Cavaliers clobber Celtics 107-76

CLEVELAND (AP) — After every 3-pointer, every dunk and every block, LeBron James turned and glared at Boston’s bench. The message was clear: Not here.

James made five 3-pointers and scored 29 points before dancing in his seat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers throttled the NBA champions 107-76 on Sunday to move within one win of matching the 1985-86 Celtics for the best home record in league history.

At 39-1, the Cavs can tie Boston’s mark against Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

Equaling those Celtics of Bird, McHale and Parrish, though, won’t mean anything if the Cavs can’t dethrone the current guys in green sometime this spring. The Cavs led 31-9 after the first quarter, opened a 30-point lead in the second and turned a possible playoff preview into a rout.

It was Cleveland’s most lopsided win ever in 173 games against the Celtics.

Story appears in Monday’s edition.