Eastern Conference finals are underway. After finishing off a tough seven-game series against the Washington Wizards, the top-seeded Boston Celtics hosted the number two seed Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their conference finals matchup.
A sellout crowd of more than 18,000 fans at TD Garden in downtown Boston came to see their team's first conference finals appearance since 2012. The Celtics had just finished their semifinals series against the Wizards 48 hours earlier while the Cavaliers had nine days to rest as they swept their way through the first two rounds this postseason.
Boston came into Wednesday's matchup having won five straight home games.
Cleveland dominates in Game 1
It was all Cleveland in this one as they set the tone early and dominated the game from the beginning. Midway through the first quarter they already had their first double-digit lead at 20-9. After the first 12 minutes of the game, the Cavaliers held a 30-19 lead with LeBron James shooting 7-for-7 in the paint in the first quarter alone.
Boston saw this game slip away in the second quarter as Cleveland outscored them 31-20 in the period and had a comfortable 61-39 lead at halftime. Both teams managed to score in the third quarter as they traded baskets and went back-and-forth.
The Celtics won the third period 36-31 but still had a 17-point deficit (92-75) heading into the final period of the game.
Cleveland's biggest lead of the game was 28 points, and they ended up winning it easily 117-104. They outrebounded Boston 44-40 and shot 28-for-35 from the free throw line.
Tyronn Lue's squad shot 48.1% from the field and forced the Celtics into 14 turnovers. The home team did finish the game with 33 assists, but it wasn't enough.
They were also poor from the free-throw line as they shot just 10-for-18.
Cleveland is now perfect 9-0 in this year's playoffs, and they look like a team that's ready to defend their title.
Love and James combine for 70 points
LeBron James has now won at least one road game in 29 consecutive postseason series, and he led his team again on Wednesday night.
James finished with 38 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 14-for-24 from the floor.
It was his seventh consecutive playoff game scoring at least 30 points - a personal record. Kevin Love had a big night also as he scored a playoff career-high 32 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Love was 6-for-9 from behind the arc. Tristan Thompson contributed with 20 points and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Avery Bradley led the way for Boston in scoring in this Game 1. Bradley scored 21 points and added four rebounds. Jae Crowder helped with 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists while Isaiah Thomas added 17 points and ten assists for the Celtics.
Since Game 5 of NBA Finals, Cleveland has won a franchise-record 12 straight playoff games. They now hold a 1-0 series lead against Boston with Game 2 to be played on Friday night at TD Garden.
