Cavs rout Celtics 117-104 in Eastern Conerence finals Game 1

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- LeBron James had 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 117-104 on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

On Cleveland's offensive start, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said, "I felt like that zapped us on the other end a little bit. We missed some makeable opportunities."

The Cavaliers led 30-19 after the first quarter and expanded the lead to 22 point (61-39) at the break. Early in the third quarter, the Cavaliers pushed their lead to 28 point (71-43), which is the biggest margin of the whole night, putting the game beyond reach.

Cavs forward Kevin Love had a playoff career-high 32 points and added 12 rebounds, and forward Tristan Thompson had a playoff career-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 11 points and 6 assists. Celtics guard Avery Bradley and forward Jae Crowder led Boston with 21 points each, and Thomas added 17.

Game 2 is Friday night in Boston.