Nobody gave the Boston Celtics a chance to start the series. They didn’t give them a chance in Game 3 when they won in Cleveland after a final second shocker by Avery Bradley. Nobody gave them a chance in Game 4 either. Charles Barley was talking that shit in the pre-game show saying the Cavaliers were going to blow out the C’s.
After two quarters, it was looking like the complete opposite.
The Celtics were controlling the game, kept making shots and putting the pressure on the Cavs. Not to mention LeBron James got his fourth foul with more than five minutes left in the second quarter.
At this point, BELIEVELAND was shook, as the C’s took a 10-point lead by halftime.
Then it was a tale of the second half for the Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving went off and practically carried the team on his back, with the momentum from the final minutes of the second quarter. He caught fire and kept going with it. He scored 21 points in the third quarter alone.
KYRIE IRVING. 👀 #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/qHibZCzSCk
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 24, 2017
Kyrie Handles, though
Don’t get it twisted, though. LeBron scored too. And he didn’t pick up another foul.
Boston kept hovering around, but Cleveland ran away with the lead once they took it and never looked back. Even after it looked like Irving injured his ankle, he kept making shots.
Touchdown, @KingJames! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wa9DWZM8AQ
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 24, 2017
Touchdown reception from LeBron James from his QB Kevin Love
They came back from 16 points down in the first half to seal the victory at home.
Irving finished with 42 points, James had a quiet 34 points and 6 assists, while Kevin Love had a monster 17 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.
On the other side of the ball, Bradley was the Celtics leading scorer with 19 points, with Jae Crowder scoring 18 points of his own. Al Horford ended with 16 points and Kelly Olynyk contributed with 15 points with his start. Unfortunately, Marcus Smart didn’t go off in this game like the last. The bench outscored the Cavs again, but they didn’t snap either.
The series now heads to Boston for Game 5, where Cleveland will look to end it and make their way to their third straight NBA Finals to face the Golden State Warriors.