Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Game 4 2009 NBA Playoffs 5/11/2009

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Uploaded by on May 12, 2009

ATLANTA(AP) Like Michael Jordan, he knows there are times that call for dominating. Like Magic Johnson, he knows there are times that call for sharing the ball.

LeBron James went with his Magic impression in the deciding game of another playoff sweep.

While failing to match his offensive explosion in Game 3, the league's MVP scored 27 points and got his teammates involved as the Cleveland Cavaliers finished off the Atlanta Hawks 84-74 Monday night to win the second-round series in four straight.

Delonte West and Mo Williams showed Cleveland isn't just a one-man squad, hitting huge shots down the stretch as the Cavaliers extended their NBA-record streak of double-digit playoff wins to eight in a row. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao pounded the boards, leading the Cavaliers to another big rebounding edge.

"I've got trust in every last one of our guys,'' James said.

Cleveland, which also swept Detroit in the opening round, will face either Boston or Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals.

No matter the opponent, the Cavaliers will be a lot more rested. The Celtics-Magic series is tied 2-2 and will last at least through Thursday, while the top seed heads back to Ohio to relax for a few days before opening the next round at home.

"We're glad to finish this series off,'' said Wally Szcerbiak, who chipped in with six points off the bench. "Now it's time to go get our rest and get ready for the next series. We have some bumps and bruises to heal from in this series.''

So do the Hawks, but they've got all summer. Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Marvin Williams were all hobbled by injuries.

"It's hard to judge this team because we really weren't healthy in this series,'' said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, whose team made the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade, just four seasons removed from a 13-69 debacle. "We have to get better personnel-wise, but I couldn't be more proud of the guys than I am. We made some major strides this season.''

James wasn't in the mood to celebrate. For the Cavaliers, the only thing that will make this season complete is hoisting a trophy after the final game.

"Why should we celebrate?'' James said. "We're playing for a championship. An advance is an advance. It doesn't matter if you win in four games or you win Game 7. We're happy that we're playing great basketball ... but we're not taking for granted what we're doing right now.''

The Cavaliers became the second team to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs since the NBA expanded the first round to best-of-seven in 2003. The Miami Heat started with sweeps of New Jersey and Washington in the 2005 playoffs before losing to Detroit in the Eastern finals.

After scoring 47 points in Game 3, James struggled with his jumper in this one. Still, he came through with the Cavaliers facing their first serious challenge of the playoffs.

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  • So my good friend LeBronIsTheRealKing finally told me how he started dunking, he s not even as tall as me but jumps over 9 inches higher! What he followed the training workout over at 50 inch vertical (dot) com and increased over 15 inches in his vertical jump!

    Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Game 4 2009 NBA Playoffs 5/11/2009

  • Hey LeBronIsTheRealKing, if you {want|would like|wish|really want} to get better in basketball, you ought to start {following|sticking with} #RANDSETa {real|actual|genuine|authentic­|serious|proper|legit} # training course. I used widely known workout here at | 50 inch vertical [dot] com |. I didn t even tell this to my college teammates yet hehe

    Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Game 4 2009 NBA Playoffs 5/11/2009

  • the lakers are ahaha

  • I agree with you mongbaho when you said lebran james is god but only backwards which means dog. He's like a scared little dog when he faces a real challenge and puts his tail between his leg. Lebron against

  • 4-0 nice

  • Atlanta Hawks are trying hard, very sensitive and high blooded players especially Zaza Pachulia.

    Lebron James ROCKS!

  • who knows, but i do believe it might be denver and cleveland in the finals. who will win? who knows, we will soon find out.

  • lebron james is god!

  • NO!!!!!!!!!......DENVER will eat them

  • yep I agree

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