08 May,2009 01:43 PM IST | | AFP
Cleveland superstar LeBron James scored 27 points yesterday as the Cavaliers posted an emphatic 105-85 victory over Atlanta in their National Basketball Association playoff series.
The Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series, remaining unbeaten in their six postseason games.
More impressively, they notched their sixth straight double-digit playoff victory, matching an NBA record first achieved by Indiana in 2004.
Maurice Evans scored 16 points for Atlanta, who had to make do without injured center Al Horford and forward Marvin Williams.
Leading scorer Joe Johnson hurt his right ankle in the third period and didn't return. The Hawks said he would likely miss game three in Atlanta on Saturday, although Johnson clearly had other ideas.
"I can't see me not playing," said Johnson, who wore a walking boot as he exited the arena. "I don't want to let this opportunity go by. We're down 0-2. I want to be out there for my teammates. Hopefully in 48 hours it will feel a lot better."
James, playing his second game since he was awarded NBA Most Valuable Player honors, drained a distant three-pointer in the final second of the first half as Cleveland took a 24-point lead.
"I can say, yes, it was demoralizing (to Atlanta) because of where I shot the ball," James said. "We carried that momentum into the second half."
Cleveland stretched the margin to more than 30 points, then while James and his fellow starters sat out the fourth quarter the Hawks managed to close gap.
"Defense," James said of the key to Cleveland's dominance. "That has been us throughout the whole series and the whole playoffs. When we get D stops it's easy to execute on offense.
"We had great defense ... and then we got some great looks on the other end."
The Hawks posted an impressive 31-10 home record during the regular season, including one victory over Cleveland.
However, injuries have since depleted Atlanta, while the Cavaliers have gone from strength to strength.
Cleveland are now 43-2 at home for the season and 32-5 since the All-Star break.
"We're just a really good team," James said. "We're really confident and we believe in each other."
Hawks coach Mike Woodson said injuries weren't his team's main problem.
"We're just not playing well right now and they are playing at a high level," he said. "We've got a chance to go home, regroup, play in front of our fans and see what we're made of."
Atlanta shot only 35 per cent.
"This loss is embarrassing," said Josh Smith, who scored just eigh points on 2-of-13 shooting and also earned a technical foul.
