LeBron heaps praise on Cavs teammate

Then, with four-time league MVP LeBron James saddled with four fouls, they fell behind by 16 points in the second quarter of Game 4 before Kyrie Irving came to the rescue and sparked a 112-99 triumph at Quicken Loans Arena.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had four fouls in a game before in the first half, so my rhythm is kind of broken and you’ve got to figure out ways you can still help the team, and my teammates said be aggressive, be you”, James said. Irving finished with 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting while LeBron James had 34 points with six assists. Kevin Love is the third double-digit scorer and Tristan Thompson is grabbing 9.7 rebounds.

The win gives Cleveland a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and leaves them firmly on track for a third consecutive NBA Finals showdown against the Golden State Warriors. Jonas Jerebko came off the bench to score 10 points without missing a shot after he totaled just eight points in the previous nine games.

The Cavaliers simply need to pick up where they left off in the second half of Game 4, when they outscored the Celtics 65-42 after trailing by 10 points at the break. In fact, the Celtics never had the lead in any of the three games in Boston. He watched Game 5 in street clothes. It could be the last chance we get to see Jaylen Brown take a few more baby steps toward greatness (he’s questionable with a hip injury). “The way he’s playing, he’s deserving of all the credit he’s getting”, Irving said before listing some of the Celtics who shone in Thomas’ absence. The Celtics know they need to do a good job across the board on defense, but the way they play and where they bring their help will all be predicated on making it as hard as possible to get inside.

Which is why, after last night’s game, James made sure to take the time to note how quickly Boston had adjusted to life without I.T.

“He’s a special talent”, James said about Irving.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens wants his team to find motivation in how the series played out after a fulfilling season.

It’s also why Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said that his team must keep all thoughts of being on the cusp of a return to the NBA Finals at bay for now.

“You have to commend them for accomplishing what they did. they were playing at such a high level”, said guard Kyrie Irving. They learned that lesson in Game 3. “In the back of my mind I’m saying to myself, ‘They can not tie up the series‘”. The Cleveland Cavaliers set a new National Basketball Association record for winning their 13 straight close out game in dominant fashion with the score of 135-102.

Aside from one shock defeat in Game 3, the Cavaliers were utterly dominant against the Celtics and maintained a decisive lead throughout their 4 victories. “We had really good athletes, quick guys that make things tough on people guarding him, and he was able to raise up and make a lot of tough shots”.