CLEVELAND -- LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers enter the NBA playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference and owners of championship dreams. But before any of that, they have to get out of the first round.
Here are five things they should try to do in their series against the Boston Celtics, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday (3 p.m.) at Quicken Loans Arena:
1. Keep the ball (and bodies) moving
The Cavs are at their best when the ball doesn't bounce. Actually, it's OK to dribble. But there's a difference between standing around and pounding out the shot clock, and dribbling with a purpose.
So go ahead and handle the ball. Just make sure to do it with the endgame in mind. Everything should be contingent on finding the open man and setting up easy shots. With James, Irving, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith (and even Timofey Mozgov and the bench), the Cavs have plenty of guys who can put the ball in the basket against anyone.
Against the Celtics, it's important to remember that and not get caught up in too much one-on-one and trying to do it yourself. That means not just passing, but moving, and making it easier for your teammates to do their job.
2. Defend, rebound, and get out and run
Even at the age of 30, James remains one of the best players in the league at filling the lane, taking a pass on the fly, and throwing it down. Of course, he can also handle the ball and start the break himself. Those are two things that really set him apart from other MVP candidates, such as Golden State's Stephen Curry and Houston's James Harden.
On top of that, James can handle the ball and distribute, and is arguably the best passing forward in the game today.
But guess what? LeBron isn't alone.
The Cavs possess a number of finishers who can fill the lane and find an open teammate on the run -- from Irving to Smith to Iman Shumpert to Mozgov and beyond. And no one throws a better outlet pass than Love.
That type of transition game can result in bushels of easy baskets that can deflate a younger team like the Celtics. In order to pull it off, however, you have to step in passing lanes, create turnovers and coral missed shots.
The Cavs did a lot of that during their 32-7 stretch late in the season, and if it continues, this thing should be over fast.
3. Get the ball down low
Overall, the Cavs are a stronger team than the Celtics underneath, with Mozgov, Love and James capable of backing their man into the post and powering their way to the hoop.
Sometimes, the Cavs forget that and settle for too many jumpers. Their effectiveness in the paint could mean the difference between a quick, easy series and one that drags on longer than it probably should.
On the bright side for the Cavs, it's a facet in which they improved significantly after the trade for Mozgov in mid-January. As an added bonus, Tristan Thompson and even Kendrick Perkins can also help in this area.
4. Watch out for Isaiah Thomas
Thomas is small (5-foot-9) and comes off the Celtics' bench, and in the NBA, that tends to make defenders think he's just an everyday reserve.
Truth is, he can be a one-man band of devastation, bombing 3-pointers or swiftly gliding to the basket and scoring over taller defenders.
Thomas has been particularly lethal against the Cavs -- whether he was with Sacramento, Phoenix or the Celtics has never really mattered. It'll be up to Irving, Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova, and maybe even James, to keep this little man from coming up big.
5. When all else fails, get the ball to LeBron and Kyrie
The Cavs' David Blatt is coaching in a seven-game series for the first time. The same can likely be said about Brad Stevens, the second-year Celtics coach who came out of the college ranks.
So this will make for an interesting chess match, and it would be understandable if it gets sticky for both Blatt and Stevens from time to time.
If it happens to Blatt, he can't be afraid to just use an offense that goes a little something like this: "Get the ball to LeBron and Kyrie, please. Then get out of the way."
Those two are superstars for a reason -- mostly because they are practically unstoppable in a one-on-one setting.
