LeBron James scored 33 points and made key plays late on Sunday to give defending National Basketball Association champion Cleveland Cavaliers a 106-102 victory at IN and a sweep of their playoff series.
James scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Cavs to the road win, earning a 4-0 first-round sweep in the process. I'm truly blessed and honored to be in a position where I hold a record in this league that's had so many great players and so many great teams throughout the years in the postseason.
The cumulative victory margin, 16 points, was tied for the lowest in a four-game sweep in playoff history. It was the 91st double-double of his playoff career (fourth most in the last 30 seasons). He was a part of the group of reserves whom coach Tyronn Lue played with James the entire fourth quarter. "We didn't play with the same spunk and pace".
Paul George had his worst game in months, scoring just 15 points on 21 shots.
Now Cleveland takes a seven-game winning streak into the conference semifinals against either Milwaukee or Toronto.
The Cavaliers blew away a lead and trailed the Pacers by two with less than 90 seconds left before James making the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:08 to play to seize the victory. George missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with one second left, and James got the rebound and was fouled.
IN got back into the game with a 7-0 spurt early in the in the fourth, then methodically continued chipping away at the lead until Thaddeus Young tied the score at 100 with a short jumper and broke the tie on a tip-in with 1:31 left.
Kyrie Irving added 28 points, Deron Williams scored 14 and Kevin Love had five points and 16 rebounds.
Farhan Akhtar, Adhuna divorced
Farhan Akhtar tied the knot with Adhuna Bhabani in 2000 and the couple announced their separation previous year . According to a report in Mid-Day , the Bandra family court granted the ex-couple a divorce on Monday.
Initially, only a limited amount of tickets will be offered Tuesday for the first two home games, which begins Monday, May 1.
"Paul's shots were short today, which is a sign that he was worn down", IN coach Nate McMillan said. If I do that, I give myself, my teammates and different guys and all the kids looking up to me for inspiration, it gives them hope.
IN closed to within 96-90 with 8:09 remaining, and a George 3-pointer sliced the deficit to 98-93 with 6:26 to play.
"It's real frustrating to continue on losing to the same team or same person", George said. "It's what I work hard for in the summers to try to help lead a team along and ultimately, it's who I am always going to see and face".
"Once again, we just had to weather the storm", said James. And again, he sent the Indiana Pacers home for vacation.
The Cavaliers only exerted themselves defensively for two quarters this series: the third and fourth quarters of Game 3. Cleveland outscored IN 30-25 during the third period and led 88-77 with 12 minutes remaining. Nene allowed the Rockets to overcome an off night by James Harden, who finished with 16 points on 5-for-16 from the field. Al Horford added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and the Celtics pulled even in a series that was in danger of becoming a rout.
With Game 4 at a critical juncture, the All-Star guard provided a huge lift for a team that has been supporting him in the toughest of times. He averaged 37 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 46 first-round games. Stephenson led IN in the first half with 14 points, and Jeff Teague had 10. Teague had six first-quarter points, and George and Stephenson each added five. He shot 10-of-13 from the field and 7-of-9 from 3-point range.
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