Stop me if you've heard this before. LeBron James & Co. come into Boston as the lower seed during the NBA playoffs. LeBron James dominates. LeBron James reaches the NBA Finals.

Mike Thomas Herald News Sports Editor

Stop me if you've heard this before.

LeBron James & Co. come into Boston as the lower seed during the NBA playoffs. LeBron James dominates. LeBron James reaches the NBA Finals.

LeBron's Cavaliers, seeded fourth in the East, begin the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday when they travel to Boston to meet the No. 2 Celtics. History seems primed to repeat itself as the Cavaliers enter the series as a pretty good favorite (-275), while the Celtics have their two top players sidelined with injury.

Or does it?

The Celtics are fresh off a 4-1 series win over the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that was a heavier favorite to knock off the C's than the Cavs are. Philly is a team with much more overall talent than the Cavaliers, although they don't have LeBron James.

Could this be the year the Celtics get past LeBron and reach the NBA finals?

Had I been asked this question at the beginning of the playoffs, I'd have issued a flat-out no.  I wasn't even convinced the Celtics were getting past seventh-seeded Milwaukee.

When it was time to meet the Sixers, I was hard pressed to find a Boston fan who was convinced the Celtics were going to advance.

Now bring on the Cavs, an erratic team that went the distance in a first-round matchup with the Indiana Pacers before sweeping the top-seeded Raptors. We don't know which Cavaliers team will show up, but we always know which Celtics team will.

Yes, the Celtics will be without superstar point guard Kyrie Irving. But so will the Cavs.

A year ago, Irving had a monster playoff series as a member of the Cavaliers, torching the Celtics for 42 points in Game 4. He also led the team with 29 points in Game 3. This year it's LeBron, Kevin Love and a whole lotta nothing else.

Give me the hustle of Marcus Smart, the sharp shooting of Terry Rozier and the athleticism and hunger of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum over a two-man Cavs team any day. Package that with the veteran presence of Al Horford, home court advantage and the brains of Brad Stevens and it might just be enough to offset LeBron James.

LeBron James is the best basketball player on the planet, but the Celtics are the better team.

Celtics in seven.

Mike Thomas is the sports editor of The Herald News. Follow him on Twitter @NostraThomasHN.