cavaliers scored 31 points in the first and third quarters and held the Raptors to 16 points in the second and just 13 in the fourth. Cleveland topped the 110-point mark for the third time in the series and held Toronto under 90 for the fourth time.

Toronto’s dynamic backcourt duo of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 55 points in the loss, with Lowry leading everyone with 35 points – scoring 23 after intermission.

In the closing moments of the game, with the victory well in-hand, the classy All-Star duo came over to Cleveland’s bench to congratulate the Wine and Gold on the win.

Overall, the Cavs held the Raptors to just 42 percent shooting, including 32 percent from long-range. The Cavaliers rediscovered their three-point stroke on Friday – canning 17 triples in 31 tries and shooting 54 percent from floor on the night. Cleveland dished out 22 assists compared to just 10 for the Raptors.

Once again, the Cavaliers topped the Raptors on the boards, 38-33, and on the break, 17-5.

Turning Point -- The Wine and Gold took the lead just three minutes into the game and kept the Raptors at arm’s length through most of the first half. But their burst right before intermission kept Toronto from taking any momentum into the second half.

With 2:14 to play in the second quarter, DeMar DeRozan’s pull-up jumper got the Raptors to within eight and the crowd sensed that their squad was in the hunt.

But J.R. Smith drilled a triple off an offensive rebound by Kevin Love and Kyrie converted an and-1 on Cleveland’s next possession. Irving picked Kyle Lowry in the closing seconds of the half, fed ahead to Love – who bottomed out his second bomb of the night to put the Cavs up two touchdowns at the break.

By the Numbers – 25 … consecutive Playoff series in which LeBron James has won at least one road game. The last time James didn’t get a road win was the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando. Overall, he’s won 18 straight Eastern Conference Playoff series, making his sixth straight trip to the NBA Finals.

Quotable – LeBron James, on the Cavaliers being preordained the Eastern Conference champs  …

”We earned the right to be here and represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals. We work our tails off every single day. We commit to one another and we sacrifice to one another. We're not supposed to be here; we earned our right. We earned our right to be here today.”

Up Next – The Cavaliers play the waiting game one more time in the 2016 Playoffs as they await their opponent in the NBA Finals. If the Thunder – who lead the West Finals, 3-2 – are able to upset the reigning Champs, the Wine and Gold hold OKC on Thursday night at The Q. If the Warriors can win the next two, the Cavaliers will travel to Oakland to start the series.

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Cavs Once Again Beasts of the East

Presentation of the Eastern Conference Finals Championship - May 27, 2016

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Game 6 Postgame CavsTV Exclusive with Dan Gilbert – May 27, 2016

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Game 6 Postgame Breakdown with Richard Jefferson - May 27, 2016

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Game 6 Postgame: LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love - May 27, 2016

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Game 6 Postgame: Coach Lue - May 27, 2016

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