Cavaliers on brink of NBA finals
Kyrie 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 a third date in the finals with Golden State by rallying to beat the Boston Celtics 112-99 in game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Irving stayed on the floor despite rolling his left ankle in the third quarter, when he scored 19 in less than five minutes, and James shook off early foul trouble as the Cavs opened a 3-1 lead in the series.
The defending NBA champions can wrap up their third straight conference title - and a ‘‘three-match’’ against the Warriors - with a win in game 5 in Boston tomorrow.
The Cavs 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.
When the horn sounded, 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 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 re-tying his left sneaker. Nothing was keeping him out.