Their doubters are dropping off as quickly as the competition.

Only one team has advanced to the conference finals in these NBA playoffs Adam Boqvist Blackhawks Jersey , and it’s the same squad that looked vulnerable during a chaotic regular season, beatable in the postseason and was one loss from a possible franchise collapse.

The ending’s been postponed. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t nearly finished.

On Monday night, the Cavs completed their second straight four-game sweep of the Toronto Raptors, the East’s top team and the one that was supposedly built to dethrone them, with a 128-93 win in Game 4 that has perhaps changed Cleveland’s outlook.

LeBron James, whose future hangs over this city like a looming thunderstorm, scored 29 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds on 12 of 19 shooting – an ordinary performance by his standards – as the Cavs won their 10th straight over the Raptors with one of their most complete games in months.

After all the injuries, the failed Isaiah Thomas experiment, the roster overhaul at the trading deadline and other distractions, the Cavs, who can get some rest while waiting for the Philadelphia-Boston winner, are peaking at the right time.

Their path to the East finals wasn’t straight. But they arrived.

”We’ve had four or five seasons wrapped in one, we know what the narrative has been about our team,” said James http://www.brownsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-chad-thomas-jersey , who averaged 34 points, 8.3 rebounds and 11.3 assists in the series. ”But I can only speak in the moment. To be able to put ourselves in position where we can represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals, that’s all you can ask for. So we’re excited about being part of the Eastern Conference finals once again and having the opportunity to compete for a championship.

”That is what our goal is.”

James has been reluctant to discuss the Cavs’ chances to win a title or get back to the Finals for the fourth straight year, but his confidence has grown with each victory.

Kevin Love, who struggled in a seven-game scrap with Indiana in the first round, had another solid game with 23 points. Kyle Korver added 16, J.R. Smith scored 15 on 6-for-6 shooting and point guard George Hill, who was sidelined for three games in the Pacers series, added 12.

The Cavs were balanced and were finally able to take some of the pressure off James, who had seemingly been abandoned by his teammates through much of the postseason.

In fact, things had gotten so bad that ”Saturday Night Live” did a skit last weekend that went viral on social media called ”The Other Cavaliers,” a parody that poked fun at Cleveland’s supporting cast.

James, though, said his faith never wavered.

”I believe in my teammates so as everyone was burying my teammates alive throughout that first-round series http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-connor-williams-jersey , I just continued to tell them, `Listen, we can’t win without each and every one doing their jobs and being as great as they can be,” James said. ”I continued to preach that so it’s impossible for me to lose confidence in our ballclub no matter what the stakes are or where we’re down because if I do that – then where are we going to go from a team aspect?”

After winning 59 games in the regular season, the Raptors had the East’s top seed and figured that this was their year. James had other plans.

Toronto came into the series feeling great. By the end, the Raptors were defeated and deflated. Exactly one year since they were last swept by James, he did it to them again.

”Everyone had counted Cleveland out,” said coach Dwane Casey, whose job could be in jeopardy. ”They struggled a little bit. They had the big trade and all that. Everyone thought they were vulnerable but as long as they have him, they have a chance and that’s what we were looking at. But 10 days ago we had all the confidence in the world.”

As the Cavs look ahead to a matchup with either the Sixers or Celtics, who lead that series 3-1 and host Game 5 on Wednesday, Love’s renaissance gives Cleveland the most comfort.

The All-Star was rendered ineffective in Round 1 by the Pacers, whose big men battered him and took Love out of his game.

But despite cries to bench Love or move him back from center to power forward, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue stuck with him http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mark-walton-jersey , and in doing so may have prolonged Cleveland’s season.

Love said there was nothing magical about his turnaround.

”It just came from me being me,” he said. ”I didn’t forget how to play basketball, I was just ultra-aggressive. I found myself in spots, I found myself just missing little chippies, missing shots that were uncharacteristic of me to miss. But I continued to be aggressive, continued to put in the work every single day. So for me it was just more than anything it was just me being myself.”

And now the Cavs appear to be themselves.

Adam Silver has encouraged the Philadelphia 76ers to both quickly and thoroughly resolve the investigation into whether team president Bryan Colangelo used Twitter inappropriately, a story that the NBA commissioner acknowledged was not one he wants to be thinking about during the league’s title series.

Silver, speaking Thursday before Game 1 of the Cleveland-Golden State matchup at the NBA Finals news conference, said he has talked with 76ers officials after the story about five Twitter accounts and how they were used was broken by The Ringer earlier this week.

”Here we are, Game 1 of the finals, it’s not necessarily something that we want to be talking about,” Silver said. ”But it’s the reality of this league. And so I have no information beyond that, other than that investigation is underway.”

The 76ers retained an independent law firm to determine whether Colangelo used the Twitter accounts. The situation could overshadow Philadelphia’s efforts this summer to land any of the top players who will be free agents – a list that includes LeBron James, who’s appearing in the NBA Finals for the eighth consecutive year.

Among the targets of harsh or critical comments on those Twitter accounts: Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz http://www.redskinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-pernell-mcphee-jersey , former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. Embiid has said he does not believe that Colangelo wrote the tweets, dismissing the story as ”insane.”

Colangelo has acknowledged using one of the accounts to monitor NBA happenings.

”Let’s find out what’s going on,” Silver said. ”We have to separate the chatter and sort of what either fans or frankly the media are saying from the facts. The first thing we have to do here is determine what the actual facts are in this circumstance.”

Silver touched on many other topics in his annual address, including:

SPORTS BETTING

There will be wagering on Game 3 of the NBA Finals, at least in Delaware casinos.

That state’s officials have announced that full-scale sports betting will begin there at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday , one day before the series between Golden State and Cleveland shifts to the Cavaliers‘ home floor.

Delaware is the first state to take advantage of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that now permits states to allow sports wagering. Delaware has been permitted to offer parlay wagers on NFL games since 2009, and has had sports betting legislation on its books for nearly a decade. Other states are trying to follow suit quickly.

The NBA has told states it is seeking a 1 percent cut of betting, which it is calling an ”integrity fee” to help offset the costs of enforcement incurred by the league office and also to serve as a royalty.

”The real issue as we move to new jurisdictions that are legalizing sports betting is access to information,” Silver said. ”That’s one of the things we have sought in model legislation … and so what we can do is going to depend in large part on the quality of the information we can get from these states.”

Silver said the NBA game is the league’s ”intellectual property, and we think we should be compensated for it.”

STERLING BROWN

Silver has seen the footage of police using a Taser on Milwaukee guard Sterling Brown during an incident outside a Walgreens store in January, one that started over a parking violation.

”I saw the video for the first time when the public saw it,” Silver said. ”It’s horrific. For any of us, regardless of the fact that he’s an NBA player http://www.ramsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brian-allen-jersey , it was difficult to watch. It’s painful.”

An officer approached Brown for illegal parking, called for backup and six squads responded. Silver said has also had conversations with the player’s father, Chris Brown, a Chicago police officer for many years.

”It’s a reality in our country right now that there’s a disconnect often between young people of color especially and police officers – incidentally black and white,” Silver said. ”And one of the things the league has undertaken, led in many ways by our players and by our leading players, has been defined ways to build bridges in communities to create dialogue directly between young people and police officers.”

Silver said some NBA teams have had meetings with police in various communities, trying to improve relations.

EXPANSION

Silver said there are no plans for expansion, though lauded the success of the NHL’s first-year Vegas Golden Knights – who are in the Stanley Cup final against the Washington Capitals.

He also congratulated Ted Leonsis, who owns both the Capitals and the NBA’s Wizards.

”Invariably, it’s only natural for any business to grow and expand at some point,” Silver said.

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