The Cleveland Cavaliers moved into the NBA Finals for the third straight season after crushing the Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Led by record-breaker LeBron James, the Cavs claimed a 135-102 win over the Celtics at TD Garden.

James had 35 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help Cleveland win the Eastern Conference finals 4-1, setting up a meeting with the Golden State Warriors in the decider for the third successive year.

He became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the playoffs during the third quarter, passing Michael Jordan, and 2017 marks the seventh consecutive year he has reached the NBA Finals.

The Cavs outscored Boston 43-27 in the first quarter to take complete control of game five.

Kyrie Irving finished with 24 points and seven assists, while Kevin Love had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Avery Bradley led the way for the Celtics, missing star Isaiah Thomas through injury, with 23 points.

Cleveland were dominant and shot at 56.5 per cent from the field and made 19 three-pointers.

Game one of the NBA Finals is at Oracle Arena on June 1.