LeBron leads, teammates follow, as Cavs reach NBA Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers are Eastern Conference Champions once again, as they demolished the Toronto Raptors 113-87 in Game 6 on Friday night, and LeBron James led the Cavs, with his teammates right behind him.

This is what a James takeover game in 2016 looks like.

No longer will James score 29 of the last 30 Cavalier points, like he needed to in 2007. No more 45-point masterpieces in Boston.

Instead, a 33 point, 11 rebound and six assist game is the most James needs to takeover with this Cavs team. Now, that is a terrific stat line, and was the first time James has eclipsed the 30-point barrier in these playoffs, but it shows the lessened load he needs to deal with.

“I had to bring my game,” James said post-game, via The Associated Press. “I had to be in attack mode from the beginning.”

James was true to his word, but the play of his teammates, in particular Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith, proved that LeBron no longer needs to takeover like years past.

Coach Tyronn Lue leaned heavily on James in Game 6 of the conference finals. James didn’t take his usual three-minute rest to end the first quarter. In fact, James just had a full 37-seconds of bench time in the first half, where he scored 21 points, including a trio of three-pointers.

It wasn’t an individual attack from the Cavs, however.

Irving scored 30 points, on an efficient 12-of-24 shooting, along with dishing out nine assists. Love doubled-up with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and J.R. Smith hustled defensively all game long, while adding 15 points of his own, all of which came from beyond the three-point arc.

“We needed LeBron to set the tone for us early and I thought he did that,” Lue said, via cavs.com. “Then, we slowly brought Kyrie along, slowly brought Kevin along, and we knew LeBron, at some point, was going to run out of gas. Kevin and Kyrie, we went to those guys, and they came through for us, and we knew that was going to happen throughout the course of the game, with LeBron expanding so much energy in the first quarter trying to get us off to a great start. Then, Kyrie and Kevin just brought us home.”

As aforementioned, James was tremendous setting the Cavaliers up for success in the first half. Then, Irving carried it out, scoring 21 points in the second half, including going 9-of-14 from the field. In a switch of roles, it was Irving getting his teammates involved to begin the game, with seven first half assists, and then looking for his own shot later in the game.

Unlike James or Irving, Love didn’t have a standout quarter or half. Instead, he was steady, scoring 10 points in each half, providing the Cavs with that third option that the Raptors simply couldn’t overcome, or duplicate when they had the ball.

Meanwhile, Smith made his mark on the defensive end in Game 6. Sure, his 15 points were handy, but Smith was hustling hard defensively throughout the course of the game. Whether it was outrunning Patrick Patterson for a loose ball, stopping a certain Toronto score, or tapping a rebound out of Bismack Biyombo’s hand, starting a Cavalier fast break, Smith did the little things to secure a Cavs victory.

There is a different feeling surrounding this edition of the Eastern Conference Champions than last year. The difference is quite clear. These Cavs are healthy, firing, and appreciative of this moment, while keeping their minds on the true goal, which is still four wins away.

James attempted to explain some of that emotion, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

"“There’s definitely a different feeling. I didn’t appreciate last year myself personally on getting to the Finals. Just so much was going on in my mind, knowing that Kev was out for the rest of the season and knowing that Ky was dealing with injuries all the way from the first round. I just didn’t appreciate it. It’s definitely a different feeling. Having these guys right here at full strength, having our team at full strength, and the way I feel personally, I appreciate this moment, to be able to be a part of it and to be there once again.”"

James should be appreciative, not just because he will be participating in a ridiculous sixth straight NBA Finals, but also due to the assistance he will receive against the Golden State Warriors or Oklahoma City Thunder.

In last year’s finals, the Cavs relied on James to an unhealthy degree, out of necessity. With Love out, Irving out after Game 1, Matthew Dellavedova suffering dehydration and Iman Shumpert hobbled; James was Cleveland’s only hope. James would go on to average a remarkable 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game, but it wasn’t good enough.

Thankfully, for both James’ and the Cavaliers sake, that magnitude of production won’t be needed in this year’s finals and Game 6 was the epitome of this.

James is still going to be amazing. He was still amazing in Game 6, posting a stat line that most players can simply only dream of. However, when Irving, Love and Smith are contributing heavily, the pressure and load is lessened on James’ shoulders.

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“I cannot tell you how impressed I was with them after we played them, and how much they improved,” Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn Nets coach, and former Hawks assistant, said, via Chris Mannix of The Vertical. “They swept us in the playoffs last year, but that was more LeBron taking over. This is a much more balanced team. They are better defensively. They are sharing the ball. They are moving the ball at such a pace and with great crispness. They are a vastly improved team. Whoever they play in the Finals, it’s hard to say they wouldn’t be the favorite.”

The improved balance, depth, defense, ball movement, pace and offensive execution can all be attributed to the Cavaliers entering the finals as a healthy unit. James is still the straw that stirs the drink, but Irving, Love, and the rest of the Cavaliers, are the required liquids to make up that drink.

As mentioned earlier though, Cleveland isn’t resting their morals on a second consecutive Eastern Conference crown. In fact, Richard Jefferson didn’t wear the supplied Eastern Conference Champions hat or t-shirt after the game.

“I got two hats that look just like this,” Jefferson said post-game, referring to the two conference titles he won with the New Jersey Nets in 2002 and 2003, via cavs.com. “I want a different one. I’m just locked in on what we want to do with these next four games.”

With a rejuvenated, and healthy supporting cast, led by James, Jefferson and his teammates may finally get a chance to wear the true ‘champions’ hats in the next couple of weeks.