Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 keys to conference finals vs. Celtics

1. Cleveland’s other guys need to play well

With his ability to do pretty much everything with a basketball in his hands, whatever the Cavaliers do offensively runs through LeBron James. He can go out and get 30 points just as easily as he can get 15 assists, making him a matchup nightmare for every opposing defense he matches up against.

Having said that, there comes a certain point where his otherworldly talent can only do so much.

Simply examine Cleveland’s two previous playoff matchups.

Against the Indiana Pacers in round one, Kevin Love was the second-leading scorer with just 11.4 points per game, and the Cavs barely won that series in seven games. Against the Raptors, five other players averaged over double-digit scoring numbers, led by Love’s 20.4 points per game, which helped Cleveland sweep the No. 1 seed fairly easily.

Simply put, when guys outside LeBron struggle, the team hardly gets by. When guys like Love and J.R. are producing, there’s nobody in the Eastern Conference that can stop them.

We know that James will play at the highest of levels, and against certain teams that proved to be enough, but this Celtics team is not to be messed with.

They are not the up-and-coming Pacers, nor are they the mentally fragile Raptors. This team will come after the Cavaliers with no mercy, and if they’re not prepared, Boston will trample all over them.

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So, if the Cavs don’t want to be on the couch when June comes around, they better act like they’re still playing the Raptors, and have that Pacers series permanently erased from their memory.