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*Photo via USA Today
The Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007. There were many players who played great, but the top five are as follows:
1. Lebron James
The best player on the planet, Lebron James had a great series and led the Cavs to the sweep. He averaged 30.2 points per game, 11 rebounds per game, and 9.25 assists per game during the series and had an astounding Game 3 as he scored 37 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, and dished out 13 assists. He was clearly the leader of the Cavs and led them to the finals after four years of not making the playoffs.
2. Tristan Thompson
Tristan played a key role in the Cavs’ sweep. His rebounding, particularly offensive, helped the Cavs gain extra possessions and kept the ball out of the Hawks' hands. Thompson averaged 11.25 rebounds per game and his energy carried over to the rest of the Cavs' players.
3. JR Smith
Many consider JR Smith to be the X factor of the Cleveland Cavaliers and he showed up this series. He averaged 18 points per game and was a positive spark off the bench for the Cavs. He scored 28 points in Game 1 on 10 of 16 shooting and got the series off to a positive start. If Lebron was Batman, then Jr Smith was definitely his Robin.
4. Iman Shumpert
Shumpert does not have stats that jump out at you like the other three do. However, Shumpert's defense has arguably been the best in the Eastern Conference playoffs. He's knocked down an occasional three now and again, but his defense is superb as he had the most deflections among anyone in this series. Shumpert's tenacious defense helped the Cavs sweep the Hawks.
5. Jeff Teague
Teague averaged 21.5 points per game this series as he's had some great offensive games, particularly in Game 3x where he scored 30 points. He was the catalyst for the Hawks throughout the series and scored whenever called upon. The Hawks may have gotten swept, but he had a great series.
These five players were at the top of their game this series.