The Cleveland Cavaliers made sure that they took care of business after a disappointing loss in Game 3. The defending champions took a commanding 3-1 lead over the Boston Celtics and they are now only one victory away from reaching their third straight NBA Finals. The next game of the series will be played on Thursday night in Boston and it might be the final game of the season for the Celtics.
The game was not easy for the Cavaliers as the Celtics put forth maximum effort to tie the series. Unfortunately for them, the Cavaliers outplayed them, and the duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving was just too much to handle.
Being down 3-1 in the series is difficult enough for the Celtics, and not having Isaiah Thomas, their best player, almost completely ruins their chances of winning the series.
The Celtics played great basketball
The Boston Celtics once again showed how good they can be, even without Thomas. They opened the first quarter with a big run and ended it with a 10-point lead. The Cavaliers did their best to catch up, but the Celtics went into halftime with another 10-point lead.
Things started looking bad for Cleveland and they knew that time was ticking, but they managed to bounce back with a big third quarter. The defending champions outscored the Celtics 40 to 23 in the quarter and Kyrie Irving was sensational.
The point guard scored 21 points in what turned out to be a game-deciding run for the Cavaliers. Boston tried to respond in the fourth quarter and make a comeback, but the Cavaliers had the momentum and they did not allow any surprise runs by their opponent.
Cavaliers' Big 3 was unstoppable
Irving scored 42 points in the game which is the best playoff scoring output of his career.
He was very efficient, making 14 of his 22 shot attempts, including 4-for-7 from the three-point line. LeBron James bounced back from a horrible Game 3 and scored 34 points on 15-for-27 shooting, while Kevin Love finished the game with an impressive double-double of 17 points and 17 rebounds. The trio was especially good in the second half and they were the biggest reason why the Cavaliers turned the tide and shifted the momentum in their favor.
Boston had great performances from their starters, who combined for 76 of team's 99 points. However, the Cavaliers scored 112 points and they outscored the Celtics by 6 in the final quarter, essentially guaranteeing themselves another trip to the NBA Finals with a commanding 3-1 lead.
