Can LeBron James Return To The Finals For The Fifth Straight Year?

Published on May 20th, 2015 8:04 pm EST
Later tonight, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to Atlanta to do battle with the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals.

LeBron James, who returned to Cleveland this past offseason, will be making his fifth straight trip to the Eastern Conference finals and is looking to make his fifth straight trip to the finals. The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, are looking to build on a surprisingly strong season and make it to the finals to take on the winner of Houston vs Golden State.

LeBron James has been dominant this post-season. Much like last year, LeBron has had to pick up the slack thanks to a number of injured teammates. Kevin Love, who was traded from the Timberwolves in the offseason, injured his shoulder in the first round and is out for the playoffs. Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, was dealing with some injury issues during the second round.

The Atlanta Hawks have a team that is really devoid of superstars. Strong coaching and a dedication to playing as a team has helped propel them his far and they are now hoping to "slay the dragon" by beating LeBron James.

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Despite the Hawks finishing with the better regular season record and despite them opening at home, the Cavs are currently favourites to win the series. Here are the current betting odds as of this moment:

Atlanta Hawks, 2.62
Cleveland Cavaliers, 1.50

According to these odds, the Hawks have a 38.17% chance of winning the series, while the Cavaliers have a 66.67% chance of winning.

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LeBron James has a certain aura and ability to pull a game out in the clutch that makes him nearly impossible to beat in the playoffs. In the second round, the Cavaliers looked to be on the ropes until LeBron took over.

Will the Hawks be able to neutralize LeBron James and the Cavs or will they fall just like the Chicago Bulls did?