This is why LeBron James returned to Cleveland: to lead the Cavaliers back into the playoffs and hopefully win a title in his home state. The first step towards achieving that goal is getting past the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers Game 1, NBA playoffs 2015: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to start a new postseason era with a win over the Celtics.
The Celtics were not supposed to be here. They are still rebuilding after tearing down their championship core and have no true stars on their roster. Even though head coach Brad Stevens got a collection of role players and young prospects to buy into his system and play as a team in order to make a postseason appearance, their combined talent level leaves a lot to be desired.
The addition of Isaiah Thomas at the trade deadline gave the Celtics the lift they needed in the scoring department, and the weak bottom of the East allowed them to make the playoffs sooner than everyone expected. While Boston is in the postseason with no real expectations, Cleveland needs to not only win, but show dominance to quiet the remaining critics and build confidence for a deep run.
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James improved his level of play throughout the season and figured out a balance with Kyrie Irving, and midseason additions turned a potentially terrible year around. It will all be for naught, however, if they don't make noise in the playoffs. The only ingredient missing for this budding juggernaut to reach its potential is finding a way to maximize Kevin Love's talents.
On paper, this is the type of easy series that will offer coach David Blatt the chance to do so. Like everything involving James, this series will be scrutinized and dissected. In reality, these two franchises are in completely different stages of their roster building.
The Cavaliers made a win-now trade by sending Andrew Wiggins to the Timberwolves for Love, while the Celtics unloaded their veterans in search of youth and cap flexibility. That difference in overall talent will probably become obvious early on. That's likely OK for Boston, which is looking to give its young players a taste of the postseason.
The Cavaliers are expected to win on Sunday, but how they do it will be as important as the end result.
How to watch Celtics at Cavaliers
Place: Quicken Loans Arena
Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Online: WatchESPN
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