5 Storylines to Follow in the Cavs-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals

There's really only one question to answer in this series, right?

That being, how many games can the Celtics get off the Cavs? Because everybody and their mother is predicting the Cavaliers waltz into another NBA Finals and make quick work out of the upstart Celtics, trying to put a cap on a most unexpected run to the No. 1 seed in the East.

But should we be selling the Celtics so short? They do have the 5'9" dynamo Isaiah Thomas running the show and a rugged supporting cast that helped Boston win 53 games during the regular season, two more than the Cavs. But Cleveland, of course, still has the best player in the world running their show, and LeBron James, after complaining about needing more players, has about as deep of a supporting cast as he's ever had with sharpshooters littering the roster.

We think the Cavs are going to have an easy time of it before they inevitably meet the Warriors for a third straight season on the game's biggest stage. But that doesn't mean there aren't a bunch of interesting storylines in the Eastern Conference Finals that we can dissect, discuss and debunk before tip-off Wednesday night in Boston. Like how bad is the Cavs defense (still)? Is this Isaiah Thomas's time to shine? And what should we expect from another Kelly Olynyk vs. Kevin Love playoff showdown?

Yes. And no.

By the eye test, you'd probably say the Cavs are still a not a very good defensive team. They finished the regular season 22nd in defensive rating and allowed an average of 104.8 points per game through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

But the Cavs are showing signs of improvement, namely that they're not a turnstile around the basket the way they were during the regular season. Their 105.9 defensive rating through the first two rounds of the playoffs is second only behind the Warriors, and we just got done, albeit about a week ago, watching the Raptors, a pretty good offensive team, struggle at times to score while being swept out of the Eastern Conference semis.

You can easily make the case that the Raptors are a more dynamic offensive team than the Celtics, but we know who the better team is. The question is will the defensive pressure Cleveland's shown recently—especially with Tristan Thompson on the floor when the Cavs' defensive rating plummets to 96.5—carry over into the conference finals against a significantly better squad (by Eastern Conference standards)? —A.C.

Make no mistake about it—Isaiah Thomas is about to get mollywhopped. But it won’t make, or break, him. He already launched himself into our consciousness this season. No one saw him coming, yet somehow in just his second full season in Boston he became the best fourth-quarter scorer in the league. He led the Celtics to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference—for the first time since 2008. Like a gladiator, he showed up to put in work the day after his little sister died, fighting back tears in the playoff opener against the Bulls. He even gave his teeth for the game in an Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup with the Wizards.

That series was hard fought, and victory required heroics from other players, like Kelly Olynyk, but it doesn’t matter: We all look at the Celtics as Isaiah’s team now. His passion is uncontested, his scrappiness is admirable, his confidence is understood even when it borders on arrogance. So even though we know how this round is going to end, no one’s gonna accuse Thomas of being a scrub. We’re gonna chalk it up to no team being able to prevail against King James. And we’re gonna root for IT4 and the C’s to come back stronger next year. —D.R.

Staring down his seventh straight Finals appearance, LeBron James is quietly averaging 34 points, nine boards, seven assists, two steals, and a block and a half in eight playoff games this postseason. He’s also top 10 in career playoff points, rebounds, assists and steals putting himself in the conversation with gods.

He knows the Warriors added Kevin Durant to an already potent lineup to beat him. He knows he’s chasing Jordan and Russell. He knows if the Cavs beat this Golden State team looking for revenge after blowing a 3-1 lead last year, that he’ll be considered top three, no fucking debate. And even if they reach the Finals and fall to KD and Steph, he’ll still have a place on the NBA’s Mount Rushmore. LeBron James, a god among mortals, brought to this world by Zeus himself, is chasing the ghosts of gods past, and he’ll catch them before his time is up. It’s already written in the stars .—A.D.

They've put the episode from two years behind them. You know, that time when Olynyk yanked Love's shoulder out of his socket and helped cement his status as one of the dirtiest players in the NBA—if you subscribe to Draymond Green's hot takes. But the history between Olynyk and Love will surely get brought up numerous times when they square off at some point in Game 1, and the matchup just got a little more interesting based off Olynyk's coming out party in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semis.

The reserve forward went for 26 points in 28 minutes, catching fire in the fourth quarter to help seal a Celtics win over the Wizards. Now the likelihood of Olynyk repeating that performance is slim to say the least, but it gives the Cavs' putrid defense something to think about should they start slacking on their rotations like the Wizards did. And if Olynyk can kind of lock down Love and keep him off the boards that's way more important than any ancillary offense he provides.

So from a purely pugilistic standpoint, this matchup is by far the most fun. But don't sleep on it from a basketball standpoint, either. It ain't Kyrie Irving vs. Isaiah Thomas or Jae Crowder/the entire Celtics defense vs. LeBron, but Olynyk vs. Love is a juicy subplot that we couldn't resist highlighting. —A.C.

Back in 1983, All-Star center Moses Malone was asked to predict what his Sixers would do in the playoffs. His response was three words—well, sort of words: “Fo’, fo’, fo’.” And while Malone’s Sixers would drop one game in the Conference Finals, making it “fo’, fi’, fo’,” they did go on to win the championship.

If someone had asked LeBron James a similar question before this year’s playoffs, one expects they would have gotten a similar—if more verbose—answer. But let’s cut it down to Mo-speak. The playoffs are longer than they were in Mo’s day, so it would be “fo’, fo’, fo’, fo’” now. The Cavaliers are halfway there. Like Mo’s Sixers, though, their perfect run likely ends in the Conference Finals, when the Celtics get one game. Isaiah Thomas will not be swept. Can they get more than one game? To quote another Basketball Hall of Famer, “Larry Bird is not walking through that door.” —R.B.