Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY
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A22     SPORTS
                    Tuesday 25 april 2017
                  Cavaliers looking forward to respite before conference semis



            MICHAEL MAROT                                                                                                       Plus, the Cavs are relatively
             AP Sports Writer                                                                                                   healthy.
            INDIANAPOLIS  (AP)  —  The                                                                                          That’s good news.
            Cleveland Cavaliers finally                                                                                         The  problem:  Cleveland
            caught a break.                                                                                                     also struggled to close out
            After struggling through the                                                                                        all four games against the
            final  weeks  of  the  regular                                                                                      seventh-seeded Pacers.
            season and losing the No. 1                                                                                         The   cumulative    victory
            seed in the Eastern Confer-                                                                                         margin, 16 points, was tied
            ence,  the  NBA  defending                                                                                          for  the  lowest  in  a  four-
            champions  assured  them-                                                                                           game  sweep  in  playoff
            selves  of  getting  a  little                                                                                      history.  Three  times,  the
            more rest. They can use it.                                                                                         game  came  down  to  the
            “We  have  some  good                                                                                               final  minute,  when  James
            miles  on  this  team,  some                                                                                        thrived.
            guys who have played in a                                                                                           Couple  that  with  the  sea-
            lot  of  postseason  action,”                                                                                       son-long  defensive  con-
            All-Star Kevin Love said af-                                                                                        cerns  and  the  offensive
            ter  grabbing  16  rebounds                                                                                         woes  Lue  identified  from
            and  completing  a  first-                                                                                          Game 4, and it could lead
            round  sweep  at  Indiana.                                                                                          to  even  greater  challeng-
            “Getting a good week will                                                                                           es  against  better  teams
            allow  us  to  get  some  rest                                                                                      deeper  into  the  postsea-
            and  when  we  do  find  out                                                                                        son.
            who we play, we’ll be able                                                                                          But  Cleveland  passed  its
            to  be  sharp  and  ready  to                                                                                       first  real  test  without  los-
            go.”                                                                                                                ing a game, and now the
            Right now, that’s all Cleve-  Cleveland  Cavaliers’  LeBron  James  reacts  after  hitting  a  free  throw  in  the  closing  seconds  in   Cavaliers  have  time  to  fix
            land can do.                 Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Sunday, April   the flaws.
            With the Milwaukee-Toron-    23, 2017, in Indianapolis.                                                             “We’re  capable,  but  we
            to series tied at 2, the next                                                                      Associated Press  already  knew  that  and
            two  games  scheduled  for   son  when  it  comes  to  his  records,  climb  the  ca-  out and be ready and be      when  we  lock  in,  we’re  a
            Monday and Thursday and      three biggest stars — Love,  reer  lists  and  even  stretch  the  consummate  profes-  very  tough  team  to  beat.
            a  possible  Game  7  set  for   LeBron James and Kyrie Ir-  bounds of credulity with ri-  sional, to come out with a   Once again, we knew that
            Saturday,  the  Cavs  might   ving.                       diculously good play.        win like that and for LeBron   as  well,”  Love  said.  “So
            not even know their oppo-    James  also  understands  James  almost  single-hand-     to  put  on  a  performance   we just learned that we’re
            nent until next weekend.     the danger. Just eight wins  edly  led  Cleveland  back  like that is nothing short of   going  to  get  everybody’s
            If the series goes a full sev-  short of a third straight trip  from  a  25-point  halftime  special.”              best shot and we’ve got to
            en games, the Cavs might     to  The  Finals,  Cleveland  deficit, the largest second-  Cleveland’s    supporting   go  out  there  and  fight  for
            have more than a full week   cannot afford to get stale.  half  comeback  in  playoff  cast is doing its job, too.  everything we get.”
            between  Sunday’s  106-      Fortunately, James already  history and then made ev-     James,  Love  and  Irving  all   It’s  enough  to  put  every-
            102  victory  and  their  next   is in championship form.  ery  big  play  over  the  final  topped  the  25-point  mark   one’s mind at ease as they
            game.                        He  finished  with  74  points,  90 seconds Sunday.       in Game 2 and the bench      wait  to  find  out  their  next
            While  the  extended  rest   23 rebounds and 16 assists  “Game  3,  that  probably  chipped  in  with  a  ter-      opponent.
            could help a veteran, play-  in  the  final  two  games  of  will go down for all of us as  rific  fourth-quarter  perfor-  “Now we get into our post-
            off-tested team stay fresh,   the  Indiana  series,  virtually  a  historic  moment,”  Irving  mance in Game 3. On Sun-  series  activity  and  wait  to
            that’s a tack coach Tyronn   willing the Cavs to two wins.  said.  “The  ability  for  our  day, Deron Williams scored   see  who  we  play  next,”
            Lue has employed all sea-    And he continues to break  guys to come in and come  14  points  off  the  bench.      Love said.q

            Westbrook goes on rant

            defending Thunder teammates


            CLIFF BRUNT                  lapse  turned  a  75-68  lead
            AP Sports Writer             into an 81-79 deficit.
            OKLAHOMA       CITY    (AP)  Thunder center Steven Ad-
            —  Thunder  guard  Russell  ams  was  asked  about  the
            Westbrook went on a rant  issue, and Westbrook inter-
            defending  his  teammates  rupted.
            after Sunday’s 113-109 loss  “Hold  on  Steven,”  West-
            to the Houston Rockets.      brook  said.  “I  don’t  want
            A recurring theme through-   nobody  to  try  and  split  us
            out  the  series  has  been  up.  We’re  all  one  team.
            Oklahoma City’s tendency  If  I  go  to  the  bench  and
            to  lose  leads  when  West-  Steven’s  on  the  floor  and
            brook  sits  out  during  the  I’m  off  the  floor,  we’re  in
            second  half.  It  happened  this together. Don’t split us
            again Sunday __ the Thun-    up.  Don’t  try  and  split  us
            der were outscored 13-4 in  up.  Don’t  try  to  make  us
            a  stretch  that  lasted  from  go  against  each  other  or   Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) shouts following a dunk by teammate Enes
                                                                      Kanter (11) in the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Oklahoma
            late  in  the  third  quarter  make it ‘Russell and the rest   City, Sunday, April 23, 2017.
            to  early  in  the  fourth.  The  of the guys. q                                                                                Associated Press
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