CLEVELAND — LeBron James dunked the first time he touched the ball and scored 34 points — 22 in the first half — as the Cavaliers, who waited nine days between playoff games after a first-round sweep, shook off some early rust and pulled away for a 99-72 victory over the Hawks in their Eastern Conference semifinal opener Tuesday night.
Showing why he was voted the league’s MVP in a landslide, James added 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals as the top-seeded Cavaliers won their fifth straight lopsided game in a postseason that has so far mirrored the best regular season in franchise history.
James stuffed the stat sheet again, but it was his defensive stop on Joe Johnson in the third quarter that meant as much as anything.
“An MVP taking a charge on the break?” Cavaliers guard Mo Williams said. “That’s amazing. You get that effort from him, how could I not take a charge? The whole night was about him, and he came out and showed why he is the MVP — in the first quarter.”
Williams added 21 points for Cleveland, which became the first team since the 2004 Pistons to win each of its five playoff games by double figures.
With the Cavaliers up by 21, James was pulled with 4:29 left — extra down time before Game 2 on Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavaliers are 42-2.
Josh Smith scored 22 and Mike Bibby 19 for the Hawks, who shot 9-for-30 and scored just 28 points after halftime.
“No matter how much rust we have on our bones, we can still play defense,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said.
