Point guard Kyrie Irving was the star of the show as Cleveland Cavaliers moved to within one game of the NBA Finals after a 112-99 victory over Boston Celtics.

The reigning champions have now taken a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and remain on course to face Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals for a third successive season.

Things did not look so good for Tyronn Lue’s men halfway through Tuesday night’s match at the Quicken Loans Arena, with Boston racing into a 57-47 lead at the break.

However, Irving inspired the Cavs to an impressive comeback during the second half, ending the contest with 42 points, while small forward LeBron James was also on form, finishing with 34 points.

Irving confirmed his side’s aggressive approach after the interval was the main reason they were able to turn their deficit into a victory and he remains fully focused on guiding Cleveland to a third successive Eastern Conference title in the next game.

Irving said: “We understand the goal out here and we want to accomplish something bigger than ourselves. It’s going to take a full 48-minute game to do it.”

Cleveland can book their place in the NBA Finals by securing victory against Boston in Massachusetts on Thursday and they are priced at 3.20 to be crowned overall champions this season.