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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.
"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.
The Cavaliers also finished -- regular season and playoffs --
7-1 against Indiana, winning the last seven in a row, although
this one certainly wasn't easy.
"Offensively, we were not that good," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue
said. "We didn't play with the same spunk and pace. But
defensively, I thought we were really good. We did a great job
on Paul George. We kept him to 15 points."
Indiana, which never had been swept in a best-of-seven series,
took a 102-100 lead on a Thaddeus Young tip-in with 1:31 to
play, but the Cavaliers scored the game's final six points to
advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference.
For James, it was his 21st consecutive first-round playoff game
victory, breaking Magic Johnson's record of 20 set in the
mid-1980s.
"It's really frustrating to continue losing to the same team or
the same person (James)," 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. But again, we just came up short and didn't do enough."
When asked if he hopes to remain with the Pacers, George, whose
future has been discussed frequently in Indiana, said: "I ain't
even at that point yet. Next question."
(Editing by Andrew Both)
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