We have heard nothing but "LeBron this…" and "LeBron that…" since about midway through the third quarter of Game 5 when everyone realized he just wasn't going to turn it on.
And that's fine. It has been a valid story line.
But it doesn't matter. At least not to the Celtics.
What LeBron James does tonight matters, of course, because he is still the most talented player on the floor and capable of dominating at any moment. But to the Celtics, all that matters is coming out and playing the right way.
LeBron can come out hot. LeBron can score 20 in the first quarter. But the Celtics can withstand that.
They can do it with team defense… forcing the supporting cast to cough it up or miss shots to they can get out on the break.
They can do it with good ball movement on offense… finding the open man and making it impossible to guard just one person straight up.
They can do it with 48 minutes of effort… the kind that has eluded them for much of the season in spots like this.
The Celtics have this series in the palm of their hands. The Cavaliers are ready to die. LeBron may come out with a super-human effort, but the rest of that team is ready to quit. The Celtics need everyone to contribute. They can't come out trying to throw knockout punches in the first quarter. No one can come out trying to wear the Superman cape.
The Celtics need to crush the Cavs with a constant wave of defensive and offensive pressure. They need to wear them down to the point where they just throw their hands up and and turn on each other.
Let everyone else talk about LeBron. This game is in the Celtics hands.
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