It seems silly to say this because winning in five games or six will get the Cavaliers to the matchup with the Warriors just the same, but there’s a reason they are winning games now that they struggled to win all season – that lapses in February no longer take place in May. That reason is Golden State is just ahead, and the Cavaliers know they can’t face the Warriors at anything less than peak confidence. Losing even one game to the Celtics or Wizards would show a crack the Cavaliers aren’t willing to reveal – not so much to Golden State but to themselves. That alone should ensure the Cavs don’t have any more trouble sweeping through the Eastern Conference finals than they did the two previous rounds.

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