Celtics Crush Cavaliers, Take 1-0 Series Lead

Boston Dominates in Game 1

Cavaliers at Celtics: Game 2 Thursday May 9 -- 7 pm ESPN

The Boston Celtics stormed out to an early lead and never looked back, crushing the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Tuesday night.

Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 32 points, followed by Jaylen Brown's 24 and Al Horford's 19. Darius Garland paced the Cavaliers with 22 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Boston's suffocating defense.

The Celtics held the Cavaliers to just 37.5% shooting from the field, including a dismal 16.7% from three-point range. Boston also dominated the rebounding battle, outrebounding Cleveland 45-30.

Game 2 of the series will be played in Boston on Thursday night at 7 pm ET. The Cavaliers will need to find a way to slow down the Celtics' offense and hit some shots if they want to even the series.

Conclusion: The Celtics sent a loud and clear message to the Cavaliers in Game 1: they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. With Tatum and Brown leading the way, Boston looks poised to make a deep playoff run this year.