CHICAGO -- The original play called for Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James to deliver the inbounds pass with 1.5 seconds remaining in a tie game Sunday afternoon.

James had other ideas.

"To be honest, the play that was drawn up, I scratched it," James said. "I told coach, 'Just get me the ball. We're either going to go into overtime, or I'm going to win it for us.' It was that simple."

Cleveland coach David Blatt relented. Soon after, the Cavaliers rejoiced.

James made a baseline jump shot as time expired to lift Cleveland to an 86-84 win against the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinals and even the best-of-seven series at two wins apiece.

The shot marked the second consecutive buzzer-beater in the series. In Game 3, Bulls guard Derrick Rose banked in a 3-pointer as time expired to win the game.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said back-to-back buzzer-beaters showed how even the series was.

"(James) made a great play," Thibodeau said. "That's what great players do. Derrick made a great play the other night, and LeBron made one tonight."

The play nearly never happened. Blatt tried to call a timeout in the final seconds, which would have resulted in a technical foul because the Cavaliers had no timeouts remaining. Cleveland assistant coach Tyronn Lue acted fast to stop Blatt before referees saw the signal.

"I almost blew it," Blatt said.

James finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to lead Cleveland. Center Timofey Mozgov contributed 15 points and nine rebounds.

Rose led the Bulls with 31 points and four assists. Guard Jimmy Butler scored 19 points, and center Joakim Noah provided eight points with 15 rebounds.

Teammates mobbed James after he drilled the shot from 21 feet along the left baseline. The score was even at 84 when guard Matthew Dellavedova found James on an inbounds pass.

Blatt marveled at his star player's resilience. James shot 33.3 percent (10-of-30) from the field and committed eight turnovers, but he did not allow his miscues to affect his last-second heroics.

"He didn't have his best shooting game, but he was aggressive," Blatt said. "He was in attack mode all night. He took responsibility, and he led his guys."

Cleveland trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half before embarking on a 23-5 run that made it 80-73 with 4:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Guard J.R. Smith sparked the turnaround with a trio of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls opened the fourth quarter with a 68-61 lead. Forward Tony Snell then put Chicago up 68-57 with 42 seconds left in the third quarter when he drained a 3-pointer from the left wing.

Already beset by injuries, Cleveland sustained another scare when James rolled his left ankle with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter. James drove to the basket and stepped awkwardly on top of Rose's foot. James stayed down on the court for a couple of minutes but returned after a Cavaliers timeout.

"It was throbbing for a little bit while I was on the ground," James said. "I wanted to take my time, but I wasn't coming out. I can't afford to come out, not only because of the position that our team is in, but (because of) who I am and the leader of this team. I was going to fight through it no matter what."

Cleveland rallied for a 49-45 lead at halftime thanks to a 16-0 run midway through the second quarter. The Cavaliers transformed an eight-point deficit into an eight-point lead during the run. Chicago missed 13 consecutive shots and went 6:56 without a point before Snell snapped the drought with a layup.

The Bulls led 28-26 at the end of the first quarter.

Rose said he expected Chicago to bounce back in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Cleveland.

"We lost the game, but I love our mentality," Rose said.

NOTES: Bulls F Pau Gasol missed the game because of a strained left hamstring. Gasol's status is uncertain for Game 5 on Tuesday night in Cleveland. "He's still sore," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. ... Bulls F Taj Gibson took Gasol's place in the starting lineup. Gibson, 29, started 17 games during the regular season. He made his first playoff start since 2010. ... Cavaliers G Kyrie Irving remained in the starting lineup despite a sore right foot. Irving has played with the injury since Game 2 of the team's first-round series against Boston. ... Cavaliers G J.R. Smith came off the bench for the second consecutive game. Smith started the first four games of the playoffs before serving a two-game suspension.