Mike McGraw previews the NBA Eastern Conference finals
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 2 Cleveland
Season series: Cavs 3-1
Rough vs. rust: Cleveland has played so well in the postseason, it swept two opponents to reach the East finals. That also means the Cavs are rested. LeBron James sat out the last two games of the regular season, so he will have played eight games in 37 days heading into Wednesday's opener in Boston. The Bulls are familiar with the Celtics' game plan - foul the heck out of the opponent and act insulted anytime there's a whistle. Washington, perhaps tired of all the hard fouls, stopped attacking the basket in Game 7. Will the strategy work against Cleveland?
King seeks crown: The extra rest hasn't slowed James so far. He's averaging 34.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.1 assists in the postseason. He scored at least 35 points in all four games against Toronto and always shot better than 50 percent from the field. Boston's all-star PG Isaiah Thomas delivered in Game 7 against the Wizards, but his scoring and shooting percentage in the playoffs have dropped slightly from the regular season.
Far and away: Cleveland has shot the lights out from 3-point range, making 43.4 percent as a team in the postseason. Channing Frye (55.2 percent), Kyle Korver (48.5), James (46.8) and J.R. Smith (44.1) are filling it up; Kyrie Irving (28.1 percent) not so much. Boston has attempted more 3-pointers per game in the playoffs than the Cavs (35.1 to 33.1), but Al Horford is the only starter shooting better than 40 percent.
Scoring spree: During the regular season, the Cavs seemed immune to Boston's physical defense, averaging 116.3 points per game. Realistically, the Celtics don't have anyone who can stand up to James. Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart can muck it up with the best, but both are several inches shorter than James. Thomas should do well offensively in this series. If Boston puts Avery Bradley on Irving, the shooting guards should get plenty of clean 3-point looks against the smaller Thomas.
Mike McGraw's prediction: Cavs in 6.
Best-of-seven series schedule
Game 1: Cleveland at Boston, 7:30 p.m. today (TNT)
Game 2: Cleveland at Boston, 7:30 p.m. Friday (TNT)
Game 3: Boston at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Sunday (TNT)
Game 4: Boston at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (TNT)
Game 5*: Cleveland at Boston, 7:30 p.m. May 25 (TNT)
Game 6*: Boston at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. May 27 (TNT)
Game 7*: Cleveland at Boston, 7:30 p.m. May 29 (TNT)