BOSTON — All season long [url=http://www.cincinnatibengalsteamonline.com/andy-dalton-jersey]Andy Dalton Jersey[/url] , the Houston Rockets and NBA champion Golden State Warriors ran 1-2 in the Western Conference, eventually ending up in the conference finals with little resistance.

Over in the East, the Toronto Raptors charged to the top seed and appeared to be in good shape to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.

However, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Nos. 2 and 4 seeds, respectively, overcame all kinds of adversity and open their second straight conference finals Sunday at TD Garden.

For the Celtics, the adversity started five minutes into the season when shiny new free agent Gordon Hayward went down with a season-ending injury. Charles Barkley declared “their season is over” on national television. Other injuries followed as rookie surprise Daniel Theis lost for the season and Kyrie Irving, acquired from the Cavs in a huge deal, was also lost — both with knee surgery.

Valuable piece Marcus Smart went down late after right thumb surgery — and the list went on and on — but it never really stopped Brad Stevens’ team.

“I think in the Toronto series, no disrespect to them, but watching film it just looked very easy at times,” Morris said. “… There was no help, I didn’t see no physicality. I didn’t see any of that. I think that’s something different we’ll bring to the table.”

The Cavs [url=http://www.chiefscheapstore.com/breeland-speaks-jersey-cheap]Cheap Breeland Speaks Jersey[/url] , looking for their fourth straight conference title behind LeBron James, never got anything out of the damaged Isaiah Thomas (hip) and wound up shipping Thomas and fellow former Celtic Jae Crowder out of town as part of a major overhaul at the trade deadline. They dropped to fourth in the conference as the Philadelphia 76ers ran off 16 straight wins at the end of the season.

They needed seven games to dispose of the Indiana Pacers and then rampaged through the Raptors in four straight.

James has been on a tear, averaging 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks as he seeks his eighth straight trip to the NBA Finals.

“Last year, we were a unique group. … Guys that went out and obviously played hard every night,” Celtics forward Al Horford said. “We’re doing the same thing now, but with this group, we have more depth in those positions, suited more to guard LeBron. We have a lot more bodies to take on that challenge.”

They will need them.

The absence of Hayward, Irving and others led to the emergence of Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown as stars. Smart has come back from his surgery to provide a significant spark. The Celtics needed seven games to oust the Milwaukee Bucks and five to beat Philadelphia.

They are 7-0 at home in the playoffs.

“A lot of people are saying, ‘How can they succeed like this without Gordon Hayward?’ I’ve heard that [url=http://www.jaguarscheapstore.com/taven-bryan-jersey-cheap]Taven Bryan Jersey[/url] ,” James said. “He’s been out since the first quarter of Game 1, so it’s like, do we even know who they would have (become)? He’s not even, like, been on the team. So we can talk from, like, potential, but he’s been out since the first quarter of Game 1 in Cleveland.

“I get it with the Kyrie thing. He was obviously a teammate of mine for three years, and I know what he’s capable of doing, but they got guys that’s damn good no matter if they are young or not. They know how to play basketball and their coach has put them in position to succeed.”

Tatum has a shot at history in this series. He has recorded seven straight 20-point games, tying him with Donovan Mitchell for the second-most all time among rookies. Lew Alcindor, then of the Milwaukee Bucks, holds the record with 10 in a row in 1970.

Shane Larkin, Boston’s backup point guard [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/hayden-hurst-jersey-cheap]Hayden Hurst Youth Jersey[/url] , suffered a shoulder sprain running into a Joel Embiid pick and has hopes of returning some time during the series.

“It’s still fresh; it’s still sore,” he said. “I can’t really do much. It’s frustrating, but I’ve got to keep staying positive, keep getting treatment and try to get back out there.”

Horford has been a leader for Boston through the 12 playoff games, averaging 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game — essentially doing everything for his team.

The Cavaliers went 2-1 against the Celtics during the regular season and are 9-3 at TD Garden over the last four seasons.

鈥?Hayden Hurst has finally found a sport, position and team that are best suited for his athletic ability: football, tight end, Baltimore Ravens.After being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 17th round of the 2012 draft, Hurst pitched in the Gulf Coast League in 2013. He tried first base the following year before calling it a career.“It wasn’t exactly the easiest three years of my life. But I learned a lot about myself,” Hurst said.He then played football at South Carolina, lining up as a wide receiver in 2015 before moving to tight end. In 38 games with the Gamecocks [url=http://www.broncoscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-courtland-sutton-jersey]Courtland Sutton Broncos Jersey[/url] , Hurst scored four touchdowns 鈥?one of them on a 2-yard run.Still, Hurst was impressive enough to be picked 25th overall by the Ravens in the 2018 NFL draft. Just 39 minutes into his first game last Thursday night, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound rookie caught a touchdown pass to help Baltimore beat Chicago 17-16 in the Hall of Fame Game.“It’s pretty exciting,” Hurst said after Saturday’s practice. “I’m a big body guy, and I like to be utilized in the red zone. I’m a threat there. At South Carolina, I wasn’t used a whole lot in the red zone. Nut here I think they’re going to take advantage of it. So it should be a fun career.”Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has long relied on his tight end for big plays and touchdowns. From Todd Heap to Dennis Pitta to Benjamin Watson, the man in the middle of the field has been a vital component of the Baltimore offense.Hurst could very well be the newest addition to that impressive list.“Joe throws to the tight ends a lot. He has a lot of faith in that position,” Hurst noted. “When things kind of break down, he tries to find us. It puts more emphasis on my position.”Flacco didn’t take a snap in Baltimore’s preseason opener, yet both Baltimore touchdowns were scored by tight ends. Hurst’s 8-yard TD came on a pass from Lamar Jackson, a former Heisman Trophy winner who was after Hurst (32nd overall) but has received far more publicity and acclaim.“The quarterback gets all the attention. That’s how this league works,” Hurst said. “It doesn’t matter to me.”Baltimore lists six tight ends on the roster, so the 24-year-old Hurst is going to have to earn playing time. Though he admits he needs to know the playbook better [url=http://www.jaguarscheapstore.com/dj-chark-jersey-cheap]DJ Chark Jaguars Jersey[/url] , Hurst has already made a positive impression.“It was good to see Hayden play well in the first game. That’s the first test,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “The next test is to come back and have a good week of practice and take it into the next game.”Toward that end, Hurst made a sensational grab between three defenders Saturday, drawing a collective cheer from the fans in attendance.Not bad for a former baseball player.“I’m glad I experienced it,” Hurst says of his abbreviated baseball career. “It kind of hardened me, made me the football player that I am today. That’s why I play fast and physical, because I don’t want anything to be taken away from me like I kind of had with baseball.”In other news, the Ravens activated six-time Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda from the physically unable to perform list Saturday. Yanda had offseason shoulder surgery and will slowly be worked back into a practice routine.“Very encouraging,” Harbaugh said. “This was the target date, so he’s right now schedule.”.