Bulls vs. Cavaliers Game 4 East Semis
IN PHOTO: May 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) is fouled by Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half of game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at the United Center. Cleveland won 86-84. REUTERS/Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James was once again struggling to find the basket the entire night-- it didn’t matter as one made shot was all he needed for the basketball world to forgive and forget his atrocious shooting night. The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar hit a baseline jumper as the time expired to lead his team past the Chicago Bulls in an 86-84 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

James shot a woeful 10-of-30 field goals for the game and had 8 turnovers but he finished with a team-high 25 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists.

Without Kevin Love, out for the entire postseason because of a shoulder injury, the Cavaliers got timely contributions from most of their starters. Timofey Mozgov had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots while Tristan Thompson and the hobbled Kyrie Irving added a dozen markers apiece.

A Bulls win would have given them a commanding 3-to-1 series lead but now, the best-of-seven affair is now tied at 2-2 with Game 5 in Cleveland on Tuesday. Game 6 is in Chicago on Thursday and if necessary, the do-or-die Game 7 is set on Sunday back in Cleveland.

Derrick Rose led the charge for the Bulls with 31 points on 11-of-23 shooting. Jimmy Butler, the other star of the defensive-minded team had 19 points and 3 steals. Joakim Noah ended up with 8 points and 15 rebounds but the Bulls were missing veteran big man Pau Gasol, who was out in Game 4 due to a hamstring injury.

The Bulls forced the Cavaliers to another low-scoring game as both teams struggled from the field; Cleveland shot 29-of-75 field goals for 38.7% while Chicago was 32-of-89 for 36.0%. The Cavaliers also had more turnovers than the Bulls, 15-8 but Cleveland made more three-pointers (9-of-21 3FG) than the Bulls’ 5-of-25 from behind the arc.

The Bulls had the seven-point lead, 68-61 entering the final quarter but James and the Cavaliers made the rally in the fourth quarter as they unleashed a 19-6 run to grab the 80-74 lead with over two minutes to go in the game. The home team made their own rally in the waning moments of the game as Derrick Rose hit a jumper with nine seconds to go and force the tie at 84-all.

Then, the James clutch baseline basket happened breaking the tie and awarding the crucial win for the Cavaliers.

To contact author of this article, email j.quizon@IBTimes.com.au.

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