Milwaukee, see you later. Philadelphia, there’s the door. But Cleveland? Are the Boston Celtics going to shock the world again?
Stop me if you’ve heard me before: LeBron James will be playing against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
For LeBron, it will be the seventh time playing in Boston in the postseason. In the past, he has had some of the biggest moments of his career against the Celtics. In 2010, he played his last game as a Cavalier before running to Miami. Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 in 2012 was the best game he ever played: 45 points on 19 for 26 shooting, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and the destruction of an entire city.
Now, LeBron’s team is at its weakest point coming into Boston. It isn’t saying much, they still have LeBron, but not since 2012 have the Celtics even sniffed the advantage.
Brad Stevens is at the height of his powers. Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier are playing the best basketball of their careers to this point. Al Horford is leading a young team, despite missing key players, that is still showing the ability to win.
But is even that enough to dethrone the King? Will LeBron, playing one of the best if not the best stretches of basketball in his career, beat the Celtics again? Or will it be the Boston Celtics, playing as a group, reaching the goal a few years early, advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010?
Here is how you should be able to tell. These are some of the factors to look for when the Celtics and Cavs meet in the Conference Finals for the second year in a row.
Let LeBron have his
Technically, guarding LeBron James is possible. A person in front of him on defense fits the definition of guarding.
But doing it well? Only a select few have figured out how to do that. Kawhi Leonard, Andre Iguodala, JJ Barea, only a select group of defensive legends managed to stop LeBron on the biggest stage.
The Celtics won’t have that one guy. Like Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo, it will have to be a guarding by committee. Jaylen Brown will probably start on LeBron. Horford could switch in crunch time. Marcus Morris deserves a chance based on past performance. Semi Ojeleye is an option. Marcus Smart, always up for a challenge, will see some time on the King as well.
This won’t confuse LeBron James one bit. He’s used to seeing, and dominating, player after player on the offensive end. The Cavs will still get their switches, and LeBron will sprint by Greg Monroe or Aron Baynes. I’m sure we all remember last year’s series, as Kelly Olynyk, Jonas Jerebko, and Amir Johnson were left on an island, looking hopelessly for any help. It didn’t come.
This year, there aren’t as many defensive liabilities. Out of the regular rotation, I would only worry about Rozier or Baynes on switches. Anyone else has at least an okay chance to stick with the best player on the planet.
With all that said, can’t you just see LeBron hushing the Boston crowd like he did Toronto’s? Can’t you see LeBron going for 40+, dishing out assist after assist, and taking the series in 4 or 5 games? For better or worse, this series could be over after the first two games in Boston. If LeBron goes supernova, it’s over. If the Celtics hold their own on LeBron and stay perfect at home, how can the Cavs rebound with almost no momentum?
Obviously, LeBron winning against an Eastern Conference opponent is the safer bet. He’s gone to eight straight finals. EIGHT. But I’m not doubting the Boston Celtics again. I may seem like an absolute moron or genius a week from now, but I think the C’s can do enough to stop LeBron. He won’t be the sole reason for a potential Cavs series win. He will be at least very good if not great if not fantastic if not legendary.
But the Cavs can’t just run LeBron isos and beat the Celtics like last year. To win this series, it will be up guys like Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, JR Smith, and Tristan Thompson. Can the Other Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics?
Don’t let anyone else get hot
Against the Sixers, the Celtics were excellent at limiting certain role players and making others beat them. JJ Redick shot just 34 percent from three. Robert Covington averaged 7 points a game on 27 percent shooting. Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova combined for just 17 points a game, 9 less than the first round series against Miami.
TJ McConnell was forced to win a game for the Sixers. Dario Saric was forced to take 13 shots a game, one more than Ben Simmons.
Now, the main guys that need to be limited are Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, and Tristan Thompson. Love could be anywhere from 30-15 a night or 5-5 and nobody would be surprised. If I’m the Celtics, I’d play love like he’s a superstar. He can’t be allowed open 3’s, especially in the first quarter. Al Horford needs to close out lightning fast when Love gets the ball on perimeter. He can’t help on LeBron too much if it means wide open threes for Love. On the offensive end, Al needs to pound K-Love on the block. He cannot struggle to get 5-7 easy looks a game.
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Korver needs to get the JJ Redick treatment. Whether it’s Rozier or Brown guarding, he cannot get two open looks in a row. Luckily, the Celtics just played Redick and have gone against Korver in the playoffs twice before. But if he’s averaging 13-17 points a game, that’s a problem. The Celtics need to get whatever amount of points Korver has back on the offensive end. It should be whoever offense on Korver, post ups, isos, pick and rolls, whatever it takes to get Jaylen or Jayson blowing by Kyle Korver.
Finally, with Tristan Thompson, the C’s could get lucky. Thompson has been a complete liability at times this season. He couldn’t play defense, score, or even rebound. However, he had a great series against Toronto. If the Cavs go big with Love and Thompson, Aron Baynes needs to hold his own again. Boxing out and bringing at least something to the table on switches vs LeBron could turn the series. If Thompson is playable AND he’s creating mismatches for LeBron on offense, it’s over.
I have faith that the Celtics can get this done, too. Against Philly, I didn’t see how they could stop Embiid in the post, Simmons in transition, and Redick shooting threes all at the same time. There were too many options. Well, it turns out a team with so much defensive chemistry and communication, a great coach, and smart players can stop almost everything.
Is LeBron the exception? Possibly. It won’t be easy, but I’m not doubting a team that just wiped out the favorite to come out of the East in 5 games. They are ready for the challenge.
Prediction
I hope I’m not going heart over head, but I like the Boston Celtics chances in this series. I love the storyline of getting through LeBron to make the Finals over all odds. LeBron left Cleveland back in 2010 after a loss in Boston, I think history repeats itself 8 years later.
Indiana drove the Cavs to seven games. Toronto got swept, but Game 1 all but decided the series. The Celtics are the better than the Pacers. A Brad Stevens run team isn’t going to choke mentally in the playoffs like Toronto.
LeBron is going to have an epic series. It’s not going to be easy, the Celtics will have to claw and fight if they want to break an 8 year run of dominance.
Next: Boston Celtics: Toughness, growth and grit power undermanned C’s
I believe in this team. I believe in the best fans in the world carrying a team to victory. I believe that no matter how young or injured or doubted the Celtics are, they are an NBA Finals worthy team.
Get ready, this about to be a wild couple of weeks.
Boston Celtics in 7. June here we come. The story will continue.