5-23-17 vs. Celtics

clejgabriele

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Wrap-Up -- After a head-scratching home loss on Sunday night and a sloppy, sluggish first half on Tuesday, the Cavaliers flipped that proverbial switch after intermission – shooting 71 percent from the floor in the second stanza and blowing past the Celtics, 112-99, to take Game 4 at The Q.

The Wine and Gold now stand one win away from a third straight trip to the NBA Finals, but locking up their third win in the series didn’t come easy.

Buoyed by their big upset in Game 3, the shorthanded Celtics – who’ll be without Isaiah Thomas for the remainder of the postseason – took the fight to Cleveland in the first half of Game 4, leading by double-digits after one quarter and by as many as 16 in the second.

Complicating the Cavaliers’ first-half pickle was the foul trouble LeBron James found himself in – picking up his fourth personal with 6:46 to play in the second period.

But the Cavs found their footing late in the half and were able to stay within striking distance – trailing by only 10 at intermission.

The Celtics saw a different team emerge from the locker room in the third quarter, however, and the Wine and Gold – namely Kyrie Irving – were all business over the final 24 minutes.

In that third quarter, Irving was virtually unstoppable – tallying 21 of his Playoff career-high 42 points in the period, going 9-of-10 from the floor as Cleveland turned a 10-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead heading to the fourth.

In the fourth, the Cavaliers looked like themselves again.

The Celtics cut their lead to four earlier in the period, but Cleveland hit the afterburners and eventually cruised to the finish line – taking a double-digit edge with just over three minutes to play and holding off Boston down the stretch.

Led by Kyrie’s career night, the Big Three did almost all the heavy lifting on Tuesday night – combining for 93 points, the most Cleveland’s power troika has ever tallied in a Playoff game.

On the night, Irving went 15-for-22 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from long-range and 8-of-9 from the stripe. The four-time All-Star – who was 10-of-12 from the field in the second half – added four assists and three boards in the win.

”The importance of a Game 4 – especially the way we came out in Game 3 – you know, in the back of my mind, I was like, I'm saying to myself, ‘We cannot -- they cannot tie up this series,” said Irving. “And for us, our focus level has to be at an all-time high, and the little things that matter that's going to make the difference within the game.”

LeBron James bounced back from a difficult Game 3 in which he scored just 11 points – the fourth-lowest Playoff total of his career – to tally 34 points, going 15-for-27 from the floor to go with six assists, five boards, a steal and a blocked shot.

Kyrie &amp; LBJ combine for 76 points and KLove tallies a double-double.

For James – who notched 24 of his 34 after half – it was his 10th game of at least 30 points, his 11th shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.

”(The Celtics) are giving us everything that they have, and we're expecting it, and we want the challenge,” said James. “It's the postseason and, at the end of the day, you just want to win the game. It doesn't matter who you're going against or how you get the job done, you're just trying to figure it out, and I think we did that.”

Kevin Love has now doubled-up in each game of the Eastern Conference Finals – leading both squads with a Playoff career-high 17 rebounds to go with 17 points, five assists, a steal and a pair of blocked shots.

Four Celtics notched double-figures in Game 4 -- led by Avery Bradley, who tallied 19 points on 7-for-19 shooting. Jae Crowder finished with 18 points while Al Horford chipped in with 16 to go with a game-high seven assists.

Cleveland shot 59.5 percent from the floor on the night – the NBA’s best shooting mark of the 2017 postseason. Both squads hit 10 triples on the night, but the Cavaliers again controlled the boards – 37-29 – as well holding scoring advantages in the paint, 58-34, and on the break, 16-4.

Turning Point -- After a flat first half, once momentum started swinging Cleveland’s way in the second half of Game 4, the Celtics simply had no answer.

The Celtics started the second half up 10 and went up 11 less than three minutes into the quarter on Jae Crowder’s finger-roll. But LeBron’s two straight buckets got Cleveland to within a touchdown and J.R. Smith’s massive put-back dunk electrified the arena and fueled the Cavs burgeoning comeback.

After Love scored back-to-back buckets, Swish drained a bomb to get Cleveland to within three, 69-66.

At that point, Uncle Drew took over the ballgame – scoring 19 of the Cavaliers’ final 21 points in the period and putting Cleveland squarely in control of the contest.

By the Numbers – 24.5, 12.8 … Kevin Love’s scoring and rebounding averages through the first four games of the Eastern Conference Finals – shooting .508 from the floor, .556 from beyond the arc and .857 from the stripe in the series.

Quotable – Coach Tyronn Lue, on how Boston overcame Cleveland’s 21-point lead …

”(Kryie) saw LeBron went out, and he wanted to put the team on his shoulders, on his back, and just let us ride him until LeBron got back. He did that. And we put him in some good situations, iso, where he's one of the best in the league, and he produced for us.”

Up Next -- After rallying past the Celtics on Tuesday night, the Cavaliers will look to close out the Celtics on Thursday night when their return to Boston for Game 5. If they’re able to stay alive, the Eastern Conference Finals return to Cleveland for Saturday night’s Game 6 at The Q. If the series goes the distance, it’s back to Beantown for Game 7 next Monday night at the TD Garden.

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Cavs, Kyrie Explode in Second Half; Take 3-1 Series Lead

clenadams

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Breaking Down The 'W' - May 23, 2017

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#CavsCeltics Game 4 Photos - May 23, 2017

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Let’s be honest: If the Cavaliers had to drop a game in the Eastern Conference Finals, Sunday night’s Game 3 was probably the one. The Wine and Gold are still up in the series, 2-1, still have two games remaining at home if they need them, and are taking on a team that they stomped twice with their top scorer – and are now without him.

That doesn’t mean the Cavs are out of the woods by any stretch, and they’ll need to re-establish momentum on Tuesday night at The Q.

Sunday’s game was sticking completely to the script through the first two quarters – with the Wine and Gold scoring 66 points and leading by 16 heading into halftime. But Cleveland cooled off after intermission – going just 5-for-18 from the floor in the third – and the shorthanded Celtics chipped away until Avery Bradley rattled-home the game winner as time expired.

The loss was Cleveland’s first of the postseason and snapped its 13-game run that dated back to last year’s Finals.

The Cavaliers are still 14-0 in franchise history after taking a 2-0 lead in a series, but they’ll have to contend with a desperate Celtics squad that smells a little bit of blood after being left for dead following last Friday’s beatdown in Beantown.

LeBron James’ postseason run this year had been otherworldly through his first ten games, but even the King came back down to Earth on Sunday night – posting the fourth-lowest Playoff point total of his career.

He had notched at least 30 points in eight straight games and nine of Cleveland’s 10 outings so far, but he struggled mightily on Sunday night – finishing with 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting, including 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. James – who averaged 20.0 points in just the second-halves of the four-game sweep against Toronto – posted just three points in Sunday’s second stanza, going 1-of-8 from the floor and making just two trips to the line.

But those who’ve watched James over the years know that the future Hall of Famer never has two bad games in a row, and if there’s an opposing franchise who knows what he’s capable of, it’s the Celtics. He still leads all postseason scorers with a 32.2 ppg average and has scored at least 25 points in 10 of Cleveland’s 11 postseason contests.

As usual, Jae Crowder started out against James in Game 3 – doubling-up in the improbable win with 14 points, 11 boards and a game-high three steals.

The Cavaliers’ second unit figured prominently in their eight-game win streak through the first two rounds of the Playoffs, but in the early part of the Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland’s Big Three (plus Tristan Thompson) had been doing most of the heavy lifting.

The same was true for Boston up until Sunday night’s upset – with Kelly Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko coming off the bench to key the second-half rally.

Jerebko – who was a DNP-CP in six of Boston’s 15 previous Playoff games before last night – came off the bench to go 4-of-4 from the floor for 10 points and five boards, including the 22-footer that put the Celtics up a deuce with 30 seconds to play. In Jerebko’s 12 minutes of play, he led both teams with a +22 mark.

Olynyk was even better – adding 15 points in relief, going 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe.

For the Cavaliers, all five starters tallied double-figures, but got just nine combined points off the bench – six from Iman Shumpert.

They haven’t gotten much from the rest of their bench so far against Boston. Kyle Korver is averaging 4.7 points and shooting 25 percent from deep, Deron Williams is averaging 2.0 points and shooting 18 percent from the floor, Richard Jefferson finished with 10 points and five boards in Game 2, but hasn’t scored in either of the other two contests.

After an uneven first two rounds of the postseason, Kevin Love has been outstanding against Boston – notching his third straight double-double on Sunday night at The Q.

In that Game 3 performance, Love connected on seven first-half three-pointers, notching 22 of his 28 points in the first half. On the night, the four-time All-Star finished 8-of-16 from the floor, including 7-for-13 from long-range and 5-of-6 from the line, adding 10 boards, three assists and a pair of blocks.

Through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, Love is averaging 27.0 points and 11.3 boards, shooting 52 percent from the floor, 55 percent from long-range (17-of-31) and 84 percent from the stripe.

Amir Johnson was back in the starting lineup for Boston last night, but Olynyk and Jerebko got the majority of minutes against Love in the second half of Game 3. The duo combined for 9-for-12 shooting and did a good job helping slow down Love after intermission.

One player who will never be accused of not bringing maximum energy and effort is Tristan Thompson, who played like a man-possessed in both halves of Sunday’s Game 3 loss – tallying his second double-double of the postseason, 14th of his playoff career.

Cleveland’s blue-collar big finished with 18 points, a game-high 13 boards – including seven off the offensive glass – and a blocked shot. On the night, Thompson went 3-of-4 from the floor – (and is now 13-for-16 in the series) – and was 12-of-15 from the stripe, setting a career-mark in made free throws.

Through the first three games of the series, Thompson is averaging 15.0 points and 8.0 boards per. Boston’s starting big, Al Horford, had his best offensive night of the series, finishing with 16 points on 7-for-18 shooting, adding six assists but just two rebounds in the win.

Despite drawing Boston fans’ occasional ire, Horford has had a rock-solid Playoff run in his first season with the Celtics – averaging 15.4 points on 59 percent shooting to go with 7.0 boards and 5.6 assists.

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KeyBank Five Keys: Cavaliers vs. Celtics, Game 4

clejsykes

The defending NBA Champion Cavaliers host Game 4 of the East Finals against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. Tipoff from Quicken Loans Arena is at 8:30 p.m. (ET).

The Wine and Gold will look to bounce back following Sunday night's 111-108 loss in Game 3. Despite the loss, all Cavalier starters scored in double figures (Kyrie Irving-29, Kevin Love-28, Tristan Thompson-18, J.R. Smith-13, LeBron James-11).

CAVS TO DON WHITE JERSEYS.
        From where to catch all the action to Tuesday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.

The Cavs nailed 16 three-pointers in Game 3 against Boston, including nine triples in the first quarter, which was one shy of the franchise playoff record for threes made in a quarter (10 in 2nd Q vs. ATL on 5/4/16).

The Cavaliers have scored at least 100 points in all 11 playoff games, joining this year's Warriors as the only teams in NBA history to score 100+ points in each of their first 11 postseason games. In the ECF series, the Cavs are averaging 118.3 points.

Overall, Cleveland ranks 2nd in the NBA Playoffs in points per game (115.3) and field goal percentage (.494), while leading all postseason teams in three-point percentage (.430), offensive rating (119.4) and three-pointers made per game (14.6).

Boston aims to tie the series and steal back homecourt before the series shifts back to Boston on Thursday for Game 5. Without their All-Star floor general, Isaiah Thomas (strained right hip), the Celtics got a big boost from the man who replaced Thomas in the starting lineup, Marcus Smart. The third-year guard from Oklahoma State recorded a playoff career-high with 27 points on 8-14 (.571) shooting and a 7-10 (.700) clip on three-pointers, five rebounds and a game-high tying seven assists.

Cleveland hopes to regain momentum in front of their home crowd on Tuesday night. Including this postseason, the Cavs have won 13 of the last 15 playoff games at Quicken Loans Arena.

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @ElalcaldeRafa and @chones22 on Twitter.

Status Update: (Cavs) - Edy Tavares (Right Hand Fracture, Out)

Status Update: (Celtics) - Isaiah Thomas (Strained Right Hip, Out)

In the ECF this year, Kevin Love has three double-doubles and is averaging 27.0 points and 11.3 rebounds, while shooting .522 (24-46) from the field, .548 (17-31) from three-point range and .842 (16-19) from the foul line, in 32.0 minutes per game. In Game 3, he drained seven three-pointers in the first half and finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 36 minutes. His seven threes in the opening half set a franchise playoff record for three-pointers made in a single half (previously six by J.R. Smith in 1st H vs. ATL on 5/4/16) and was one shy of tying the NBA postseason record for triples in a half (eight by Vince Carter in 1st H vs. PHI on 5/11/01). (Elias Sports Bureau)

Kyrie Irving had a game-high 29 points on 10-15 (.667) shooting, including 4-6 (.667) clip from deep, a game-high tying seven assists and a steal in 40 minutes in Game 3. Over the last two games, Irving is averaging 26.0 points on .692 (18-26) shooting from the field and 7-12 (.583) from beyond the arc, and 5.0 assists in 35.0 minutes. He has also now scored 20 or more points eight times this postseason.

Tristan Thompson posted his 2nd double-double of the 2017 postseason (14th of playoff career) with 18 points, a game-high 13 rebounds (seven offensive) and a block in 42 minutes in Game 3 against the Celtics. He also shot 12-15 (.800) from the foul line, setting a career-high in free throws made (regular season and postseason). This series, Thompson is averaging 15.0 points on .813 (13-16) shooting from the field and 8.0 rebounds in 34.0 minutes.

LeBron James has scored at least 25 points in 10 of 11 games this postseason and leads all remaining 2017 NBA Playoff players with 32.2 points per game.

The series shifts back to Beantown on Thursday for Game 5. If necessary, it's back at The Q for Game 6 on Saturday and next Monday night in Boston if it goes the distance.FIND SEATS | SCHEDULE

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#CavsCeltics Game 4 Preview - May 23, 2017

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5‑23‑17 vs. Celtics

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