The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t celebrate Eastern Conference Championships, but they do have a lot to celebrate right now. Not only are they going to appear in the franchise’s fourth straight Eastern Conference Finals, but they also have a graduate on their hands this season.
Point guard George Hill graduated on Saturday afternoon from IUPUI with a degree in liberal arts, per a media advisory from IUPUI’s administration. He had been attending the university since 2004 and played four years of college ball there. He avaerged 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 three-pointers per game as a senior. After 15 years of studies and the NBA, Hill became the first member of his family to graduate from college, which warrants congratulations.
According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, Saturday’s graduation ceremony meant Hill missed out on the Cavs’ final practice before the start of the series and the team is scheduled to fly into Boston on Saturday to take on the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon.
In dddition to his graduation ceremony, Hill will also be one of three student speakers at the commencement.
Hill joined the Cavs just prior to the NBA’s trade deadline in February. He struggled to find his place in the offense a bit during the regular season due to the new additions and an ankle injury. He averaged just 9.4 points, 2.7. rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 three-pointers across 24 apperances with the Cavs in the regular season, but really rose to the occasion when his team needed him most this postseason, putting in 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists in a must-win Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers. That was followed up by three straight games with at least 12 points in the four-game sweep of the Toronto Raptors.
As noted earlier, Hill will likely take off immediately after his graduation ceremony and travel to Boston for Sunday’s Game 1 matchup against the Celtics, which is scheduled to tip off at 3:30PM EST.
Congratulations go out to George Hill!