BOSTON — The Boston Celtics simply were outmatched in their Eastern Conference finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The defending NBA champions made quick work of the Celtics, winning the series in five games, capped off by Thursday night’s 135-102 thrashing at TD Garden.
Though the Celtics were the top seed in the Eastern Conference entering the 2017 NBA playoffs, this series left no doubt as to who is the real powerhouse in the East. Aside from their Game 3 hiccup, the Cavs steamrolled the Celtics en route to their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance.
There weren’t many positive takeaways from this series for the Celtics, b…