Final: Celtics 120, Cavs 95 - Brown, White combine for 57 in easy Game 1 win

BOSTON CELTICS vs CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 1

TD Garden, 7 p.m. - TNT/truTV

Line: Boston -12.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, calf)

Cleveland: Jarrett Allen (ribs, out), Dean Wade (knee, out), Ty Jerome (ankle, out), Craig Porter (ankle, out)

Season Series: 

Celtics 120, Cavs 113 - December 12

Jaylen Brown was the only Celtic hitting anything in an 18-4 opening run by the Cavs, but Boston recovered to go into the second down 10. The Celtics put up a 39-point second quarter, briefly taking the lead, thanks in part to Derrick White catching fire from deep and Jayson Tatum exploding for 13. Jrue Holiday and Porzingis found grooves in the third, giving Boston a lead despite Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland combining for 23. A balanced attack in the fourth, and some better defense, closed out the game.

Celtics 116, Cavs 107 - December 14

Some hot shooting and a typically strong first quarter from Jaylen Brown got Boston an early double-digit lead that grew to 14 in the second quarter. That's a big as the lead would get as Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland kept Cleveland close. Caris LeVert’s 15 in the third cut it down to three after three. The Celtics shut Cleveland down in the fourth, holding them to 20 points while Jayson Tatum’s 12 points and six rebounds helped shut the door.

Cavs 105, Celtics 104 - March 5

The Celtics hit half their 3-pointers to build a nice eight-point lead after one, but they gave up 10 second-chance points so it could have been better. The lead got up to 15 but settled at 10 at halftime as Jayson Tatum put up 22 points on nine shots. Things got dicey in the third, in part thanks to five Boston turnovers, but they went on a late run to push the lead to 16. It got up to 22 before the Cavs, specifically Dean Wade, caught fire from 3 and Boston couldn't find the answer. 

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Play fast: The Celtics play their best when they're moving the ball, so they should be playing fast regardless. But with the Cavs fresh off their series against the Magic, they need to push the pace and test Cleveland’s wind and heart. Not only might the Cavs be tired from the grind of the previous series, they might be willing to pack it in early in Game 1 to save their energy to try to steal Game 2. So hit ‘em hard, hit ‘em fast, and keep hitting ‘em until they quit. 

2. Crash the boards: For all their length, the Cavs give up a lot of offensive rebounds. Corner crashes for Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will be there for a lot of the night. There are going to be free points there for the taking. 

3. Shut Garland down: I’m looking at Game 3 in Orlando and Garland’s five points on 2-10 shooting and thinking that should be the goal. That was a 38 point loss, and the Celtics can hand the Cavs another one if they keep all non-Mitchell scorers at bay. Of course, Mitchell only scored 13 in that game, but without any help from anyone else, the Cavs only scored 83 points. 

I’ve used the words methodical and ruthless to describe how Boston should be in these playoffs, and I especially want to see the ruthlessness against Garland. Break his his spirt. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.