ANKARA
The Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday put on a dominating performance against the Chicago Bulls to win the match 94-73 and the series 4-2 to advance to NBA Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2009.
Superstar LeBron James, four-time NBA MVP, only scored 15 points on 7-23 shooting from the field, but he dished out 11 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds for an all-around performance.
Other superstar point-guard Kyrie Irving only played 12 minutes in the game, after stepping on his teammate Tristan Thompson's foot and slumping down in pain with 9:47 minutes to go in the first half. He did not return to the game.
The Cavaliers routed the Bulls with the help of their role players, with back-up point guard Australian Matthew Dellavedova scoring 19 points and power forward Thompson contributing 13 to go with a game-high 17 rebounds.
For the Bulls side, point-guard and 2010-2011-season MVP Derrick Rose only scored 14 points on a lackluster 7-16 from the field; their team-high came from Jimmy Butler with 20 points.
After the match, Cavs coach informed the media on Kyrie Irving’s injury.
"He's sore and bowed but not broken. He'll be OK," Coach Blatt said.
Lebron was the Cavs' leader for this series; he averaged a dazzling 26.1 points, 8.8 assists and 11.0 rebounds per game.
Eliminating the Bulls in Chicago's home court, the Cavs set the stage for their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2009.
In 2009, the Cavs were eliminated in six games to the Orlando Magic, who had a shot for the championship but came up short against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers.
The Cavs will now wait for the winner of the Atlanta Hawks -- Washington Wizards for a conference finals matchup.
Houston Rockets win against Clippers, force series to deciding Game 7
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the Houston Rockets made a huge comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers and defeated them 119-107 to even the series at 3-3 and forced a deciding Game 7.
Down by 19 points (87-68) with 3 minutes to go in the third quarter, the Rockets climbed back with their superstar James Harden, center Dwight Howard delivering strong performances, while role players stepped up with critical three-pointers.
Harden, who made all of his 11 free throws, finished with 23 points, as Howard scored 20 points and grabbed a game-high 21 rebounds.
Backup shooting guard Corey Brewer also came up strong with a 'double-double' effort off the bench with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
For the Clippers side, athletic power forward Blake Griffin finished with 28 points and 8 rebounds, while point-guard Chris Paul scored 31 points and dished out 7 assists.
These performances were not enough for the Clippers who blew their 19-point lead and the chance to wrap up the series in their home turf.
The final match of the series will be on Saturday in Houston.
The NBA will continue with two matches Friday night. The Memphis Grizzlies, who are down 3-2 in the series, will host the Golden State Warriors, while the Washington Wizards will also look to avoid elimination at home against the Atlanta Hawks.
