Schedule and 2016-17 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 53-29, Cleveland 51-21
Game 1 on Wednesday, 17 May: Cleveland wins at Boston, 117-pts-104
Game 2 on Friday, 19 May: Cleveland wins at Boston, 130-pts-86
Game 3 on Sunday, 21 May: Boston wins at Cleveland, 111-pts-108
Game 4 on Tuesday, 23 May: Boston loses at Cleveland, 112-pts-99
Game 5 on Thursday, 25 May: Cleveland wins at Boston, 135-pts-102

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Cleveland Cavaliers visited and bested the Boston Celtics 135-pts-102 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1347 victory. With the series 1347 win, the Cleveland Cavaliers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 20-9 with an active seven-series winning streak befitting a defending NBA champion overall, and 4-3 in the Semifinals round. With the series 1347 loss, the Boston Celtics see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 64-26 overall and 20-10 in the Semifinals round. The win order for the victorious Cleveland Cavaliers in series 1347 was WWLWW: Series 1347 thus becomes the 11th NBA Semifinals-round series, the 58th NBA series (all rounds), and the 118th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. Cleveland in series 1347 outscored Boston by 100 total points, which is the third-largest total series point differential in best-of-7 NBA playoff series history (next only to the 121-point differential in series 1076 by the Denver Nuggets over the old New Orleans Hornets in their 2009 NBA Preliminary-round series, and the 101-point differential in series 1113 by the Orlando Magic over the Atlanta Hawks in their 2010 NBA Quarterfinals series). In series 1347, Cleveland outscored the Celtics in Boston by 90 points - the largest total series point differential by a road team ever in best-of-7 NBA playoff series history (breaking the old record of 72 such points, set in series 211 by the Los Angeles Lakers over the old San Francisco Warriors in their 1969 NBA Quarterfinals series, won by the Lakers in six games).

After Game 4: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and bested the Boston Celtics 112-pts-99 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1347 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 3-0 and a Game 5 record of 1-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 2-9 with an active four-series losing streak and a Game 5 record of 7-4. Cleveland trailed at home against Boston by ten points at halftime of series 1347 Game 4, but prevailed. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games since 1947, inclusive, home teams down ten points at halftime had a game record of 10-29 (.256).

After Game 3: The Boston Celtics visited and bested the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-pts-108 to reduce the Cleveland Cavaliers best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1347 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 6-2 and a Game 4 record of 3-5. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 10-16 and a Game 4 record of 17-9. Boston trailed in Cleveland by 16 points at halftime in series 1347 Game 3, but won. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games, teams down 16 points on the road at halftime had a 1-39 (.025) game record prior to this Boston win. The series 1347 Game 3 loss ends the Cleveland Cavaliers winning streak from the start of the 2017 playoff series at ten, one short of the record 11 wins (and counting) set just the night before by the Golden State Warriors for the most consecutive wins from the start of a four-round best-of-7 NBA/NHL playoff season.

After Game 2: The Cleveland Cavaliers visited and defeated the Boston Celtics 130-pts-86 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1347 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 13-0 with nine sweeps and a Game 3 record of 9-4. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 2-12 and a Game 3 record of 8-6. Cleveland outscored Boston by 27 points in the second quarter of series 1347 Game 2, thus achieving the second-largest 2nd-quarter point differential in best-of-7 NBA playoff series history (next only to the 28-point 2nd-quarter point differential achieved in series 941, in which the Boston Celtics outscored the visiting Indiana Pacers 39-pts-11 in the second quarter in Game 1 of their 2005 NBA Preliminary-round series, won 102-pts-82 by Boston). Cleveland led Boston by 41 points at halftime of series 1347 Game 2, thus achieving the largest halftime lead ever in a best-of-7 NBA playoff game (breaking the old record of 36 points, set in series 224 Game 3 by the Milwaukee Bucks in Philadelphia against the 76ers in their 1970 NBA Quarterfinals series, and tied in series 1310 Game 2 by the Cavaliers in Cleveland against the Atlanta Hawks in their 2016 NBA Quarterfinals series). The 44-point margin of victory by Cleveland over Boston in series 1347 Game 2 is the largest in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series since series 1271, in which the Chicago Bulls defeated the Bucks in Milwaukee 120-pts-66 in Game 6 of their 2015 NBA Preliminary round series. After eight quarters of series 1347, the sum of the eight Cleveland end-quarter leads was 208 points ... the largest such sum by a team winning Games 1-2 of a best-of-7 NBA playoff series ever, breaking the old record of 166 points set in series 436 by the Los Angeles Lakers, in Games 1-2 of their 1984 NBA Quarterfinals series against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

After Game 1: The Cleveland Cavaliers visited and vanquished the Boston Celtics 117-pts-104 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1347 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 15-1 with an active seven-series winning streak (six of those last seven were four-game sweeps) and a Game 2 record of 13-3 with an active seven-Game 2 winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a series record of 11-20 and a Game 2 record of 17-14 with an active five-Game 2 losing streak. The sole Cleveland best-of-7 NBA playoff series loss in the wake of a 1-game-nil lead occurred in series 1112, to the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Quarterfinals.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2016-17 NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics finished two games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers. From 1947 through the 2017 NBA Quarterfinals round, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by two regular-season games, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 20-12 (.625) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1347 is the 90th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Boston Celtics, and the 29th for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Boston Celtics have an all-rounds series record of 64-25, a Semifinals-round series record of 20-9, and a Game 1 record of 58-31, while the Cleveland Cavaliers have an all-rounds series record of 19-9 with an active six-series winning streak befitting a defending NBA champion, a Semifinals-round series record of 3-3, and a Game 1 record of 16-12. Series 1347 is the sixth best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the previous five best-of-7 NBA playoff series meetings between Boston and Cleveland, Boston won three of the five, with Cleveland prevailing in series 616 (in seven games, in the 1992 NBA Quarterfinals) and series 1270 (in a four-game sweep, in the 2015 NBA Preliminary round).