Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 66-16, Cleveland 45-37
Game 1 on Tuesday, 06 May: Cleveland loses at Boston, 76-pts-72
Game 2 on Thursday, 08 May: Cleveland loses at Boston, 89-pts-73
Game 3 on Saturday, 10 May: Boston loses at Cleveland, 108-pts-84
Game 4 on Monday, 12 May: Boston loses at Cleveland, 88-pts-77
Game 5 on Wednesday, 14 May: Cleveland loses at Boston, 96-pts-89
Game 6 on Friday, 16 May: Boston loses at Cleveland, 74-pts-69
Game 7 on Sunday, 18 May: Cleveland loses at Boston, 97-pts-92

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: Winning their MLB/NBA/NHL-best 19th Game 7 in best-of-7 play, the Boston Celtics hosted and outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-pts-92 for a 4-games-3 win of MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046. With the series 1046 win, the Boston Celtics improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 53-18 overall and 17-5 in the NBA Quarterfinals. With the series 1046 loss, the Cleveland Cavaliers see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in the NBA Quarterfinals. The victorious Boston Celtics posted a series 1046 win order of WWLLWLW: Series 1046 thus becomes the ninth NBA Quarterfinals series, the 18th NBA series (all rounds), and the 27th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order to completion.

After Game 6: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and defeated the Boston Celtics 74-pts-69 to tie MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046 at 3-games-all. The best-of-7 NBA Game 7 record for Boston is 18-5, while that for Cleveland is 2-1. Those 18 Game 7 victories by Boston are an MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 Game 7 high; next with 12 Game 7 wins are the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs. The Boston Celtics are trying to join the 2003 Dallas Mavericks and the 2006 Phoenix Suns as the only NBA teams to win both a best-of-7 NBA Preliminary-round series and a best-of-7 NBA Quarterfinals-round series in seven games each in a single playoff season ... and become the first to do so without a single road victory to their credit.

After Game 5: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-pts-89 to take a 3-games-2 lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Boston Celtics have a perfect 28-0 series record and a 15-13 Game 6 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a 0-2 series record and a 0-2 Game 6 record. The series 1046 Game 5 win by Boston in Boston was the eighteenth home court win against one home court loss to that point in the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals (Conference Semifinals).

After Game 4: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046 in Ohio for Games 3-4, the host Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 88-pts-77 in Game 4, thereby tying series 1046 at 2-games-all. When tied in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-all, the Boston Celtics have a 24-8 series record and a 21-11 Game 5 record, while the Cleveland Cavaliers have a 4-3 series record and a 5-2 Game 5 record. With the end of series 1046 Game 4, home teams in the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals have a 15-1 game record through the first four games of each of the four Quarterfinals series. Never before in the NBA Quarterfinals under the best-of-7 format had the home team won so often through the first sixteen games. (Home teams were 14-2 through Games 1-4 of each of the four Quarterfinals series in 2004.)

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046 in Ohio for Games 3-4, the host Cleveland Cavaliers handily defeated the Boston Celtics 108-pts-84 in Game 3, thereby cutting the Boston series 1046 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a 34-3 series record and a 16-21 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a 2-3 series record and a perfect 5-0 Game 4 record.

After Game 2: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 89-pts-73 to take a 2-games-nil MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a perfect series record of 29-0 and a Game 3 record of 10-19. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 1-4 and a Game 3 record of 3-2. The sole Cleveland series victory in the wake of a 2-games-nil deficit occurred in series 1017 (against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 NBA Semifinals).

After Game 1: The Boston Celtics hosted and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 76-pts-72 to take a 1-game-nil MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 45-5 and a Game 2 record of 29-21. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 2-5 and a Game 2 record of 2-5 with a four-Game 2 losing streak.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, Boston finished 21 games ahead of Cleveland. From 1947 through the 2008 NBA Preliminary round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 21 regular-season games, they have posted a 3-0 (1.000) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1046 is the lucky 13th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for Cleveland, and the 71st for Boston. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, Cleveland has a 7-5 series record, a 3-2 Quarterfinals series record, and a 5-7 Game 1 record, while Boston has a 52-18 series record, a 16-5 Quarterfinals record, and a 50-20 Game 1 record. Series 1046 is the third best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics; the teams split their previous two best-of-7 NBA playoff series meetings.