CLEVELAND _ "Saturday Night Live" is known for being timely and on point with its wicked commentary and hilarious skits.
But its unaired sketch on "The Other Cavaliers," posted online Sunday, was a month too late.
LeBron James did carry his teammates from October through April, awing fans on a nightly basis with arguably the most jaw-dropping season of his 15-year career.
But the Cavs that swept the Toronto Raptors out of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 128-93 victory Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena were not the basketball incompetents spoofed by the legendary NBC show.
They do not have "a Roomba for a point guard." Playoff veteran George Hill came out determined to set the tone, driving for two dunks and a layup and scoring six of the Cavs' first 10 points.
They do not play a "hot potato offense," as in when James passes the ball, a teammate whips it right back. That premise was mashed as James handed out 11 assists in Game 4 and increased his total in the series to 45.
They were not saying "Sorry, man," to James afterward. They were celebrating reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth consecutive year, awaiting the winner of the Celtics-76ers series.
James claimed not to have seen the skit at shootaround, which seems unlikely. Perhaps he didn't want to get into a discussion about his suspect supporting cast, which as recently as the seven-game first-round series against the Indiana Pacers felt as if it would drive James away from Cleveland this summer in free agency.
The Cavs appeared to play Monday as if they took SNL's slights to heart and wanted to disprove the show's viral online video. But to believe that would be discounting the fact that they felt they were jelling after a 105-103 victory at the Q on Saturday.
"We're turning a corner at the right time. We're growing together," Jeff Green said then.
"There is a different feeling around the team right now than a couple of days ago," Kyle Korver said.
As they won their 10th consecutive playoff game over the Raptors Monday, Cavs not named James scored the first 15 points. James put in just two of the Cavs' 30 in the first quarter.
Guards Hill, Korver and J.R. Smith combined to hit their first 10 shots. Smith went 6-for-6, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, all in the first half after going scoreless in 26 minutes of Game 3.
At halftime, the Cavs had four players in double figures and James was the low man among them with 10 points. Smith led the way with 15, Korver 13 and Kevin Love had 11. Hill, Korver and Smith went 15-for-18 combined from the field.
For the game, James totaled 29 points, Love 23, Korver 16, Smith 15 and Hill 12.
In the third quarter, James decided to get in on the fun and scored 15 points in the quarter, including making one shot as he was falling out of bounds for a 97-72 lead. But it was still not a one-man show. As James pitched in 19 points in the second half, Love contributed 12.
The spoof was particularly tough on Love. The actor wearing his No. 0 jersey eerily resembled him. The character said the Cavs' definition of the pick and roll was "when I pick up LeBron's laundry and roll it on over to his house." The second-leading scorer was a girl who smoked cigarettes and the starting center (Love's position) was a golden retriever.
Love provided perhaps the most encouraging sign for the Cavs going forward. Struggling against the Pacers' bevy of big men, Love totaled 75 points and 36 rebounds in the final three games against the Raptors.
The SNL skit did get something right. The Cavs do "have LeBron's back ... and his shoulders." When the Raptors took a timeout with 53.1 seconds left in the first half after a 10-0 run put the Cavs up 61-47, the entire Cavs bench ran to midcourt to congratulate those responsible.
Yes, James dominates the headlines, especially after two buzzer-beating shots in a span of 11 days in the playoffs. Yes, the talent surrounding him cannot compare to the Cavs teams the previous three years. But they are trying to become a cohesive unit and took major steps forward against the Raptors.
"The Other Cavaliers" skit would have been lauded as pointedly perfect a month ago. But on Monday, James' teammates proved they are capable of delivering more than their star's laundry. A Roomba and a golden retriever, indeed.
