Cavaliers and Spurs Sweep Their First Round Opponents
After the first game, it appeared as if the Cavaliers might have their hands full with an unexpectedly resilient Pistons squad. However, it was not meant to last as LeBron James led the Cavaliers to a first round sweep over Detroit.
The victory is the 16th consecutive first round victory for James. The record puts him in second place behind the trifecta of Showtime Laker teammates Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Michael Cooper who had 20.
A huge part of their success has been the stellar play of Kyrie Irving who has taken his game to the next level in the postseason.
Cleveland will now await the winner of the Hawks-Celtics series which will conclude this week.
Will @KingJames add another first round win to his resume?
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 25, 2016
The @cavs are taking on the @DetroitPistons now on TNT! pic.twitter.com/lArkt0IDXj
The San Antonio Spurs also made quick work of their first round opponents by dispatching the Memphis Grizzlies in four games as well.
Memphis had proven their mettle throughout the season in remaining in the playoff picture despite losing several of their players to injury. To illustrate the extent of their injury woes, the Grizzlies had to use more players on their roster than any other team in the NBA.
Against the re-loaded Spurs squad, it simply wasn’t enough as San Antonio overpowered them through four matches.
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Notably, the Spurs have accomplished this while playing their future Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan sparingly. While this has been a trend in San Antonio, it’s become a running joke as Duncan turned 40 on Sunday. LaMarcus Aldridge even jabbed at his teammate in a post-game interview, stating that he needs the rest as he’s “100 years old.”
Now, San Antonio is more than aware of the window that has been opened by the recent news in Golden State (more on that later). However, it is too early to determine how that will materialize on the court.
What has been seen is that the Spurs are once again exemplifying what makes them such a remarkable franchise in being able to transition from one era to the next in passing the torch from their Big Three to Leonard and Aldridge.
Next: Isaiah Thomas Shining Bright for Celtics