If the Cavs start Tristan Thompson, should Brad Stevens adjust his starters?

The move is coming at some point. It might be Game 2, it might be later in the series, but when it comes to the Cavs, Ty Lue seems likely to shake things up and go with a more traditional look in his starting five, which will include Tristan Thompson at center, Kevin Love at power forward and one of his shooters to the bench. If the Cavs starting group wants to make Boston work more for its offense, this is the counter that needs to be attempted at some point.

Brad Stevens and his staff are well aware of the possible shift. But the bigger question for the head coach is whether it will force his own hand on a lineup change. He wasn’t giving any hints ahead of Game 2.

“I think anytime you're playing Cleveland, first and foremost, it's about LeBron, and then about the shooters and players around him,” Stevens said. “Whoever they put on the floor, we're going to have to help appropriately -- depending on who's on the floor -- and we're going to have to guard him as hard as we can, which is easier said than done.

"I'm guessing he'll be a part of that lineup, so (our) focus and emphases will remain the same.”

So what exactly is the smart play for Stevens heading into Game 2? Is an adjustment even necessary if Thompson starts? Or does Aron Baynes need to be brought into the fold to slow down the fearsome rebounder?

THE CASE FOR STARTING BAYNES (IF THOMPSON STARTS)

The current starting five with Marcus Morris has been one of the best lineups for the Celtics this postseason, but it’s also been subpar on the defensive glass. The frontcourt of Al Horford and Morris has surrendered offensive rebounds on 71 percent of their possessions, which is eight percentage points worse than the team’s average this postseason (it would rank 30th in the league during the regular season). With the defensive switching the Celtics showed in Game 1, staying small opens the door to a lot of constant mismatches on box-outs, as Thompson and Love have the length and finishing ability to wreak havoc against smaller players on putbacks.

Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown are good rebounders for their size, but they don’t have the strength to push Thompson out of the paint. Thompson has also given Horford nightmares on the glass in recent postseason, and tallied nine rebounds in just 21 minutes in Game 1. Having Baynes in the fold from the opening tip would help nullify that impact.

Taking Morris out of the lineup forces Brown to cover LeBron out of the gate, but Horford and Baynes are there to serve as lane protectors behind him, which has been a good thing all year when it comes to rim protection. James would also need to cover Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, which would minimize the rest he gets on that end of the floor.

There are also other matchup problems in play if Baynes doesn’t get the nod against Thompson. If Morris is sticking with James and Horford has to stick with Thompson, who guards Love? That’s a potential mismatch for Brown in the post, even though he held his ground nicely in a couple spots during Game 1. All of these areas would be major points of emphasis for the coaching staff to ensure the C’s don’t get exposed by these potentially glaring mismatches.

THE CASE FOR STICKING WITH MORRIS (IF THOMPSON STARTS)

The rebounding factor is scary with Thompson out there, but the C’s defensive versatility takes a big hit if Baynes is out on the floor. The center will match up with Thompson initially, but it’s a safe bet the Cavs will run him through plenty of pick-and-rolls with James to get those isolation matchups in which he can attack the slow-footed center. That prospect could be a lot scarier than giving up a lot of offensive rebounds to Thompson.

Taking out your best defender (on paper) against James in Game 1 does not make a lot of sense for Stevens when your primary goal in this matchup is to prevent him from getting going.

“You can go through the career of every great player ever. They always respond, (they're) always are antsy to respond, they’re anxious to respond, they’re ready to respond,” Stevens said at shootaround on Tuesday. “At the same time, we have to focus on what we do best -- realize (we're) going to get that punch. You’re going to get that hit by LeBron and the rest of the guys and make it as hard as possible on him, and guard the other guys well. It’s easier said than done.”

The Cavs’ role players have been inconsistent throughout the postseason, especially on the road. Stopping James is the point of emphasis in this series, and it makes sense Morris would see as much time as possible against James in a head-to-head setting to assist with that.

Given how well Morris played on the offensive end in Game 1, he’s also a big component of Boston’s offensive game plan right now. Baynes has nicely extended his 3-point range this postseason (which should help pull Love or whoever covers him out of the paint) but that pull isn’t going to be as strong as someone like Morris on the floor.

Unlike Baynes, Morris has the versatility to slash and shoot, which will put the Cavs into some uncomfortable spots with two slow-footed bigs out there. Love will be forced to cover Morris and they can work him through the pick-and-roll (opening up plenty of opportunities there). Meanwhile, James spends time dealing with Tatum’s shot creation. Thompson may limit Horford’s ability to post in the interior, but he’s not going to solve Cleveland’s defensive issues across the board.

THE VERDICT

If the priority here is James, Morris has to stay on the floor. A possibility like Baynes starting for Brown/Tatum could be considered in theory, but both of those youngsters matter too much to the Celtics’ offense right now to be benched.

There’s no perfect solution in this scenario for Boston. But the original starting five with Morris has an incredible offensive rating (126) this postseason over 78 minutes, making it Stevens most-used lineup. The group has played well enough collectively to deserve a shot against a revamped Cavs lineup in Game 2, even if Lue makes that change.