Celtics Rout Cavaliers, Take 3-2 Lead In Eastern Conference Finals

The Boston Celtics defeated the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, 96-83, at TD
Garden in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday. Boston now leads
the series 3-2. The Celtics entered this game looking to bounce back from two
ugly losses on the road, and that’s exactly what they did since they registered
a dominant win in front of their own crowd to improve their home record to 10-0
during the current playoffs. Boston led this game from start to finish, and the
Cavaliers just simply didn’t have an answer for them. Boston quickly jumped to a
32-19 lead in the first quarter, and they never looked back after that.
Cleveland won the second quarter 23-21, but a 23-18 third-quarter for the C’s
sealed the deal for good. Cleveland won the fourth quarter, 23-20, but it wasn’t
enough. Boston cruised their way and now they are just one win away from a
surprising trip to the 2017-18 NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum was the best player for
the Celtics since he finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists,
three steals and two blocks. Al Horford contributed a double-double thanks to 15
points and 12 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 17 points, and the bench came through
as well. Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart each finished with 13 points despite not
starting. The Cavaliers didn’t work offensively, as they only had two players
scoring in double digits. LeBron James had 26 points, 10 rebounds and five
assists, but also committed six turnovers, while Kevin Love added 14 points with
seven rebounds, but the rest of the players did not work out. In fact, the rest
of the starting five (George Hill, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson) combined for
just 10 points, while going 2-13 from the field.