Irving’s 42 have Cavs a win away
James helps in gaining 3-1 series lead
The Associated Press
cleveland» 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 an almost inevitable third date in the Finals with Golden State by rallying to beat the Boston Celtics 112-99 on Tuesday night 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.
“He put us on his back and carried us,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said of Irving.
The defending NBA champions can wrap up their third straight conference title — and a “threematch” against the Warriors — with a win in Game 5 on Thursday night in Boston.
Fighting to keep their season alive, the Celtics aren’t giving an inch despite playing without allstar guard Isaiah Thomas, who may need surgery on his hip.
The Cavs, meanwhile, wouldn’t be on the cusp of the Finals without Irving.
“Coming out of halftime, I just wanted to be aggressive, lead my guys and leave it all out there on the floor,” Irving said.
With Cleveland in jeopardy of dropping its second game in a row after James followed an 11-point Game 3 by picking up four firsthalf 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.
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 frenzied Quicken Loans Arena crowd moments earlier when he stepped on the foot of Boston’s Terry Rozier.