NBA playoff scores 2016: LeBron James' dominance is immortal

The last time LeBron James sat home during the NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving was finishing up high school and Kevin Love was a couple months removed from playing in the Rookies vs. Sophomores Game at NBA All-Star Weekend, a format that doesn't even exist in the same format now.

That's how long it has been. How else can you quantify six straight trips to the NBA Finals? Tyronn Lue, now James' coach, was just a year removed from retirement. Rasheed Wallace hadn't retired for the first time. Osama bin Laden was still alive. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars dominated the airwaves. These are all the things that were happening the last time James missed the NBA Finals.

This is James' time. In late May and early June, he sets up shop after dragging whatever roster is around him through the Eastern Conference. It can be a hard-fought seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers or a four-game annihilation like the Cavaliers did to the Hawks (twice). Either way, everyone can accept that he's in charge now.

Game 6 on Friday was no different. James kicked off the scoring early, scoring 21 points in the first half alone. He struggled with his jump shot this season more than any season since his first one, shooting 30.9 percent from behind the arc, but by dropping in three long balls on Friday, James raised his percentage to more than 35 percent in the last two rounds. His final line was marvelous: 33 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and 13-of-22 shooting.

James probably couldn't do this in the Western Conference, where the competition is stronger, but criticizing someone for not beating challenges that weren't put in front of him is no criticism at all. In the same way, those who harp on James' poor Finals record (2-4) without recognizing his dominant run of six in a row are simply looking for a new way to discredit what he's done. After all, James' two most impressive Finals performances -- 2007 and 2015 -- came in lost series against better, healthier teams.

Especially if it's the Thunder and not the Warriors, the Western Conference feels like it's more wide open than it has been in several years for LeBron James to take the crown. If he doesn't, well, too bad. No one is forced to like the man. Just don't discredit any of the amazing things he has done, either.

Six straight. Six! That's a lot. Don't forget that.

2 more things from Game 6

Kyle Lowry tried his damndest

"His damndest" includes 35 points on 11-of-22 shooting in Game 6, including 15 points by himself in the final three minutes of the third quarter. Lowry never gave up, even as Cleveland inched that lead further and further out of reach, always knocking in a couple buckets to make sure the game didn't get too far out of hand. His job was, ultimately, inconsequential. The Raptors lost, and their season is over, but in the process we learned something about Lowry and Toronto: they gon be alright.

We really should stop making fun of the Raptors. They have a brand and a global presence. They have a couple big free agency decisions but, with the rising cap, a lot of room to decide on bringing them back or finding replacements. Even with the rocky start, Toronto made it farther than any of us thought they did.

For the offseason competition committee: strikes to the head

The rules committee meets every offseason, made up of a mixture of head coaches, general managers and team owners. This season, they should take a long, hard look at flagrant fouls, particularly as they relate to strikes to the head. The NBA rightly increased their focus on blows to the head this season, especially in the swirling concussion culture the NFL has brought upon professional sports. It's an important issue and the NBA can continue its reputation as the most forward-thinking sports league in the United States by doing so. But there's also a determination that needs to be made for what doesn't constitute a blow to the head. In Game 6, Bismack Biyombo was issued a flagrant-one for this play below.

This type of play isn't consistently called as a flagrant foul. It's also ostensibly a basketball move. There was another elbow in this same half that looked similar but wasn't call at all. Taking a closer look and attempting to define the legislation for this type of play more comprehensively would be a good item for this offseason's agenda.

Play of the night

Oh my, the disrespect.

3 fun things

LeBron honors "unbelievable" Raptors fans and he gets emotional when asked about his six straight Finals appearances.

LeBron was pumped and let Drake know. But it's OK, they hugged after the game.

SHUMP VS. KYRIE SING OFF.

Final score

Cavaliers 113, Raptors 87 (Fear the Sword recap | Raptors HQ recap | SB Nation recap)