East’s best

Admittedly, the Cavaliers are far from perfect; they’re still lacking in size and prone to mental lapses that could lead to their undoing under pressure deep in the playoffs. Then again, the Celtics have shown themselves even more flawed. And since Thomas

For all intents and purposes, the much- ballyhooed match between the Celtics and the Cavaliers was over by the end of the first half. On the strength of a crippling 22- 4 run to start the second quarter, the defending champions turned a bruising affair into a rout. And as willing as the hosts may have been to mount a comeback, the deficit was simply too big to overcome. So much for stalwarts of the champagne and gold hitherto going one and nine on the second of back- to- back affairs. So much for LeBron James & Company not treating the set- to as anything other than one of 82 regular- season stops.

If there’s anything yesterday’s supposed humdinger proved, it’s that the Cavaliers continue to be ascendant in the East. The fact that they have All-World James on their side helps, of course. At the same time, there can be no discounting the contributions of Big Three mates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love; the former shared playmaking duties, while the latter dominated the boards. And when they’re engaged, they certainly exceed themselves on defense; for all their supposed deficiencies in coverage, they managed to expose the Celtics’ inability to score points off the dribble outside of vital cogs Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford.

Under the circumstances, the Cavaliers have all but claimed the top seed in the conference. They now hold the head-tohead tie-breaker against the Celtics, effectively making them two up with four games left on their calendar. It’s insurance, to be sure; even as their experience in the 2016 National Basketball Association Finals underscores their capacity to win in hostile territory, they are only too glad to hold on to insurance. Not for nothing is their home record the third best in the league.

Admittedly, the Cavaliers are far from perfect; they’re still lacking in size and prone to mental lapses that could lead to their undoing under pressure deep in the playoffs. Then again, the Celtics have shown themselves even more flawed. And since Thomas and Horford can’t play for 48 minutes in every contest, they would have to find a way — any way — to generate some offense from the rest of the green and white. Otherwise, they’ll face significant problems in the postseason, and not just from the biggest obstacle they’ll have to hurdle en route

to fulfilling their title hopes.