Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals just wrapped up, and despite the Celtics gaining momentum with a recent win over the Cavaliers, they were not able to get it done tonight. Unfortunately, the Celtics are now one game away from elimination and are in need of desperate help after losing Isaiah Thomas in Game 2. Let's take a look at what happened in the game tonight.
Celtics come out swinging
Jae Crowder finally scored 13 pts through the first two-quarters which included being 3-3 from downtown. But not only were they, for the most part, finding their offense - they also kept the Cavaliers off the boards.
Brad Stevens paired Jerebko and Horford to keep the Cavaliers from getting boards on their offensive end.
But the main reason they succeeded was they used their only upper hand - coaching ability and play running.
But in addition, it was the energy that the Celtics came out with. They properly carried the momentum from the win just a few days ago. Everyone was contributing in the first half, and the Cavaliers looked stunned and lackluster.
Also, LeBron James was not able to find his rhythm and eventually had to sit with around 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter after picking up four personal fouls. But the Celtics were not able to completely take over and went into halftime with a score of 57-47.
Second Half
The Celtics came out in the second half a little sloppy. Turning over the ball 3-4 times in a very quick span of time. But LeBron also had a sluggish start missing his first two shots.
The Celtics offense primarily ran through the post as Horford went to work giving the Cavaliers a taste of their own medicine and bullied them down low.
But the Celtics effort slowed down after halftime. Second chance points were now created from Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, and they were getting to the basket a lot easier.
But there were two marquee moments in the 3rd quarter: LeBron missing a dunk off an amazing Kevin Love outlet pass, and Kyrie Irving hitting the deck and grabbing his ankle after finishing at the rim.
Off an incredible NFL Quarterback-esque outlet pass from Kevin Love, LeBron botched a wide open dunk - which begs the question: what is eating away at LeBron?
Leave your answer down below!
Bringing me to my next point - where Kyrie drove to the hoop and had some contact on his ankle. Given his injury history, this was not a great look as he looked in pain. Luckily he was able to walk it off - and he shook off the pain to take over the game.
Kyrie was easily the propelling factor as he scored 42 pts tonight. But don't let that distract you from Kevin Love's very important 17 boards - only 2 of which being offensive but they are still important down the stretch.
The thing that really propelled LeBron to find his rhythm late in the game and Kyrie to perform like he did was the crowd getting into the game late in the 3rd quarter.
The crowd chanted "MVP" for James as he took to the line, and I feel that this propelled him to fall into his rhythm. James had an immensely slow start, but he eventually scored 34pts.
If you missed Game 3, Matthew Couden's game wrap-up here!
Bottom Line
Even with LeBron being lackluster for the majority of the game, Kyrie was able to propel the Cavaliers to a W. This displays how deadly the Cavaliers truly are looking towards the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers are one win away from punching their ticket to the NBA Finals - but they have to make sure they close them out next game.
For more on the importance of why they need to close the Celtics out fast, check this article by William E. Ricks.
Going forward, the Cavaliers need to make sure they don't mess about and finish strong.
Check out how the Western Conference Finals wrapped up last night in this article!
Also, check out what Asmir Pekmic had to say about the Cavaliers win here.
