Well folks, that was what we call a series. The Cleveland Cavaliers finished off the Boston Celtics with a Game 7 win, earning a fourth consecutive NBA Finals trip. LeBron James will be making his eighth straight Finals appearance, and he was nothing short of spectacular against the Celtics all series.
Cleveland dealt with chaos throughout the regular season -- including unloading half of its roster at the trade deadline -- while Boston had injuries to the two players expected to lead them through the East. Where LeBron James is still playing like LeBron James, the Celtics have found heroics from unexpected places throughout these playoffs, specifically rookie Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics and the Cavaliers survived the Bucks and the Pacers -- respectively -- with both of those first-round series going to seven games. They then steamrolled their Conference Semifinal match-ups, with the Celtics halting The Process in just five games and the Cavaliers banishing the Raptors (again) in a sweep.
Here's what you need to know about the series.
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers
Playoff series results
- Game 1 in Boston: Celtics 108, Cavaliers 83 | Botkin: Stevens great, Ainge the genius in Boston
- Game 2 in Boston: Celtics 107, Cavaliers 94 | Botkin: C's discard Cavs' last ace up sleeve
- Game 3 in Cleveland: Cavaliers 116, Celtics 86
- Game 4 in Cleveland: Cavaliers 111, Celtics 102 | Herbert: LeBron, Cavs and the matchup game
- Game 5 in Boston: Celtics 96, Cavaliers 83 | Ward-Henninger: Tatums steps up, LeBron looks tired
- Game 6 in Cleveland: Cavaliers 109, Celtics 99 | Maloney: LeBron brilliant in Game 6 win
- Game 7 in Boston: Cavaliers 87, Celtics 79 | Ward Henninger: Cavs' experience bests Celts, for now
Regular-season series: Cleveland 2-1
Last season's playoff results: Celtics eliminated by Cavaliers in Conference Finals 4-1, Cavaliers lost to Warriors in NBA Finals 4-1
2018 NBA Playoff Bracket
