INDEPENDENCE: He knew this would be the biggest challenge of his career and it has been, but maybe for not the reasons LeBron James was intending. The Cavaliers enter Tuesday one victory away from an Eastern Conference championship and NBA Finals appearance regardless of the path taken.
James knew he would be guiding a relatively young and inexperienced roster; what he wasn’t expecting were all the injuries. First to himself, then to his two All-Star running mates in Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. He lost Love almost immediately at the start of these playoffs and now he’s about to close out the Atlanta Hawks and the rest of the Eastern Conference with little help from Irving.