The Cleveland Cavaliers can advance to the NBA Finals with a Game 6 Eastern Conference Finals road win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, owning a 3-2 series lead.
The Cavaliers returned to the form that allowed them to run roughshod through their first 10 games of the postseason, this after a two-game skid north of the border. The team dominated Toronto in Game 5, 116-78, led in scoring by Kevin Love, who posted 25 points. Love added a pair of blocks and assists, shooting 8 of 10 from the paint, 3 of 4 from long range and nailing all six of his attempts from the charity stripe. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving put in 23 points apiece, with James facilitating 8 assists while going 10 of 17 from the field and Irving recording 3 steals and shooting 9 of 17 from field goal range. Richard Jefferson came off the bench to produce 11 points and 6 rebounds as the Cavs leave Quicken Loans Arena with their impressive home record intact, having lost only eight games on home court during the regular season. The team is looking to make their second consecutive trip to the Finals.
Toronto came crashing back to Earth on Wednesday night following a head-turning two-game stand at Air Canada Centre. Only two members of the club's roster managed to post double digits in the right, with DeMar DeRozan dropping a team-best 14 points on a 10 of 12 shooting night from the foul line, and Kyle Lowry finishing with 13 points, 6 assists and 5 turnovers. The Raptors had an abysmal shooting night from beyond the arc, where they made only 3 triples in 17 attempts. Bismack Biyombo, who had stepped up in a big way in the absence of Jonas Valanciunas in the first four games of the series, had a subdued outing, contributing only 4 boards to add to his 7-point performance. History favors the Raptors on Friday night, as over the course of the regular and postseason both Toronto and Cleveland are 4-0 on their home turf.
