King James Gospel
Fansided

LeBron James versus the Boston Celtics: A brief history

By Tony Pesta

BOSTON - MAY 13: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers points across the court in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics during the 2010 NBA Playoffs on May 13, 2010 at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics won 94-85. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON - MAY 13: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers points across the court in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics during the 2010 NBA Playoffs on May 13, 2010 at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics won 94-85. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 11: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball during the game against Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the game between the two teams on February 11, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 11: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball during the game against Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the game between the two teams on February 11, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2017-18 Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers win series 4-2

This series should be the most competitive matchup we have seen between LeBron James and the Boston Celtics since the 2012-13 NBA Playoffs.

The Celtics may be the underdog in this series. However, Boston has been playing superb team basketball all playoff’s long. The team has defied expectations and advanced all the way to the Conference Finals. The Boston Celtics have seen their role players step up big time and it is the main reason they are in the position they are in.

I think the outcome of this series will rely heavily on the performance of Kevin Love.

We all know LeBron James is going to be bigtime. The looming question is, what will Cleveland get out of Love? Will we get the Love we saw in the Pacers series? Or the high-volume scoring player that Love was against Toronto?

If Love averages anywhere from 15-20 points per game, the Cavaliers will win this series in five games. However, I think Love will struggle again in this series. Therefore, it will once again become the “LeBron James” show. James will be forced to carry the load again for Cleveland. But, I do believe players such as JR Smith and Kyle Korver will step up and hit big shots for the Cavaliers.

Next: Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 30 all-time greatest players

This is why I am picking Cleveland to win the series in six games.