CLEVELAND, Ohio -- His reputation cemented as one of the most proficient shooters in NBA history, veteran Kyle Korver found a new, entirely unexpected way to amaze his teammates.

With less than a minute remaining in the third quarter of Monday's Eastern Conference finals Game 4, George Hill tapped a jump ball to LeBron James who flicked it into the backcourt.

That's when the race started. It was 37-year-old Korver vs. Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart. A trio of 20-somethings, so clearly Boston had the edge, right?

"I felt Rozier just race past me," Korver said when recalling the play. "I felt so incredibly old and slow when I dove after that ball, but the heart was in the right spot."

Heart. Hustle. Determination. Toughness. Just a few of the things the Cavaliers were missing in the first two games to open the series, falling behind 0-2 and needing to look in the mirror before starting to mount their comeback. Korver was oozing with all of those traits as he took a face-first plunge onto the Quicken Loans Arena hardwood and knocked the ball off Rozier to keep possession.

"That means that's a guy that's all about winning, and whatever it takes to win," head coach Tyronn Lue said of the play that sent the sellout crowd into frenzy. "You very rarely see a 36-year-old running full speed against Marcus Smart, against Rozier and diving for the loose ball and laying it all on the line."

Ahem, try 37 years old.

"I wish I was 36," Korver said with a wry smile. "I loved being 36."

The extra year certainly didn't keep him from making the play. After Korver lifted his elderly and soon-to-be-bruised body, everyone could sense what that moment meant. It wasn't so much about the result, but rather his willingness to make that kind of sacrifice at a time when the Cavs were already leading by 15 points. That's what it takes to win a championship. Take nothing for granted.

There's a photo hanging in General Manager Koby Altman's office inside Cleveland Clinic Courts from the championship season. It shows a group of Cavaliers reaching to help a fallen teammate.

Who knows? Perhaps if this season ends the same way, the portrait of Korver diving after for a loose ball can find a spot next to the other.

Tristan Thompson, a player known much more for his hustle and energy, was one of the first to step onto the court and give a double fist pump.

"That's our mantra -- Whatever It Takes," Thompson said. "If we've got to dive at loose balls -- I think that got us going, and he was huge. Kyle left it all on the line. Me and him are both in the cold tub right now, so we've just got to do whatever it takes to get ready for the next game."

Not even an hour after the final buzzer sounded and the Cavaliers were done celebrating a 111-102 win, Korver said his back and elbow were already sore. He expects to be hurting on Tuesday, when the Cavs fly to Boston ahead of Game 5 Wednesday night. But he expects to be ready and able to give that same kind of effort.

The Cavs will certainly need it, as Korver's impact can't be trivialized.

His ability to attract defenders wrecks defensive game plans while his majestic outside shot lifts the offense to elite heights. He's constantly in motion away from the ball, wearing down numerous defenders. His underrated screening helped Kevin Love find his offensive rhythm in Round 2.

Monday, Korver poured in 14 points on 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-5 from 3-point range, as the Cavs moved to 8-1 in the 2018 NBA Playoffs when he reaches double figures. They are 30-9 when the regular-season record is tossed in.

Want a barometer, one not named LeBron James, for Cleveland success? Look no further than Korver.

"I've loved Kyle ever since we made the trade to get him here," James said. "I have no idea how Griff [David Griffin] was able to pull that off still to this day. He's just a true professional. There's not many of us '03 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.

"It's not about his age. I think it's just always keeping his body in the right position, especially in tonight's game."

Korver was asked about that rigorous behind-the-scenes work, lengthy shooting sessions that have taken a toll on his right foot, the one he uses as his plant foot.

"I really attack the ground with my right foot when I shoot," he said. "And basically over time I beat it up so bad that it was in a really bad place. I'm playing with a different pad in my shoe now, doing a lot of different things to try to help it. It's doing a lot better. But basically mechanically I'm going to have to try to take a look at this thing this summer and try to figure out how to not beat my foot up any more."

For now, his short-term solution is working. Korver -- who has finished with three or fewer blocks in six total postseason runs -- tallied three in Game 4, jumping up and turning away Brown on each of them. Korver led the Cavs in blocks, as they recorded eight as a team and showed more resistance around the rim.

He also contested 10 shots, the fourth-most of any player in a game dotted with a handful of acclaimed defenders.

"How old is Jaylen Brown? Can somebody help me? 21?" James asked. "He's guarding Jaylen Brown, one of the most athletic wings we have in our league.

"Jaylen can fall on the ground 10 times and probably spring up and just as likely never feel it. I don't remember Kyle falling too much like that. I've got to keep his body as fresh as possible. But listen, he's 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."

At one point, Korver was putting up the stop sign so frequently against Brown that veteran Jose Calderon told Korver to imitate Dikembe Mutombo's signature finger wag.

"Jose said something to me about shaking the finger but, no," Korver said. "I mean, (Brown) is a tough matchup for me. He's a young guy, super athletic. I'm just trying to play him smart and trying to take away his angles and was fortunate to get a couple there."

On a night the Cavs evened the best-of-seven series and pushed the pressure back onto the Celtics, it wasn't about Korver's scoring boost. It wasn't the about the 2,444 made 3-pointers he's made during his career, including the two that helped the Cavs' offense top the 100-point mark for a second straight game.

This time, the light was shining on the under-appreciated facets of Korver's game.

"Kyle is just a pro's pro, man," Lue said. "He does everything right. Every night he gives it 100-percent effort. Tonight having three blocks. He had a couple strips. I just can't say enough about him. The veteran guys that we've had that have come through here, like Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson and James Jones, they know what it takes and understand what it takes to win."

That's when Lue was reminded that Korver is actually 37, staring down these young Celtics and still making game-changing plays.

"He's 37 now? God dang. We're playing him too many minutes," Lue said to laughter from the assembled postgame media. "We need him, though. We need him."