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Cleveland Cavaliers: A Villanova-like Dream

By Kristopher Grimes

May 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates beating the Atlanta Hawks in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates beating the Atlanta Hawks in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 3, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) gets a high-five from his teammates guard Kyrie Irving (2) and forward Kevin Love (0) after scoring during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets win 106-97. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

Setting The Scene

Just like the NCAA Tournament, the path to earning a spot the NBA Finals is never easy. Eighth-seeded teams are always scrappy and will play their hearts out. Fifth, sixth, and seventh-seeded teams might only be a talent notch below the teams that finished third and fourth.

The Cavaliers and Warriors will have teams fighting them night in and night out. The Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Boston Celtics in the first round of last year’s playoffs, but Boston gave them a game each and every night. So what opposition did the Cavaliers and Warriors meet on their way to this imaginary epic NBA Finals ending?

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James put on another spectacular playoff performance through the first three rounds of the playoffs. Averaging 32 points, eight assists, and 10 boards, he led the Cavaliers to a sweep of the Detroit Pistons and through a hard-fought five-game series against Boston.

The Pistons didn’t go down easy. Head coach Stan Van Gundy knows how to play the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his team played tough defense each game. Point guard Reggie Jackson proved to be a tough matchup for Kyrie Irving to guard, and center Andre Drummond was tough to guard in the post. However, when the games came down to the wire, the Cavaliers and Tyronn Lue went “Hack-A-Drummond,” and were able to secure wins.

In the second round, the Celtics let point guard Isiah Thomas run wild, while guard/forward Evan Turner feasted on the Cleveland Cavaliers weak pick n’ roll defense. However, James and Irving weren’t letting the pesky Celtics breathe. James put up near triple double numbers and Irving seemingly matched Thomas shot for shot. The Celtics got one game in Boston, but the Cavaliers went back to Cleveland and took them down in five games.

James put up near triple double numbers and Irving seemingly matched Thomas shot for shot. The Celtics got one game in Boston, but the Cavaliers went back to Cleveland and took them down in five games.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves matched up against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors proved themselves as a tough challenge for the Cavaliers just as they did in the regular season.  James was his usual self, but it was the defense of Matthew Dellavedova against Toronto’s point guard Kyle Lowry, and Kevin Love emerging to average 20 points and 10 rebounds that were the keys to winning the series. 

Next: What Is The Warriors' Route?

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