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May 17, 2017

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Celtics seeking validation against Cavs in East duel

Source: AP | 00:01 UTC+8 May 17, 2017 | Print Edition

EVER since the Boston Celtics broke up their Big Three in 2013, they’ve sat idly this time of year while LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard have battled for NBA championships.

With Isaiah Thomas leading the charge, the Celtics have rejoined the fray. Now it’s time to see if they belong.

Boston beat the Washington Wizards 115-105 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night. That earned the Celtics their toughest test yet, maybe the hardest in basketball: a series against James and the well-rested Cleveland Cavaliers.

This is Boston’s first trip to the conference finals since 2012, the last year of an era fueled by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The top-seeded Celtics are seeking an 18th NBA championship, and first since beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals.

The defending champions Cavaliers won three of the four meetings between the teams in the regular season, including a dominant victory in early April with the Cavs back at full strength after some early season injuries.

These Celtics aren’t short on belief, though, and their confidence has been intensified by a postseason filled with adversity. They rallied around Thomas following his sister’s sudden death in the first round, coming back from an 0-2 deficit against the Chicago Bulls. Then Kelly Olynyk and the bench came up huge in Game 7 against the pesky Wizards.

But the Celtics have yet to beat the Cavs this season with Cleveland at full strength. Boston’s lone victory in the series came on March 1, with Kevin Love still out after minor left knee surgery. Cleveland won the other games by a combined 35 points, including a 114-91 romp on April 5.

“We know it’s going to be tough, but at this point, anything can happen, and we really believe it,” Thomas said. “They didn’t give us a chance in this series. They didn’t give us a chance when we were down 0-2 in Chicago. We got the No. 1 seed, and they didn’t give us a chance.”

Boston may be opening a new era of basketball relevance, but the last chapter from the Big Three’s story isn’t quite complete. The Celtics have the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick in today’s NBA draft lottery, part of a bountiful return from when they traded Pierce and Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013.

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