The 2016-17 Celtics were a smaller bunch that regularly got bodied on the boards. Boston posted the fourth-worst rebounding percentage in the NBA, routinely punished for going small and making an emphasis on getting back in transition while spurning the offensive glass.

This year’s Celtics have improved leaps and bounds in this regard, rising to the top half of the league in rebounding percentage. Boston’s growth has been especially notable this postseason, the Celtics ranking fifth out of the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs with a 21.7 offensive rebounding percentage.

While the Celtics played Goliath to Milwaukee’s and Philadelphia’s David in the first two rounds, the Cleveland Cavaliers serve as Boston’s biggest threat yet, boasting a horde of intelligent and physical rebounders that includes Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, and LeBron James. Boston will host the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday at TD Garden.

“First and foremost, those guys are great offensive rebounders,’’ said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “Secondly, LeBron draws so much attention and because of that, he gets you scrambling. The offensive rebounding is one of many concerns that you have as you get ready to play these guys.’’

Though Cleveland actually tallied a lower offensive rebounding percentage than Boston in 2017-18, much of that can be blamed on the poor health of Thompson and Love, who missed a combined 52 games. Now, both are grooving in a fashion more resembling their beefy reputations, fresh off a sweep of top-seeded Toronto on Monday.

“It’ll be big,’’ said Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum on how rebounding will affect the series with Cleveland. “Everybody has to gang rebound. We can’t have anybody leaking out.’’

Part of Boston’s rebounding renaissance has been fueled by the brutish Aron Baynes, and he’ll serve an essential role against the Cavaliers. In the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia, fellow big man Al Horford was tasked with slowing the Sixers tall point forward, Ben Simmons, for long stretches. This often left Baynes isolated under the basket with Philadelphia matchup nightmare Joel Embiid to deal with, but the 6-foot-10-inch veteran responded emphatically. Baynes has snared 2.4 offensive rebounds per game through 12 playoff contests.

The return of Marcus Smart has bolstered Boston’s squadron of glass-crashers. Unafraid to tussle with those who tower over him, Smart is averaging four rebounds per game in the playoffs, an impressive mark for a guard still returning to full strength after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb.

Stevens understands the importance of staying attached to Cleveland’s elusive bodies if Boston wishes to retain its newfound rebounding advantage.

“When we went small in the past, we were pretty small,’’ said Stevens. “Now we’re pretty big. Still, you have to do a great job of keeping the ball in front of you, making everything as difficult as possible and getting to their bodies.’’

Road to recovery

Acquired via free agency last summer, Celtics forward Gordon Hayward played just five minutes for his new team before suffering a dislocated left ankle in the opener at Cleveland. The injury shelved Hayward for the season, thrusting second-year wing Jaylen Brown and Tatum into more prominent roles.

In an essay posted to his personal website Friday, Hayward revealed he’s “feeling like an athlete again,’’ as he continues rehab on his ankle in Indianapolis. The 28-year old former Butler star has been sweating through a series of daily workouts, focusing on running mechanics and lifting weights while receiving regular physical therapy. Hayward ends each day with a few hours of “court work’’ as he eyes a return in 2018-19.

Hayward also offered in-depth analysis on the current bunch of healthy Celtics, providing anecdotes on Stevens’s mastery of drawing up actions after timeouts. Hayward knows that beating Cleveland four times in the conference finals will stretch this Celtics squad to its limits, but he remains confident in his thriving teammates.

“We’re going to have to play extremely well to beat [Cleveland] four times,’’ wrote Hayward in the conclusion to his post. “But we can do it. And I believe that we will.’’

Support for Casey

To the shock of many in NBA circles, Raptors coach Dwane Casey was fired Friday after his team was swept by Cleveland in the conference semifinals. Almost universally respected by his peers, Casey was named coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association just two days prior to his firing.

Boston’s own leader expressed dismay at Toronto’s decision to move on from their head coach of seven years.

“It’s disappointing from the standpoint of the coaching profession,’’ said Stevens. “He’s a role model for a lot of coaches. His great players got better and played great; his young players all got better. The second unit in Toronto was as good of a team and as fun of a team to watch in all of basketball this year.

“On top of that, Dwane is as good of a person as they come. I’m sure that people will be lined up to try to get him to coach their team shortly.’’

Nader roughed up

Forward Abdel Nader didn’t participate in team activities at practice in Waltham after being swiped across the eye during one-on-one work earlier in the day. Nader claimed to be disrupted by blurry vision following the incident and will consult a team doctor . . . A knee injury ended Daniel Theis’s season in March, but theCeltics’ big man was with the team Friday and could be seen working on set shots following practice . . . Stevens isn’t concerned about the Celtics’ lack of playoff experience when viewed in conjunction with the Cavaliers roster. Said Stevens, “As far as we’re concerned, there’s a power in being naïve.’’

Owen Pence can be reached at owen.pence@globe.com.