Irving steps up for Cavs
CLEVELAND Kyrie Irving gritted his teeth, tightened up his left sneaker and hopped to his feet.
The pain didn’t stop him. The Celtics didn’t either.
Irving took over in the second half and finished with 42 points, LeBron James added 34 and the Cleveland Cavaliers moved within one win of an almost inevitable third date in the Finals with Golden State by rallying to beat Boston 112-99 on Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
With James in foul trouble, Irving stayed on the floor despite rolling his left ankle in the third quarter, when he scored 19 points in less than five minutes.
“He put us on his back and carried us,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said.
The defending NBA champions, who shot 71 per cent in the second half to open a 3-1 lead in the series, can wrap up their third straight conference title — and a “three-match” against the Warriors — with a win in Game 5 on Thursday night in Boston.
But if Games 3 and 4 are any indication, it won’t be easy.
Fighting to keep their season alive, the Celtics aren’t giving an inch despite playing without All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, who may need surgery on a hip injury.
The Cavs, meanwhile, wouldn’t be on the cusp of the Finals without Irving.
With Cleveland in jeopardy of dropping its second game in a row after James followed an 11-point Game 3 by picking up four first-half fouls, Irving put on a breathtaking one-man show in the third quarter.
Freezing Boston defenders with his dribble and driving to the basket whenever he wanted, Irving made six layups, two 3-pointers and a free throw in a dizzying span of 4:48. He capped his blistering 19-point outburst with a 3 in the final second of the quarter and celebrated at midcourt by pretending to put two pistols back in his holster.
“Coming out of halftime I just wanted to be aggressive, lead my guys and leave it all out there on the floor,” Irving said.
When the horn sounded to end the third, Cleveland’s players poured off the bench to greet him. They had to be careful not to knock him off his feet after Irving had put a scare through the frenzied Quicken Loans Arena crowd moments earlier when he stepped on the foot of Boston’s Terry Rozier.
Irving stayed on the floor for several seconds before sitting up and retying his sneaker. Nothing was keeping him out.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was disappointed with his team’s defence on Irving, who was able to spread the floor while surrounded by shooters.
Kevin Love added 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Cavs, now 11-1 in the post-season.
Avery Bradley scored 19 and Jae Crowder 18 for Boston.