The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on Sunday, 100-99, to complete a 4-0 series sweep in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The reigning Eastern Conference champs and first seed are now undefeated through two rounds after sweeping the Detroit Pistons before moving on to the semifinals. The semis saw an emphatic sweep for the Cavs, who set the record for three-pointers in a game in their Game 3 blowout. While Sunday saw a close call for the Cavs, the team still saw strong performances from its stars. LeBron James scored 21 while also recording 10 rebounds and nine assists, finishing just shy of a triple-double. Kevin Love, meanwhile, led the game with 27 points while also pulling down 13 boards. Love had a whopping eight three-pointers.
For the Hawks, meanwhile, the season ended short of the mark set in their 2014-15 campaign, but was cut short at the hands of the same opponent. After making it to the conference finals last season, the Hawks were easily handled in the semifinal series, losing all four games. Last year’s All-Stars Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver combined for just ten points on Sunday, as Cleveland seemed to have an answer for everything the Atlanta backcourt had to offer. Star forward Paul Millsap, meanwhile, had a strong outing despite the loss, scoring 19 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
The Cavaliers will face either the Toronto Raptors or the Miami Heat in the conference finals.
