CLEVELAND Ohio It wasn't the prettiest but it counts and that's all that matters.
LeBron James put together one of his most magnificent playoff performances missing his first 10 shots yet finishing with 37 points 18 rebounds and 13 assists including the final five Cleveland points in overtime as the Cavaliers completed an exhausting 114 111 victory Sunday to go up 3 0 on the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals at The Q.
Reserve Shelvin Mack missed two open threes in the final seconds for the Hawks who played without the injured Kyle Korver and the ejected Al Horford that could have tied it. Now Cleveland is one win away from going to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007.
The Cavaliers had their largest lead of the game of 10 early in the fourth but the Hawks went on to outscore them 26 16 to finish the quarter. Jeff Teague who shone with 30 points missed a game winning three at the end of regulation to send the game to an extra five minutes.
James knocked down a corner three to put the Cavaliers up 112 111 with 36 seconds left in the extra session. It came off of an extra possession gathered by Tristan Thompson on the offensive glass. On the next possession James sliced his way to the basket for a layup over the arms of Paul Millsap to put his team up three and that's what it took to finish it.
Atlanta fought to the very end.
James got off to the worst start of his postseason career but still managed to pick up his 12th career postseason triple double. He was 0 for 9 in the first quarter the poorest opening quarter of his career. A lot of the clanks were from point blank range. After one of his missed layups he raised his hands out of frustration. His first field goal came at the 7 04 mark in the second quarter.
In the third he went for 15 points six rebounds and six assists to break out of his funk. It was also the quarter where he drove past Kent Bazemore and ended up throwing down a vicious one handed dunk on Bazemore and Mike Muscala.
Those easy misses at the basket were over at that point.
J.R. Smith chipped in 17 points and 10 boards off the bench and Iman Shumpert had 15 points. Cleveland pulled down a franchise record of 56 rebounds.
Kyrie Irving sat out his second consecutive game to rest a left knee that's battling tendinitis but his backup provided plenty of fireworks in the conventional and non conventional fashion.
Late in the second quarter Horford was hit with a Flagrant 2 an automatic ejection for dropping his elbow near the head of Matthew Dellavedova while both players were boxing out. The late Macho Man Randy Savage would have been proud of that flying elbow drop.
Dellavedova received a technical.
Horford's blow might have been a retaliatory act for Dellavedova rolling on the back of Kyle Korver's leg in Game 2 which ended the sharpshooters' season.
Dellavedova who scored 17 points has found himself in the middle of some skirmishes this postseason. In the semifinal round against the Chicago Bulls Taj Gibson was ejected for kicking him after one of the NBA's most replayed leglocks. The next day Dellavedova was assessed a technical which was really a fine.
Losing Horford was a huge blow for the Hawks. He was playing well leaving the game with 14 points on 7 of 10 from the floor. Before you knew it the players the Hawks had on the floor were unrecognizable to the casual fan.
DeMarre Carroll playing on one leg with no Korver and no Horford meant no victory.
Teague supplied 30 points six boards and seven assists to lead the Hawks. Millsap bounced back from miserable Game 1 and Game 2 performances with 22 points and nine rebounds.
Kevin Love sat behind the team's bench without a sling on his left shoulder a good sign of his recovery.
If the Cavaliers win Tuesday night they get an eight day layoff before The Finals begin on June 4.
The Golden State Warriors can clinch their spot in the Finals with a closeout win on the road against Houston on Monday night.
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