The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Boston Celtics on Friday night in a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview at TD Garden. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. This will be the fourth meeting of the season between the East powerhouses.

Celtics host Cavs in crucial matchup. DeAndre Hunter vs. Jayson Tatum, lineup decisions, and playoff implications.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Boston Celtics on Friday night in a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview at TD Garden. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. This will be the fourth meeting of the season between the East powerhouses.

Hunter is capable of defending every position, and against Boston he will most often be deployed against All-Star forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla kept his rotation tight despite the absences of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to injury.

They finished second place in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Celtics, but it was a distant second. Boston won 14 more ... for 6-foot-8 wing DeAndre Hunter who has averaged 14.8 ...

The Cavaliers are determined to win it all and to get there they have to go through the defending champions: the Celtics.

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The two most recent NBA champions are playing well enough to reach the finals, and as we saw Sunday, it would be a compelling matchup.

Cleveland rallied from a 25-3 deficit and a double-digit hole in the second half, but Boston took notes to use in the postseason.

The two best teams in the Eastern Conference will clash on Friday night when the Boston Celtics take on the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. ET. on ESPN. This will be the fourth meeting of the season between these powerhouses, with the Celtics looking to win the regular season series with a third victory over the Cavs.