After securing a stunning win in Game 3, the Boston Celtics had to be prepared for more fight out of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4. Now without Isaiah Thomas for the remainder of the postseason, the Celtics knew they had to play inspired basketball if they wanted to even the series heading back to Boston. In the end, a strong first half wasn’t enough for the Celtics, as Cleveland’s star power led the Cavs to a 112-99 Game 4 victory.
The Celtics once again came out of the gates with purpose, jumping out to an early lead thanks in large part to the work of off-guard Avery Bradley. Bradley has become more of a focal point in Boston’s offense due to the absence of Thomas and his two-way play is one of the keys for the Celtics moving forward.
#Celtics got off to a ??? start pic.twitter.com/E66548wSsa
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) May 24, 2017
Boston showed off their impressive ball movement, getting everyone involved and into the flow of the game early. Behind Bradley and big man Kelly Olynyk who got the start over a banged up Amir Johnson, the C’s carried a 29-19 edge into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw more of the same for both sides. After a flat 11-point performance in their previous matchup, LeBron James got into early foul trouble in Game 4, picking up his fourth foul with over six minutes remaining in the second period, the first such instance in his 14-year career. While Kevin Love kept up his hot play, it was the explosion we saw from Kyrie Irving that kept the Cavs in this game.
Kyrie Irving trying to put the #Cavs on his back with LeBron on the bench pic.twitter.com/XyolTE8Rqr
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) May 24, 2017
Irving’s torrid scoring shouldered the offensive load for Cleveland but the team play of Boston matched his effectiveness. Wings Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder were able to make a heavy impact in the first half which resulted in Boston maintaining their 10-point advantage at the break.
Unsurprisingly, LeBron’s availability in the second half resulted in a completely different Cavs team taking the floor. Despite struggling with his outside stroke, his presence opened things up even more for Irving and company to go to work as Cleveland took a late 3rd quarter lead and never looked back.
Kyrie Irving gives it up to LeBron James for the jam!#DefendtheLand pic.twitter.com/95gdTUX2C3
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) May 24, 2017
However, it was once again Kyrie who was the story of the third quarter, going off for an absurd 21 points in the period and finishing with a playoff career-high 42 points for the game.
Absurd stuff from Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/Nzpznci9Jh
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) May 24, 2017
Despite Kyrie’s herculean performance, the Celtics were able to hang around until midway through the fourth quarter where the Cavs were able to eventually pull away. This was also when LeBron turned it up and became more involved, securing the 112-99 win for Cleveland.
After a highly-criticized Game 3 performance, LeBron responded with a 34 point performance to go along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds despite his foul trouble. Kevin Love recorded a monster double-double himself, registering 17 points and attacking the glass for a playoff career-high 17 boards. For Boston, Bradley led the way with 19 points while Crowder added 18 points and 8 rebounds.
With the Golden State Warriors waiting in the NBA Finals, the Cavs will look to secure the matchup we’ve all been waiting for in Game 5 on Thursday at 8:30 PM.
