Cavaliers vs. Celtics: Game 4 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers may be losing J.R. Smith to a suspension. They might be losing Kevin Love for even longer. 

Other than that? It was all smooth sailing as Cleveland galloped its way into the second round of the 2015 NBA playoffs.

LeBron James scored 27 points, and Kyrie Irving added 24, helping the Cavaliers complete their four-game sweep of the Boston Celtics with a 101-93 win on Sunday.

Unlike the series' first three games, the Cavs were dominant from the outset. They never trailed after the nine-minute mark in the first quarter, opening a 10-point lead after the first quarter and extending it to 21 by halftime. That early run proved key down the stretch and allowed Cleveland to ride out an ice-cold second half from the field.

Though a number of analysts expected a sweep, the triumph did not come without cost. Love's status for the remainder of the playoffs is in question after injuring his left shoulder during a first-quarter run-in with Kelly Olynyk. The Celtics big man appeared to grab and twist Love's arm as he was going after a loose ball. (Warning: Video may be disturbing for some viewers.) 

After the game, Love spoke about his tussle with Olynyk, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

Cleveland passed along word on the big man's status, per Sam Amick of Fox Sports Ohio: 

Olynyk's play set the tone for what became an increasingly chippy contest. Kendrick Perkins and Smith were each called for flagrant fouls, Perkins and Jae Crowder were hit with double technicals and the referees had to separate players jawing at each other on multiple occasions.   

Smith was ejected after smacking Crowder in the face while going for a third-quarter rebound. The altercation may wind up leaving the Cavs even more short-handed for their expected second-round series with the Chicago Bulls, who are up, 3-1, on the Milwaukee Bucks heading into Monday's Game 5.

“We want to play physical, as well, but we want to play basketball,” James told reporters after Game 3. “The only thing that matters for us is trying to get a win.”

The second half offered a glimpse of what Cleveland could look like without Smith and Love. Suffice it to say that it wasn't exactly poetry in motion.

After putting up a solid 57 points in the first half, the Cavaliers offense fell apart for long stretches in the second. Cleveland went an awful 4-of-20 from the field in the third quarter to give Boston a glimmer of hope, missing all but one of its nine three-pointers. The results were a little better in the fourth quarter. 

For long stretches, the offense devolved into dribble-heavy isolation ball featuring either James or Irving, who both had a much tougher time without Smith or Love there to space the floor. The duo took 23 of the Cavaliers' 35 second-half shot attempts, scoring 28 of their 44 points.

James finished the game needing 24 shot attempts to reach his 27 points, taking a more jumper-heavy approach. The four-time MVP did add 10 rebounds and eight assists, but it was far from his best effort. Irving went 8-of-19, righting himself in the fourth quarter to help put Boston away.

Meanwhile, the nominal replacements for Love were rendered largely ineffective. James Jones missed all six of his field-goal attempts. Tristan Thompson was limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble. Matthew Dellavedova couldn't buy a basket. Take away Iman Shumpert, who played his best game of the series amid the wreckage, and the Cavaliers were alarmingly one-dimensional.

Luckily for Cleveland, the upstart Celtics appeared to be running on fumes. Isaiah Thomas, who began the series by lighting the world on fire, ended his season with a whimper. The diminutive guard went 4-of-17 from the field, getting his 21 points thanks in large part to his 12 free-throw attempts. He finished the series shooting an ice-cold 33.3 percent.

Evan Turner, who nearly had a triple-double in Game 3, scored two points and was limited to 17 minutes due to his struggles. Avery Bradley (16 points) and Jared Sullinger (21 points, 11 rebounds) each played well, but they were the exceptions rather than the rule. The Celtics shot just 38.8 percent overall, converting 13 percent from three and 64.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Credit certainly goes to Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who pulled out every trick in his bag to little avail. He switched up the starting lineup (benching Marcus Smart for Crowder), switched up defensive assignments and even tried a little zone. Even though none of his chess moves resulted in a win, the rising coach will leave his first playoff appearance with a ton of respect.

"The thing about any coach at any level is being able to communicate and get through to your players," Celtics forward Gerald Wallace told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today following Game 2. "You need players to buy in to the approach you're trying to bring to the game. Brad has done a great job of getting guys to buy in to his system and then go out and put forth the effort. It's worked."

On the other sideline, the spotlight on Cavaliers coach David Blatt will only grow. Playing an undermanned Celtics team allowed the first-year coach to get his feet wet, but a talented Chicago Bulls team (likely) awaits that's packed with veterans and a seemingly healthy Derrick Rose.

James and Irving were so often able to overcome the foibles of their supporting cast against Boston, a luxury that will not be in place against the deeper Bulls.

With Love almost certainly missing time and Smith due for a disciplinary meeting, it'll be up to Blatt to come up with his own wrinkles to help the Cavaliers adjust. Otherwise, this sweep may merely be remembered as a prelude to a full-scale exposure of this Cleveland roster.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.