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Cleveland tops Atlanta to open Eastern Conference finals

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LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over Paul Millsap of the Atlanta Hawks during Game One of the Eastern Conference finals at Philips Arena on May 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia (AFP Photo/Mike Zarrilli)

Atlanta (AFP) - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks 97-89 on Wednesday to open the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

With a berth in the NBA championship finals on the line in the best-of-seven series, J.R. Smith set a Cavaliers club record for three-pointers, draining eight from beyond the arc and scoring 28 points in the triumph.