Irving, LeBron help Cavaliers sweep past Hawks, advance to NBA Finals
For most people, time heals all wounds.
In Kyrie Irving's case, however, that state of mental and physical wellness could only come from actual playing time ... even though his court presence wasn't absolutely required on this night.
On Tuesday, the All-Star point guard, sore knee and all, suited up and played a strong role in the Cavaliers' 118-88 rout of the Atlanta Hawks, clinching a series sweep of the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed.
Irving, making his first-ever postseason run with Cleveland, had missed the previous two games to injury.
The dual reward from the Game 4 triumph: Irving (16 points, five assists) got a minutes-controlled chance to test his knee strength and overall physical conditioning, while helping Cleveland earn an eight-day break before the NBA Finals (against Golden State or Houston).
How big was Irving's surprise entry into the Cavaliers' starting lineup, a move that drew the audible ire of TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith?
For one night, he managed to make LeBron James a secondary story -- even though King James (23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists in Game 4) has now reached the NBA Finals in five consecutive years (four with Miami, one with Cleveland).
Sunday's Game 3 might have been a back-and-forth overtime classic, taxing the victorious James to the brink of total exhaustion. But Tuesday was a one-sided thumping, devoid of any real drama from the start -- with the Cavaliers racing to a 32-20 advantage after the first quarter ... and then steadily dissecting the overmatched Hawks for the remaining three periods.
In short, the whole evening had the look and feel of a coronation for a Cleveland franchise that has reached the NBA Finals only once before -- in Year 4 of LeBron's first go-round with the Cavaliers (2007), a memorable season which ended with an inglorious sweep, at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
The shorthanded Hawks were seldom competitive in Game 4, getting only 54 points from their starting five and shooting just 42 percent from the field.
There was one more notable occurrence : Without injure sharpshooter Kyle Korver, Atlanta buried only 5 of 32 three-pointers in the series-clinching defeat.
