At 37, Kyle Korver's hustle inspires Cavs throughout crucial Game 4 win

CLEVELAND - When the Cleveland Cavaliers returned home down 2-0 against the Boston Celtics, they collectively spoke about playing with more energy.

If Cleveland wanted to get back in this series, it needed to raise its level of intensity on defense and win the hustle plays that Boston took advantage of in the opening two games. Relying on LeBron James to carry them didn't work out for the Cavs in Boston, and they needed more at home.

In Monday's Game 4 victory that evened the series at two wins apiece, the Cavaliers got exactly that - but it wasn’t from young bucks Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr., or Cedi Osman. Instead, it was the team’s aging sharpshooter, Kyle Korver, who provided an unlikely spark on the defensive end.

Late in the third quarter, with the Cavaliers up 15, a jump ball at Cleveland’s end of the floor was tipped to the other side of the court. As Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris, and Marcus Smart raced to recover the loose ball for the Celtics, Korver dove to the floor and forced a turnover, retrieving possession for the Cavs.

The Quicken Loans Arena crowd went wild in appreciation. On the ESPN broadcast, analyst Jeff Van Gundy said Korver’s effort gave him goosebumps. Korver’s dive didn't decide the game, but it was exactly the type of signature defensive play the Cavs have been looking for throughout the postseason.

On a night when James had 44 points and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals made in NBA playoff history, all anyone could talk about after the game was Korver’s effort on the defensive end.

"That’s a guy that’s all about winning," Lue said. "Whatever it takes to win. You very rarely see a 36-year-old running full speed against Marcus Smart, against Terry Rozier and diving for the loose ball and laying it all on the line."

When told Korver is actually 37, Lue added with a laugh: "He’s 37 now? God dang. We're playing him too many minutes. We need him, though. We need him."

"I felt so incredibly old and slow when I dove after that ball," Korver said. "But my heart was in the right spot … I’m going to be hurting tomorrow. My back is a little sore and my elbow is a little sore. But this is fun basketball. It's the playoffs, we're at home, the crowd was rocking tonight, and it just kind of takes over you sometimes."

It wasn't just the one play that saw Korver energize his teammates and the crowd. He played stout defense on Jaylen Brown, blocked three shots, and added 14 points on seven shots. This followed a Game 3 performance on Saturday when Korver made all five of his field goals, including all four from beyond the arc, and scored 14 points on five shots in 20 minutes.

"He’s guarding Jaylen Brown, one of the most athletic wings we have in our league," James said after Monday's game. "He's 21 years old. Jaylen can fall on the ground 10 times and probably spring up and just as likely never feel it ... (Kyle) is doing whatever it takes to try to help us win, with the blocks, with the strips. Obviously his shot making is very key for our team as well, but it's just the intangibles he's doing for us defensively that has put him in a position to be on the floor."

Korver will never be confused for Draymond Green, nor has he ever been put on the floor for his defensive proficiency, but he makes up for it by being one of the most prepared players in the league, with a work ethic that's allowed him to remain a key contributor on a contending team despite his age.

"As I’ve gotten older,” Korver said, "if I don’t do stuff everyday, I feel it. A lot of guys, maybe they play on Saturday mornings, and that Saturday morning really hurts you. That Saturday morning would hurt me too if I didn’t do stuff from Monday to Friday."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

James also has a very strict training routine, along with an appreciation for his veteran teammate.

"He’s just a true professional," James said of Korver. "There’s not many of us '03 (draft) class guys still around. I feel like we’re just cut from a different cloth because we've been around for so long. We have this work ethic and you see him every day putting in the work, putting his mind, his body into it."

As James is making his bid to return to The Finals for an eighth consecutive season, Korver - who's made the playoffs 12 times - is looking to make his second consecutive appearance, and win the elusive championship that would complete his resume.

And after all those years of getting close, Korver knows the odds are stacked a bit differently in Cleveland. "We kept on getting beat by LeBron," he joked, referencing the back-to-back sweeps by the Cavaliers in 2015 and 2016 while he was in Atlanta. "Now he’s on our team. That helps."

The Cavs acquired Korver from the Hawks in January of last season in exchange for Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams, and a protected first-round pick.

"I've loved Kyle ever since we made the trade to get him here," James said. “I have no idea how (former Cavs GM David Griffin) was able to pull that off still to this day."

Even though he's still contributing at the age of 37, or 36, or however old his coach and teammates think he is, Korver knows this could be his last opportunity to win a championship.

"When you’re younger, you just assume things are going to happen," he said. "I've been fortunate to be on a lot of good teams. Even getting to the conference finals, it’s really tough. You definitely cherish it."

With his overall defensive effort on Monday, Korver showed the rest of his teammates the effort level they need in order to win this series against the youthful Celtics. Now, they’ll have to carry it over to Boston and win a game on the road.

Alex Wong is an NBA freelance writer whose work has appeared in GQ, The New Yorker, Vice Sports, and Complex, among other publications.