Lebron James will be in the East finals in 4 consecutive seasons, beating the Chicago Bulls wickedly at United Center Thursday night, 94-73. He missed another triple-double by a single rebound, finishing with 15 points, nine boards and 11 assists, and was the dominant player in the series, the focal point of Cleveland's attack and Chicago's attempted resistance.
Despite James poor shooting, he got helped from young teammates in Thompson and Dellavedova. He turned over the ball four times. And he probably wouldn't have eliminated the Bulls and reached the Eastern Conference finals for a seventh time, not yet anyway, without the work in Game 6 of the two guys next to him.
Both Thompson and Dellavedova had just played in the 10th postseason games of their young careers. And they went podium.
At one point during the postgame questions and answers, Thompson referred to James as "this great father over here." And despite the impossible math of that -- James is 30, Dellavedova and Thompson both 24 -- that's really what he was. Beaming between them and proud as any papa.
"I just try to bring that leadership to these guys," James said, "that energy, to make these guys even believe they're [more] supernatural sometimes than they are. The things they did tonight was unbelievable. These two guys right here? Wow. They were spectacular."
This had been coming, and it was a fitting finish to a trying, challenging, transformative series for Cleveland. In the time between its start 10 days earlier and the end of this Bulls business Thursday, the Cavaliers seemed to grow and develop exponentially.
James, Cavs coach David Blatt and his staff and most of northeast Ohio faced a bunch of unknowns and more than a little apprehension when it began. Losing forward Kevin Love to postseason-ending shoulder surgery. Missing gunner J.R. Smith for the first two games to suspension. Worrying about Kyrie Irving and the All-Star point guard's gimpy wheels. Wondering, not really knowing, how the jumbled pieces left behind would fit. And hoping that the least experienced of them, guys like Dellavedova and Thompson more than Irving, wouldn't cave, never mind their contributions.
But get a load of the contributions: Thompson scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as Cleveland toyed with the Bulls on the glass, 53-32. The kid from Toronto who lost his starting job when the Cavaliers' ambitions ratcheted up -- James coming home, Love added for the three-starred stool, Timofey Mozgov acquired to replace Anderson Varejao -- wound up as the leading rebounder on either team in the series. And this thing was decided by rebounds, the winner in each game owning that category.
Then there was Dellavedova, a 6-foot-4 gnat from Maryborough, Australia who had gone undrafted after a modest college career at St. Mary's College in California. Already disliked in Chicago for the leg lock he put on the Bulls' Taj Gibson in Game 5, leading to Gibson's ejection, Dellavedova made more enemies by scoring 19 points -- more than James, more than anyone on the floor besides Jimmy Butler (20).
The pesky Aussie eased the loss of Irving, who exited after playing 12 minutes when he aggravated what the Cavs have been calling tendinitis in his left knee. Dellavedova scored 16 of his points after halftime, 11 in the fourth quarter that forced the Bulls to perish any thought of late heroics.
Dellavedova 19 points, Derrick Rose 14. Dellavedova-Thompson 32 points and 19 rebounds, James-Irving 21 and 10.
Dad loved it.
Nodding to Thompson, James said: "He's not the most athletic guy right here, he's not the tallest power forward in our league, he's not the strongest power forward in our league. But not too many guys can keep him off the glass."
Thompson playfully scrunched up his face as James ticked off all his shortcomings, but he knew there was a heavy compliment in there. Ditto with Dellavedova.
"This guy right here," James said of the guard, "he's not the most athletic, fastest, doesn't shoot it as great as all the other point guards in our league. But I'll put him out there versus anybody. This guy has to guard Kyrie Irving every single day in practice."
Anyone paying close attention to James when the series began, and even when the Cavaliers fell behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, could see a superstar who had reservations about the crew with which he was working. He knew how raw some of the supporting cast was. He did not know how they would perform or respond.
Now, while admitting he was a "little bit surprised," James knows much more. Thompson and Dellavedova got tested like never before in their careers and, in James' view, aced them all.
Ten days ago, so late in the long NBA season, he still was shepherding them. Now he's rolling with them.
"Throughout the playoffs, I have never seen a shadow of doubt, fear or [loss of] focus on anyone's face," Blatt said. "I have to give LeBron a lot of credit. He is a true leader here. He is vocal, willful and committed to helping this team succeed. He is really leading these guys to believe in what they can do."
Salty vets such as James Jones, Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and Kendrick Perkins have been relegated to bit roles. Love is out. Irving is hurting. Dellavedova and Thompson? They're up on that podium.
"I just think it's the development of the mind more than anything," James said. "Then the game'll take care of itself. These guys work their tails off before and after practice. ... But I think the development of the mind -- how you think the game, how you approach the game mentally -- will take you a lot further than just going out and dribbling the basketball and shooting it.
"Obviously we have stats sheets and we have highlights that everyone sees after the game, and things of that nature. But how you approach the game mentally will take you a lot further."
From their side, Dellavedova and Thompson have both an opportunity -- playing alongside the game's best player, in his prime, while soaking up everything they can learn from him -- and a responsibility not to mess it up. Free agents alter their careers for the chance to play with James and here they are, so young, having him plopped into their midst.
"The biggest thing for me is, how much he takes care of his body, I've really learned that," Dellavedova said. "I don't think it's a responsibility, it's just a big opportunity. So you want to make the most of the opportunities that come and we've obviously got a great opportunity here."
Said Thompson: "It just motivated us to work harder, because at the same time, we want to be great in our [own way]. It started from Labor Day -- LeBron's the first one in the gym working out, getting ready for the season. And as a young player, that just shows you he's never stopped working on his game.
"If he's doing that, we need to do probably triple. Because this opportunity's definitely been a blessing for us and we've got to make the most of it. And help him, especially in the playoffs, just have success."
Father's Day, after all, is coming, synched up pretty nicely with the end of the NBA Finals.
