For the first two rounds of the postseason, LeBron James was a one-man wrecking crew. He led all playoff performers across countless statistical categories including points per game (34.3), free-throw attempts per game (10), field goals made (140), and clutch points (32). He was forced to carry the scoring load for this revamped Cavs squad in wins over the Raptors and Pacers, but his passing (9.0 assists per game) was just as lethal as ever.
Unlike his first two opponents, the Celtics had a host of bodies to throw at James in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Marcus Morris did a fantastic job as a lead defender, but Jaylen Brown, Semi Ojeleye and Al Horford all chipped in as James was held to a playoff-low 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting in a 108-83 blowout win for the Celtics. The performance was alarming from Cleveland’s perspective, even though James was not worried about it postgame.
“There's never a level of concern no matter how bad I played tonight with seven turnovers, how inefficient I was shooting the ball," he said.
While those lackluster numbers and a playoff-high seven turnovers were a byproduct of some great individual efforts and a subpar night from the superstar, it is evident the C’s had a clear defensive strategy with James that they executed beautifully in Game 1. Brad Stevens found the one clear flaw in LeBron’s game this postseason and did a masterful job of exploiting it.
So what exactly was the trick?
Let James shoot from 3-point range.
It’s a strategy that has had its ups and down for LeBron’s opponents throughout his career. The 33-year-old is an average 3-point shooter in his career (35 percent) but he’s always been a bit of a streaky one. His numbers dip a bit more when you look at this postseason career numbers (32 percent from 3) and on the whole, his postseasons have been a rollercoaster ride from beyond the arc. He’s shot anywhere from 22 percent from 3 in the 2014-15 postseason to an elite 41.7 percent from deep last year.
2018 had been a down cycle for James from downtown in the postseason thus far. His 28 percent shooting from 3-point range was the one blemish on his resume over the first two rounds, even though the Pacers and Raptors failed to make him pay for that inconsistency.
From the opening quarter of Game 1, the Celtics were determined to not let James beat them inside the restricted area, where he led all players in the postseason with 14.4 points per game and was second in points per game (16.0). James would have to beat the Celtics from 3-point range, or at least prove that he was a capable threat from that spot on the floor. That did not happen as he was 0-of-5 from 3-point range on a night the Cavs were a miserable 15.4 percent from distance (4-of-26).
The C’s been through some good practice on this front in their first couple rounds by prioritizing paint protection against the likes of Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo. While James is the tougher cover than either of those players, the order of priorities was clear for Boston:
1. Stop James the driver
2. Stop James the passer
3. Stop James the outside shooter
It’s impossible for most defenses to achieve all of these goals on any given night, but the Celtics have enough versatile personnel to pull off the first two objectives if everyone plays to their potential. The exact execution of that strategy was usually dependent on the type of defender that was on James. Here's a closer look at how Stevens deployed his troops:
Players with size (Al Horford/Aron Baynes/Morris)
The main emphasis here was to hang back and block the driving lanes. Morris went under screens against LeBron all day long as his primary defender, giving him chances to pull the trigger from above the arc at his leisure. James only bit on a few of these looks and missed on all of them.
When switches came, the focus remained the same. Prevent the drive first, but focus on the pass second over a perimeter shot. Bigs with a speed disadvantage constantly hung back to protect not only against the drives but against his passes. James tried to force a few into tight spaces and the C’s were ready for them.
Morris did a great job limiting James on the whole (he defended him on 39 possessions, according to Second Spectrum, and the Cavs scored 20 points below their usual offensive rating in those situations), but he deflected the credit to his teammates.
“It's a team effort, man. It's not just me,” he said. “Everybody played their part in guarding him. He's obviously the best player in the game, and you need multiple guys and a team to guard him an entire game. I just think we did a great job of that.”
Players with at a size disadvantage (Tatum/Brown/Smart) against James
The strategy here shifted a little bit, likely to keep James off balance and to keep him from bullying his way to the hoop against smaller players. Rozier, Smart and Brown upped the ball pressure whenever they found themselves on James in 1-on-1 spots, knowing that they had help waiting behind them.
That's how you guard LeBron ??? (@MillerLite) pic.twitter.com/M58CCld9EB
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 13, 2018
