Celtics-Cavaliers Game 4 Live Blog: Cavs Complete Sweep With 101-93 Win
BOSTON (CBS) -- Follow along for all the updates from Celtics-Cavaliers Game 4 at TD Garden!
Final -- Cavaliers 101, Celtics 93: The season is over for the Celtics following a four-game playoff sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers were just too much for the young and scrappy Boston squad. It's disappointing they couldn't win at least one game this series, but they showed their grit through all four games. While the Cavs won in four games, the Celtics didn't make things easy for them throughout.
The Celtics didn't do themselves any favors on Sunday either. They let the Cavaliers take control early and were in a 29-19 hole after the first quarter. Boston scored just 17 points in the second quarter, trailing by 21 at the half, and by the time they made their run throughout the third quarter (holding the Cavs to just 13 points), it was too late.
Boston was just 3-for-23 on three-point attempts, and just 24-for-37 at the free throw line during Sunday's loss.
Still, the Celtics didn't give up until the final buzzer. They pulled within six in the final minute of Game 4, making Cleveland sweat just a little bit extra en route to the series sweep.
But the Celtics aren't going to accept a "Good Job, Good Effort" for their season. Hopefully this just makes the players even hungrier heading into next season, and gives the front office a reason to go out and make a splash. We might not know what the future holds for the team, but it's all pointing in a good direction given what Brad Stevens was able to do with such a young team and a roster that appeared to change on a daily basis at times during the season.
The Celtics probably won't be winning an NBA title anytime soon, but this was a good year of development for a team who hopes to be in the playoff picture for the foreseeable future. It may have been just a baby step in the right direction, but it was a step in the right direction nonetheless.
4th Quarter, :29.8 -- Cavaliers 99, Celtics 93: Gigi got a good look at a three, his first shot from downtown today, but it just wasn't meant to be for the Celtics.
Had he made that shot, the roof would have blown off at the Garden.
4th Quarter, :36.1 -- Cavaliers 99, Celtics 93: The Celtics aren't going away.
After a Thomas layup and a pair of Bradley free throws, they're withing six points with the ball under their own basket.
Isaiah Thomas got away with one though, sneaking behind LeBron on an inbounds that went into the hands of the Celtics. LeBron begged the official to call something, but he missed it and had to let play continue.
4th Quarter, :53 -- Cavaliers 96, Celtics 87: Here comes the "Let's Go Celtics" chant from the crowd.
No, they didn't get to see a postseason win, but it's a nice way for the fans to show their appreciation for a very fun ride this season.
4th Quarter, 1:10 -- Cavaliers 94, Celtics 83: LeBron may have just put the nail in the coffin, driving to the hoop against three Celtics and putting it in for an easy two.
That's 27 points for LeBron, who also has 10 rebounds and eight assists.
4th Quarter, 2:27 -- Cavaliers 91, Celtics 77: The season is coming to an end for the Celtics, but at least the fans will get to see another 147 seconds of Gigi Datome!
4th Quarter, 3:58 -- Cavaliers 89 , Celtics 75: LeBron makes it look really easy sometimes.
He jumped in front of a pass by Jerebko and was fouled for two more Cleveland points. The end is near for Boston, but they're still playing hard.
4th Quarter, 5:50 -- Cavaliers 81, Celtics 72: Bass missed the free throw, and the Celtics are now 16-for-29 at the line for a horrendous 55.2 shooting percentage with no one guarding them.
4th Quarter, 6:03 -- Cavaliers 81, Celtics 72: Boston is attacking the basket, and it's paying off.
Brandon Bass will try to complete another three-point play for the C's when we return from the timeout, trying to cut Cleveland's lead to eight.
However, the Celtics are just 16-for-28 at the line. Those missed freebies are going to haunt them this summer if they don't come back and steal this one.
On the defensive end, Stevens has switched up to a zone with mixed results. Irving hasn't had much trouble with it, scoring seven of the Cavaliers' last nine points.
4th Quarter, 7:55 -- Cavaliers 77, Celtics 67: Another three-point play by Sully has the C's back within 10, but this time he got those three points the hard way.
Sully put back a Thomas miss for his fourth offensive board of the day. He's now up to 19 points and 11 rebounds.
4th Quarter, 9:00 -- Cavaliers 75, Celtics 64: The Garden was alive after Jared Sullinger knocked down a three pointer to make it an eight-point game, but the Cavs have since answered.
Irving hit a three of his own off a screen, and Cleveland's lead is back up to 11.
End Of 3rd Quarter -- Cavaliers 70, Celtics 61: Little Phil Pressey forced a jump ball with LeBron, and though he didn't get the ball, the Celtics gained possession.
And on that play, Jared Sullinger tipped in a Smart miss at the buzzer to pull the C's back within nine points.
The Celtics outscored Cleveland 25-13 in the quarter, a very impressive 12 minutes of basketball. It wasn't pretty at times for either team, but the Celtics have some life heading into the fourth quarter.
3rd Quarter, :32.1 -- Cavaliers 70, Celtics 59: A Shumpert three has Cleveland back up by double digits, but Marcus Smart is giving fans a reason to cheer.
The rookie just hit the floor for a loose ball, drawing a foul on Irving in the process. He now has four on the game, along with Cleveland center Timofey Moszgov.
Smart hit just one of his two free throws though.
3rd Quarter, 1:40 -- Cavaliers 67, Celtics 58: The crowd is alive and well at the TD Garden.
Avery Bradley missed a jumper, but Marcus Smart set his alarm and was at the basket at the right time, slamming it up to pull Boston to within single digits.
3rd Quarter, 2:24 -- Cavaliers 67, Celtics 54: A 10-4 run has Boston within striking distance, though they still have a long ways to go.
Thomas has seven of Boston's last 10 points, with Avery Bradley adding a nice left-handed layup and Sully adding a free throw, to pull them within 13 points of Cleveland.
Thomas has looked a bit rejuvenated after finally finding the bottom of the basket, and will get a pair of free throws when play resumes.
Now the Celtics have to keep the Cavaliers from pushing back, which they haven't been able to do all game -- or series.
3rd Quarter, 5:05 -- Cavaliers 63, Celtics 47: This one has been so ugly, let's get excited for an Isaiah Thomas three!
The C's guard hit his first shot after an 0-for-10 start. We'll see if this can get him going.
3rd Quarter, 8:10 -- Cavaliers 59, Celtics 42: The Celtics say Crowder will not return with a left knee sprain.
3rd Quarter, 8:41 -- Cavaliers 59, Celtics 42: Avery Bradley just picked up his fourth foul of the game, sending Kyrie Irving to the line (he hit both freebies).
3rd Quarter, 9:48 -- Cavaliers 57, Celtics 42: Brandon Bass has his first points of the game, and the Garden is alive.
Bass slammed down an Isaiah Thomas missed three, drawing another foul on Thompson. Bass missed the free throw, but the play gave Celtics fans something to cheer for.
3rd Quarter, 9:57 -- Cavaliers 57, Celtics 40: Tristan Thomspon tried to grab an offensive rebound, but instead took out the entire first row at the Garden.
3rd Quarter, 10:24 -- Cavaliers 57, Celtics 36: Jae Crowder is now down for the Celtics, hurting his leg on a dirty play by J.R. Smith.
Crowder's left leg bent back very awkwardly after he went down from a shot to the face by Smith -- who was called for a flagrant 2 and ejected from the game.
https://vine.co/v/eW6pBXxOOXv
As he was helped off the floor, Crowder let his distaste for the Cavaliers be known to the Cleveland bench. We'll see who takes over LeBron duties with Crowder likely out for the rest of this one.
Smith will likely get hit with a suspension for his antics.
Halftime -- Cavaliers 57, Celtics 36: The Cavaliers are just 24 minutes away from sweeping the Celtics out of the playoffs. Cleveland owns a 21-point lead over Boston (their biggest of the series) despite losing Kevin Love to a shoulder injury midway through the first quarter.
The Cavs closed the quarter on a 14-4 run, with LeBron capping things off with a driving layup in the closing seconds. Sullinger went down hard on the play, and was in a significant amount of pain as he left the floor.
James leads all scorers with 13 points off 4-for-12 shooting. Mozgoz and Irving both have 10 points for the Cavaliers, with Irving chipping in with six rebounds.
The Cavaliers already have seven offensive rebounds in the game, and have 10 points off 10 Boston turnovers.
No one really got things going for the Celtics. Tyler Zeller has eight points, the most among Boston starters, but has been getting owned on the defensive end of the floor. Sulling leads the way with 10 points, but he might be a little sore in the second half. But with the season on the line, that shouldn't matter at this point.
Boston is 0-for-8 from three-point range in the game so far, and is shooting 37.5 percent from the floor. They will have to be perfect in the second half if they want to play in Cleveland on Tuesday.
2nd Quarter, 1:00 -- Cavaliers 52, Celtics 36: Isaiah Thomas is on the score sheet after knocking down a pair of free throws.
Thomas is 0-for-7 from the floor, including 0-for-3 from long range, with five assists and three turnovers.
Hitting free throws hasn't been easy for Boston today, though, with the Celtics just 5-for-9 from the charity stripe.
2nd Quarter, 1:44 -- Cavaliers 51, Celtics 32: Flagrant 1 for Perkins, and a double technical on Perk and Crowder. So Perk stays in the game, while Boston got two free throws and the ball.
Crowder missed both of his free throws though, which sums up the day for Boston so far.
2nd Quarter, 1:44 -- Cavaliers 51, Celtics 32: It was just a matter of time for some extra stuff to pop up, and fittingly, Kendrick Perkins is in the middle of it.
The former Celtics bigman set a nasty screen on Crowder, with his elbows and forearms going a little high on Crowder. The C's forward took exception, and started to shove back. The two were quickly separated, but not before Perk took another swipe at Crowder.
We'll see how the officials rule this one, but Perk probably won't be getting anymore ovations at the Garden.
2nd Quarter, 2:14 -- Cavaliers 51, Celtics 32: It's just not Boston's day today. Matthew Dellavedova hits a corner three that gets a home court bounce -- in Boston. That's an 8-0 run from Cleveland.
Meanwhile, the Celtics are 0-for-6 from downtown, with most of their chances being wide-open looks.
2nd Quarter, 4:48 -- Cavaliers 43, Celtics 30: That Boston run is over, thanks to an offensive rebound and putback by Tristan Thompson.
The Celtics have no answer for Thompson's dominance on the offensive glass. Their small lineup doesn't help, but now it's just getting silly.
2nd Quarter, 4:54 -- Cavaliers 41, Celtics 30: A nice little 7-0 by Boston has the Celtics within 11 points.
It's been Sullinger and Crowder getting it done during this mini-run. Sully has a pair of layups, including a nice feed from Crowder on the last basket. He's up to 10 points for the afternoon off the Boston bench.
Crowder also hit a nice runner and was fouled on his way to the hoop. He hit the freebie for his first three points of the day.
This is a nice little run, but Boston needs to at least double it for it to have much meaning. They still trail by double digits, and haven't been able to slow Cleveland, even without Kevin Love.
2nd Quarter, 6:36 -- Cavaliers 41, Celtics 23: The Celtics scored the first four points of the second quarter, but haven't scored since. Cleveland isn't making anything easy for the Celtics offense, forcing several long jumpers from the C's.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are on an 11-0 run that has their lead up to 18 points. This one is kind of getting out of hand, and it doesn't look like Boston has anything to stop it.
2nd Quarter, 8:41 -- Cavaliers 35, Celtics 23: Not much is going Boston's way right now, but LeBron did just get whistled for a charge, which can certainly help change momentum.
This came off another extra possession for Cleveland, following their fourth offensive rebound of the game. At least this time, the Cavs didn't get any points off of it, and instead LeBron now has his first foul of the game.
2nd Quarter, 11:17 -- Cavaliers 29, Celtics 23: Marcus Smart has checked in for Boston, and is making an instant impact.
Smart got a nice layup and foul (he missed the free throw) on his first drive to the basket.
End 1st Quarter -- Cavaliers 29, Celtics 19: The Cavaliers have their biggest lead of the game after the first period, a 10-point advantage over the Celtics.
Cleveland is shooting 45 percent from the floor, with Mozgov leading the way with seven points. Both Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith have six points, while LeBron has four points to go with five assists.
Cleveland has three offensive rebounds, and have scored points off of each of those second chance opportunities.
Zeller is a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and leads Boston with eight points.
1st Quarter, :50 -- Cavaliers 26, Celtics 19: Gerald Wallace has checked in for Boston. Brad Stevens is really digging deep onto his bench.
1st Quarter, 1:38 -- Cavaliers 26, Celtics 17: Kevin Love's afternoon is over with a shoulder injury. What a break for the Celtics, though the Cavaliers haven't missed a beat without Love.
1st Quarter, 2:48 -- Cavaliers 22, Celtics 15: Woah, a push on Tristan Thompson going for an offensive rebound!
He now has two fouls in the first quarter and is heading back to the bench. Things are starting to turn in Boston's favor, but they're still down by seven.
1st Quarter, 3:33 -- Cavaliers 22, Celtics 14: Jared Sullinger has checked in for Boston. We'll see how much he plays, and how effective he is, with that bruised backside.
1st Quarter, 5:22 -- Cavaliers 19, Celtics 10: Kevin Love has raced off the floor after getting tied up with Olynyk. It looks like his left shoulder may have popped out after battling with Olynyk for a loose ball.
That's pretty gross if that's the case, but something the Celtics have to take advantage of here.
1st Quarter, 6:26 -- Cavaliers 17, Celtics 10: The Cavs run went to 10-0 before Thomas ended it with a nice layup for Boston.
Kelly Olynyk is the first big man off the bench for Boston in this one, replacing Brandon Bass.
1st Quarter, 7:38 -- Cavaliers 15, Celtics 8: The Celtics briefly held an 8-7 lead, but the Cavs have ripped off an 8-0 run to reclaim their edge.
Isaiah Thomas is the first member of the C's off the bench, replacing Evan Turner.
1st Quarter, 10:22 -- Cavaliers 7, Celtics 4: Two offensive rebounds by the Cavaliers has led to five points for Cleveland in the early stages of this one.
First, a Kevin Love miss was kicked out to J.R. Smith, who calmly drained a three. Then Timofey Mozgov cleaned up a LeBron James miss for an easy two, prompting Brad Stevens to call his first timeout of the afternoon.
The Celtics have to keep Cleveland from dominating the offensive glass if they want any shot in this one. Cleveland has points off both of their misses, which just cannot happen.
1st Quarter: Here we go. This could be the final game of the season for the Celtics.
The Celtics haven't been swept in the playoffs since 2004. It's an early start, but the crowd is alive and hoping they see another win in what has been an impressive season for these young Celtics.
Pregame: Marcus Smart was very apologetic for being late to this morning's shootaround, which is a good thing to see out of the 21-year-old rookie.
It's even better to see how he's handling Jae Crowder getting the start over him in the game itself.
"I talked to Brad yesterday before practice, and he told me Jae was going to start for matchup reasons, which is understandable," Smart told reporters. "We're trying to win the game, and Jae's our best defender on LeBron right now. We've got to go with that because we've got guys that can score the ball. We just need somebody to help us on defense, and Jae does this. He brings the energy on the defensive end, and he's a factor for us on the defensive end. (Stevens) made the right decision to start Jae."
Smart said it will now be up to him and the rest of Boston's second unit to keep the energy going when the starters come out.
Pregame: The Celtics are in a hole no team has ever climbed out of as they hit the floor for Sunday's Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Celtics face the monumental task of climbing out of a 3-0 series hole, which no team has ever done in the NBA playoffs. But they know it's a feat that can't be accomplished on Sunday, and Brad Stevens has his team focused simply on winning Game 4, forcing a Game 5 Tuesday night in Cleveland.
The Celtics will feature a new-look starting five in Game 4, with Jae Crowder taking over for Marcus Smart in the lineup. Smart was actually late for Sunday's morning shootaround after oversleeping, but that did not go into Stevens' decision to start Crowder, who was with the starters at the end of Saturday's practice.
Smart apologized to his teammates and said his tardiness was "unacceptable," but according to ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg, the rookie will likely sit out the first quarter as punishment.
Forward Jared Sullinger is available to play on Sunday after missing Saturday's practice with a bruised tailbone he suffered during Game 3. It's unclear how much Sullinger will play, but the forward says he is good to go and the injury isn't bothering him too much, thanks in large part to his big backside. Seriously.
Stick with CBSBostonsports.com for all the updates before, throughout and after Sunday's Game 4, and tune in to the game on 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship station of the Boston Celtics. Pregame coverage begins at 12:30pm!
