Celtics' conundrum: How to defend Cavaliers' LeBron James

1:55 p.m. ET May 19, 2017   BOSTON – LeBron James had his way with Boston on shots at the rim in Game 1.

Faced with single coverage and mismatches, especially in the first half, James made shot after shot on drives to the basket.

Now, Boston has a decision to make: Continue with one-on-one coverage of James or double-team him. Neither option is appealing, though James anticipates changes to Boston's defensive coverages in Game 2 tonight (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

“Both teams will make adjustments. That’s just the playoffs,” James said. “Teams always make adjustments from game to game, so we have to be ready for whatever they decide to do today.”

With his knowledge and preparation, James, who is having one of the best postseasons of his career, is ready for any situation.

“I can read the game no matter how the game is played,” James said. “If I’m being single covered or if I’m being doubled or blitzed off my pick-and-rolls or doubled when I’m in the post, I know how to read the game. Our guys are ready to attack it no matter what happens.”

It leaves Celtics coach Brad Stevens with a predicament. Play James with one defender, and James can take advantage of that one-on-one situation. Double-team James and allow him to find open and outstanding shooters at the three-point line or teammates cutting to the basket.

“There are a lot of things that I think sound good in theory,” Stevens said. “We have to do our best to mix it up appropriately without overdoing it, and make sure that we try our best to keep him in front.”

James will see single coverage and double-teams in Game 2, and the Celtics will try to make it difficult for him to exploit matchups. Stevens noted that is easier said than done.

“You have to realize that they're outstanding,” he said. “They put you in a bad matchup almost every time down the floor, and they're great at it. LeBron is great at finding the matchup he wants. He's great at recognizing when Love has the matchup that they want. He's great at recognizing when Irving has the matchup or bringing a screener up that they want to bring up.

“That's what makes it really difficult. You're always accounting for all those shooters on the floor, and yet there is a real ability of that team to pick you apart in isolation.”