Cavaliers clinch home-court advantage in East

Despite a season filled with turmoil, the King and his men remain atop the East.

The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs with their 109-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

Entering Monday's game, there still remained a slight possibility of the Toronto Raptors sneaking into first. The Cavaliers would have needed to lose their last two games of the season, while the Raptors won out.

LeBron James ensured his team stayed on top by submitting one of his finest performances of the season. He scored 34 points on 13-of-16 shooting as nobody on the Hawks made much of a dent.

Although it was practically a foregone conclusion that the Cavaliers would finish first, it was nevertheless a trying season filled with distractions. Between the dismissal of David Blatt, a flurry of cryptic tweets, and the omnipotent threat of James leaving in free agency, there was never any shortage of controversy looming over "The Land."

Lost amid the hoopla, it was forgotten the Cavaliers were still the team to beat in the East. Toronto nipped at their ankles all season, but struggled to seriously threaten Cleveland's reign in the long run.

And if everything continues to go according to plan, James' team figures to be heavy favorites to represent the East for a sixth straight season.