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Cavs extend unbeaten run in NBA playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their 100 per cent record in this season's NBA playoffs with a series-opening win over the Boston Celtics.

The Cavs have been inactive for the best part of a fortnight as they waited for the Celtics to finish their Eastern Conference semi-final with the Washington Wizards but they showed no signs of rustiness in a 117-104 success.

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LeBron James top scored with 38 points, with Kevin Love contributing 32 as the defence of their 2016 win is looking ominously strong.

James' frontcourt partners including Love and Tristan Thompson (20 points, nine rebounds, six on the offensive glass) did the rest of the damage.

On the game's opening possession, the Cavaliers trapped Celtics star Isaiah Thomas in the corner. He had two options — turn the ball over or let the final seconds tick off the shot clock.

When he chose the former, Irving answered with a layup on the other end. It was immediately apparent that the rest resulting from sweeps of the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors only did the Cavs more good.

Every concern the Celtics had entering the series hit them full force in the face from the start.

Defending the Cavs on one possession is a tall enough task, and it becomes nearly impossible when you grant them second chances.

As he's done since Cleveland last swept Boston in the first round of the playoffs two years ago, Cavs big man Tristan Thompson dominated the glass.

The centre grabbed four offensive rebounds in the opening quarter alone — just as the Wizards' Marcin Gortat had done to the Celtics last series, and just as Chicago's Robin Lopez did in the opening round.

The Cavs had too much firepower for the Celtics. Pic: Supplied
The Cavs had too much firepower for the Celtics. Pic: Supplied

Celtics coach Brad Stevens reached 10 deep into his roster in the early going and couldn't find a solution to stop the bleeding.

When LeBron wasn't getting to the rim at will, he was finding teammates for more layups, opening the door for the barrage of wide-open 3-pointers to come in the second half.

For their part, the Celtics started 1-for-15 from the 3-point line and couldn't generate any offense outside of Avery Bradley's arsenal of jumpers and backdoor cuts, and some inspired play off the bench by rookie Jaylen Brown.

The Cavs had built their double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter, and they didn't even make their first 3-pointer until 3:33 into the second, so things only got worse.

Thomas' struggles against the Cavs continued. He started 2-for-10 from the field, only knocking down his first 3-pointer as the buzzer sound on the first half. By then, Cleveland was up 61-39.

Cleveland's lead swelled to 28 in the third quarter, when Love caught fire and knocked down five of his seven 3-point attempts in the frame.

The Celtics and their crowd appeared lifeless, until Marcus Smart reentered the game six minutes into the second half and started doing Marcus Smart things.

The Celtics bulldog got under Thompson's skin, created turnovers and collected three assists before closing out the third quarter with a put-back dunk that capped a 15-4 run and cut the deficit to 92-75.

Smart's fourth-quarter presence, though, was as fleeting as the life he breathed back into the Garden at the end of the third.

His scrappiness caught up to him as he committed his sixth foul with nine minutes remaining in the game.

The Celtics remained within 16 with four minutes left, but by then, any hope of a comeback had joined the fans on their way out the building.

A minute later, Stevens waved the white flag, inserting James Young and company off the end of the Celtics' bench, even though Game 1 was over almost as soon as it started.