LeBron, Cavaliers sweep Hawks to reach NBA Finals

LeBron James #23 and J.R. Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after defeating the Atlanta Hawks during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on May 26, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 118-88. AFP PHOTO

Cleveland, United States–LeBron James advanced to his fifth-straight NBA finals Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time), leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-88 rout of the Atlanta Hawks and a sweep of the Eastern Conference finals.

Once again James carried the Cavs on his back, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and then sitting on the bench and playing cheerleader for much of the final quarter of Tuesday’s contest.

It was an impressive 4-0 series sweep for the Cavaliers and their title-starved Cleveland fans.

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Cleveland advanced to its first NBA Finals since 2007, when it was swept by the San Antonio Spurs. The city hasn’t celebrated a title since the Cleveland Browns won National Football League championship in 1964.

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The Cavaliers franchise has never won an NBA title.

Kyrie Irving returned following a two-game absence due to a knee injury and tallied 16 points and five assists in 22 minutes.

Cleveland will face either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets in the championship showdown. Golden State leads that series 3-1.