BOSTON (AP) Avery Bradley one game. Kelly Olynyk another. Marcus Smart stepped into the starting lineup, and rookie Jaylen Brown helped out from the bench.
The Boston Celtics showed this postseason that they have players who could fill in for Isaiah Thomas when the star point guard was injured.
But they also showed how badly they need him.
Bradley scored 23 points on Thursday night, but for the third time in as many home games the Boston Celtics were trounced by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The defending NBA champions won 135-102 in Game 5 to advance to the NBA Finals, where they will play the Golden State Warriors for the third consecutive year.