Lebron James and Kevin Love Lead Cavaliers Over Celtics in Game 1 Of NBA East Finals

Going into the NBA Conference Finals, most observers felt that a third consecutive Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals was a foregone conclusion despite the talent and determination of the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics. So far, we’re seeing nothing to indicate that the conventional wisdom is wrong. The Warriors opened the Western Conference Finals by winning their first two games over the Spurs, and on May 17th, the Cavaliers and Celtics began the Eastern Conference Finals with a dominating victory by the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers had a 61-39 lead over the Celtics at the end of the first half and cruised to a 117-104 victory and a 1-0 lead in the series. The Cavaliers have yet to lose in the postseason; neither have the Warriors. LeBron James led the way with 38 points, and Kevin Love had 32 plus 12 rebounds. The Cavaliers held Boston’s Isaiah Thomas to 17 points. Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder picked up a little of the slack with 21 points each, but the game was pretty much all Cleveland. The Cavaliers were well rested after a 10 day break following their semi final sweep of Toronto, while Boston just finished an intense seven game set with Washington. Advantage Cleveland for sweeping; the Celtics will have to regroup and reset for Game 2 on May 19th. But the way the Cavaliers are playing now, it might not matter.