OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were their usual brilliant selves. J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson made big contributions.
Despite all that firepower, there would be no dramatic NBA Finals comeback this season.
Kevin Durant and the star-laden Golden State Warriors made sure of that.
James had 41 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and Irving added 26 points but the Cavs never could dig out of a hole created by a second-quarter barrage and ended their season with a 129-120 loss to the Warriors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
Cleveland has now lost two of the three showdowns in this Finals trilogy. Their one title came last year when the Cavs became the first NBA team to rally from a 3-1 Finals deficit to deliver the city its first major championship since 1964.