Give the Hawks credit; they threw everything they could at the Cavaliers. But the Wine and Gold has all the markings of a team on a mission – and on Sunday afternoon, they took one step closer to completing it, winning a 100-99 thriller to sweep Atlanta out of the postseason and improve to 8-0 heading into the Eastern Conference Finals.
In a series featuring record-setting performances and dazzling individual performances, Game 4 came down to a simple jump-ball.
After Dennis Schroder scored on a layup to get the Hawks within a point with 34.4 to play and had a chance to put Atlanta ahead on Atlanta’s final possession, charging to the hole with the clock winding down. But LeBron tied him up along the way, forcing a jumpball with 2.8 to play.
James easily won the tip and J.R. Smith tracked down the ball in the corner. But he saved it to Paul Millsap, who was able to launch a desperation heave from the corner. The shot fell short and the Wine and Gold improved to 12-0 all-time against Atlanta in the Playoffs.
For the fourth time in the 2016 postseason, the Big Three all tallied at least 20 points – led by Kevin Love, whose monster third quarter turned the entire game around.
Love struggled from the floor in the first half – going 4-for-12. In his defense, all four of Love’s makes were from beyond the arc. In the third he was almost unstoppable, canning three three-pointers in 61 seconds early in the period as the Cavs turned a six-point deficit into a two-point edge.
When the smoke cleared on the quarter, Love had notched 15 points and seven board – going 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-of-7 from deep. On the afternoon, the three-time All-Star led both teams with 27 points on 9-for-25 shooting, including 8-of-15 from long-range to go with a game-high 13 boards.
Love’s eight triples tied a Philips Arena postseason record for opponent’s three-pointers in a game with eight – tying the mark J.R. Smith set in Game 1 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
“(Love)’s been staying with it and making big shots,” praised Coach Lue after the win. “You know, early on he might be frustrated but tonight he stayed with it and stayed the course and had a big third quarter, he really got us over the hump.”
LeBron doubled-up for the second straight game and nearly notched his first triple-double of the 2016 Playoffs, finishing with 21 points, 10 boards and nine assists – going 10-for-23 from the floor, adding a pair of steals and a block.
Kyrie Irving topped the 20-point mark for the seventh time in eight postseason contests — finishing with 21 points and eight assists, going an even 8-for-16 from the floor.
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