The Cavaliers are showing how little the regular season actually means to them

With 1:47 left in the third quarter, LeBron James subbed out. The damage had already been done. The game was decided.

In just 32 minutes on the floor, James poured in 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field. The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics by 45 with The King on the floor, building a lead as big as 50 to take an 130-86 Game 2 win on Friday. They scored the most playoff points in franchise history.

That served as a strong reminder to anyone who doubted them in mid-March. The same team that had coasted all season long — forfeiting the Eastern Conference’s top seed in the process — has been a step ahead of its competition the entire time.

The Celtics never stood a chance. Cleveland jumped out to a 32-18 first-quarter lead before pummeling Boston in the second. The Cavaliers eventually took a 41-point lead into the half, forming the largest playoff halftime lead in NBA history.

Matters didn’t get any better when Isaiah Thomas was ruled out for the second half with a sprained right hip, but in truth, the Celtics’ All-Star had been a non-factor. Thomas scored just two points in the half, both on free throws, while missing all six of his field goal attempts.

Only rookie Jaylen Brown, who said pregame he had no fear of LeBron James, impressed with 19 points on 70 percent shooting.

LeBron James doesn’t play basketball for the first 82 games. Not even the first 95 games. No, his eye is on another championship once preseason basketball tips off.

That’s why the public clamor for Cleveland to play better mid-season was comical. Here’s the best player in the world on a team defending its crown as NBA champs. Mere exhibition games don’t matter much to these guys. James and his crew have had their eyes on the big picture all season long.

Sure, the Cavaliers got blasted for not taking the season seriously. But in the end, Cleveland got its games off anyway. The Cavs got a week of rest in-between each round of the playoffs after sweeping their first- and second-round opponents with ease.

Now midway through the Eastern Conference Finals, it seems a third sweep is further than in play — it’s likely. With the series swinging to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, James is inching one step closer to that coveted fourth NBA championship.

And the dominance the Cavs have exhibited in the playoffs should make everyone forget about that regular season lull. You probably don’t even remember it.