Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 keys to conference finals vs. Celtics

With a chance to advance to their fourth straight NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers will first have to conquer the Boston Celtics.

For all the turnover, drama and storylines this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have managed to push through all of it to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, facing the same opponent as last year, no less, in the Boston Celtics.

Going up against the Toronto Raptors in the second round, a team that owned the second-best record in the NBA, the Cavaliers really improved their offense, as six different players averaged double-digit scoring, a big contributing factor in the sweep.

Going up against the Celtics, though, is an entirely different beast altogether — one that isn’t scared of LeBron James.

With Brad Stevens’ offensive genius, everyone on the team is capable of being “the guy” on a given night, making it very hard to come up with a defensive game plan. Boston’s roster is filled with two-way, unselfish and pit bull-like players, who will defend at a high level and give everything to help get a win.

Even without home-court advantage in this series, Cleveland should still be favored to defeat the Celtics for the second consecutive year, as it boasts the best player in the game at the peak of his powers and a supporting cast that appears to have realized its potential.

This doesn’t mean, however, that it will be a cakewalk to the Finals, as Boston’s two-way prowess will give the Cavs trouble at times, forcing Cleveland to have to focus on a few key details to advance.