Kyrie and Lebron lead Cavaliers to 112-99 win, lead series 3-1

Kyrie Irving's career night and Lebron's fourth quarter help lead the Cavaliers gain the win over the scrappy Boston Celtics 112-99 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Cavaliers seemed to be sleep walking in the first half and trailed by as many as 16 as the sloppiness of Game 3 seemed to carry over. To make matters worse, LeBron James picked up four fouls in the first half for the first time ever in his career.

With James on the bench, Kyrie took over the game. The Cavaliers went on a 12-2 run with Irving scoring the first 10 of those points. If it were not for Kyrie Irving's scoring spree, things could have been a whole lot worse than their 57-47 halftime deficit. Kyrie took it to another level in the third quarter.

He was scoring every way imaginable, and scored 21 points in the quarter, getting everything he wanted at the rim and adding two 3s. His second 3-point bomb splashed with .5 seconds remaining in the third quarter for an 87-80 advantage.

In the second half, the Cavs outscored Boston 65-42. They shot 71 percent in the second half, but Coach Tyronne Lue was happier with his team's defense.

"We had to get more aggressive and more physical," said Lue. "They had their way offensively in the first half. That's why I like our defense."

On his way to his new playoff career high 42 points, Irving converted 15 of his 22 attempts from the field, including four of his seven looks from three-point range and eight of his nine free throws. Along with the points, Irving pulled down three rebounds and assisted on four baskets.

Lebron James came out after halftime and was far more assertive. He was aggressive in attacking the basket, it was good to see him drive by his defender and get to the rim. He rebounded from one of the worst playoff games of his career in Game 3 with 34 points, six assists and five boards. He shot 15-of-27 from the field and reached 30 points for the ninth time in 12 playoff games.

Kevin Love contributed 17 points and a playoff career-high 17 rebounds and was a huge difference maker in this game.

The Big Three of James, Irving and Love scored 93 of the Cavs' 112 points.

Avery Bradley led the Celtics with 19 points. Jae Crowder scored 18 points. Al Horford added 16 points and Kelly Olynyk, making his first start of the postseason, contributed 15 points.

How would Celtics Coach Brad Stevens explain the difference in two halves?

"Kyrie Irving and Lebron James would be the two answers."

COMING UP FOR THE CAVS: With the win, the Cavaliers took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and will look to clinch their third straight trip to the NBA Finals with a win at TD Garden in Boston Thursday night.