LeBron, Cavaliers earn NBA Finals spot by sweeping Hawks

LeBron James scored 23 points, Kyrie Irving provided a boost after missing two games and Cleveland reserved a spot in the NBA Finals with a 118-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night to win the Eastern Conference title.

By sweeping the top-seeded Hawks, the Cavs, who overcame adversity from the season's start, earned their second trip to the finals, where they will face either Golden State or Houston starting June 4.

Jeff Teague scored 17 and Paul Millsap 16 for Atlanta, which won a team-record 60 games during the regular season and made the conference finals for the first time since 1970.