This is the Hangover. We get basketball-wasted all the time. Yes, we recap the NBA every night in our own way.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Gus Chan/Cleveland Plain Dealer.)
#1 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 100 @ #4 ATLANTA HAWKS 99
EAST Semifinals – Game 4- CAVALIERS WIN series, 4-0
The Hawks were desperate. That’s an understatement. Kris Humphries once again provided a boost for Atlanta. They ended the quarter with an 8-0 run to give themselves a nine-point lead.
And then… the three-point shooting continued with the Cavs. They made 10 three-pointers in the first half but the Hawks still led by two at the half.
Kevin Love and his boys got all the corner threes they wanted. The Cavs did get trigger-happy from behind the arc but the Hawks were actually lucky because Cleveland missed a lot of them.
The Hawks would take the lead late, 97-96, after back-to-back Dennis Schroder lay-ups. LeBron James would then give the lead back after his lay-up got goaltended by Paul Millsap. A long two by LeBron would boost the lead to three before Schroder got another lay-up in. After LeBron missed a three, the Hawks drove down the court with little time and no timeouts left. Schroder tried to go back inside for the potential go-ahead lay-up but he got tied up by LeBron with 2.8 seconds left. The Hawks were somehow able to get the tip off but they weren’t able to get the shot off (Paul Millsap‘s shot didn’t go in and was too late).
The Cavaliers swept the Hawks once again and are still undefeated in the postseason. They are certainly peaking at the right time. It’s funny how they suddenly all like each other now. They’ll have sleepovers tomorrow. Before you know it, they’ll all be going steady, sophomore year in high school-style. Do we even still use the term “going steady”?
BEHIND THE LINES
LeBron James (CLE): 21 pts, 10 rebs, 9 assts.
Kyrie Irving (CLE): 21 pts, 8 assts.
Kevin Love (CLE): 27 pts (8/15 3FG), 13 rebs.
Dennis Schroder (ATL): 21 pts, 6 assts.
#2 SAN ANTONIO SPURS 97 @ #3 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 111
WEST Semifinals – Game 4 – Series is TIED, 2-2
The Spurs got off to another hot start as they led by 10 after the first. The Thunder came back to take the lead late in the second but LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard, who have been assassins in this series, went on a 9-0 run that was started by a pulverizing Kawhi jam. The Spurs led by eight after the half.
The Thunder won’t be denied this time around. In particular, Kevin Durant refused to go down. We were given a familiar sight as Durant took over the second half. The Spurs withstood the initial onslaught but Durant turned it up and did not miss a single field goal in the fourth. The 2014 Most Valuable Player scored 17 of his 41 points in that final period, even outscoring the machinery that is the Spurs in the quarter. His personal 7-0 run late made the score more lopsided than how the game looked overall.
The Spurs don’t shoot as many threes as the rest of the field but are usually efficient at them. But in this game, San Antonio went a dreadful 2 for 12.
The series is now tied as they go back to San Antonio, where the Spurs have only lost twice all season (once was in this series). Can the Thunder pull off what was mostly thought improbable? Or are the Spurs going to keep the machine running?
BEHIND THE LINES
Steven Adams (OKC): 16 pts, 11 rebs.
Russell Westbrook (OKC): 14 pts, 7 rebs, 15 assts, 3 stls.
Kevin Durant (OKC): 41 pts, 5 rebs.
Kawhi Leonard (SA): 21 pts, 6 rebs, 4 stls.
LaMarcus Aldridge (SA): 20 pts, 6 rebs.
Tony Parker (SA): 22 pts.
WATCH THIS PLAY
Kawhi Leonard dunked this on Steven Adams with the attitude of a librarian.
(VIDEO CREDIT: giacomo.)
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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