3 lessons Boston Celtics can learn from Pacers to dethrone LeBron James

1. Play Kyle Korver off the floor

Last year’s Eastern Conference showdown between the Celtics and Cavaliers was among the most lopsided in NBA history. So lopsided, in fact, that it is nearly impossible to take anything away from it. However — as hard as it is to believe — there were some interesting trends in Boston’s favor.

Kyle Korver couldn’t guard Jaylen Brown. Even as a rookie.

Brad Stevens frequently used Brown to exploit Korver in isolation offense. The games were just far too lopsided for it to show in the result. Jaylen Brown is now a year older and wiser. Rookie of the year candidate Jayson Tatum is even more advanced offensively than Brown.

Why does this matter? If the Celtics can either get Korver in foul trouble — and he has a tendency to foul when posted up — or force Lue to remove him in favor of a better defender, it will severely hinder LeBron’s spacing.

Cleveland’s best lineup involves LeBron alongside Korver, Love, J.R. Smith and George Hill. Smith and Hill are both above-average defenders. But if Boston forces Lue to play Jeff Green more often than Korver, there is an opportunity to throw an extra defender at LeBron.

Jeff Green has been a decent shooter in the playoffs so far at 37 percent from deep, but teams have demonstrated that they will not guard him behind the line.

Marcus Morris — the Celtics defender most likely to spend the most time on LeBron — cannot handle LeBron by himself. But if Boston can roam off of Jeff Green, it has a much better chance of slowing him down.

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And who knows? Maybe none of this will work. LeBron James is a force of nature that hasn’t been diminished for the better part of a decade. But if there is any hope, it lies in Boston’s ability to perfect the scheme Indiana used to nearly defeat this team.