Cleveland Cavaliers showed not sign of rust after their ten-day break, in overpowering Boston Celtics in Game One of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.
Last year's NBA Champions won 117-104 to steal the home-court advantage. The Cavs remain unbeaten in this year's Playoffs with a 9-0 record.
For the fifth game in a row, LeBron James scored at least 35 points. The 32-year-old was the game's top-scorer hitting 38 points in a game Cleveland never trailed in.
Worryingly for the Celtics, James told TNT after the game he wasn't feeling in the best of shape after the week-and-a-half break.
"I didn't feel that great", James admitted. "I know I'll feel far better going into Game 2."
LeBron puts up 38 points, 9 rebounds & 7 assists to open up the Eastern Conference Finals! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/f5iWhk8tRN
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2017
James was not the only player to impress for Cleveland. Kevin Love also broke the 30-point barrier, scoring 32 points and making 12 assists. James, Love and Tristan Thompson scored 90 of Cleveland's 117 points.
As top seeds in the Eastern Conference, Boston failed to make their home-court advantage count and now trail in the NBA Playoffs for the second time this season. In the opening round, they overcame a 2-0 deficit against Chicago Bulls to win 4-2.
Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley both top-scored for the Celtics. The duo scored 21 points each. Game 2 takes place in Boston on Friday night, with the home side looking to level the series.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
