Is The King great enough to beat good teams by himself?

After his Cleveland Cavaliers lost by 25 points to Boston in the first game of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, LeBron James said he had “zero level of concern” about the series.

The Celtics defense, one of the best in pro basketball all season, kept putting big, strong, fresh guys on the King, who was held to 15 points and seven rebounds and sat out the end of the fourth quarter with a stoic look on his face.

Two things, here. LeBron himself noted that he has been down in playoff series, 0 and 2 and 1 and 3, and won them. Also, the Celtics may have a long, storied history, but have blown teams out in the playoffs only to lose in six and seven games.

In 1982, the Larry Bird Celts crushed Philadelphia in the first game, called the Mother’s Day Massacre (and what was Sunday?) and lost game seven. In 1985, still with Bird, they routed the Lakers and 38-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 148-114, in the Memorial Day Massacre. In game six, LA returned to Boston and clinched the NBA Finals.

LeBron knows what he’s talking about from this season alone. Having lost Kyrie Irving, this was supposed to be the worst team James has played on since his first turn in Cleveland. The Cavs finished fourth in the NBA East and lost their first game at home to the Pacers by 18 points in round one. They lost game six at Indy by 34 points. But you know who won that series, because the King is still playing after sweeping No. 1 seed Toronto.

So is one game just one game, and on to the next one? Maybe, but this Celtics team is on a mission after starting the season with high profile players Irving, who they traded for, and free agent Gordon Hayward. Hayward went down in the opening game in October and Kyrie was lost last month.

It is a team of underrated players and big, bruising bodies. Dukie Jayson Tatum has become a star in his rookie season and guys named Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart may not be known to the casual basketball fan, but they can defend and score.   Coach Brad Stevens, in his fifth NBA season after leaving Butler, teaches great defense and won’t left his team take any-thing for granted. The Cavs aren’t as good without Irving, and the Celtics are better than the team that lost to Cleveland last year in the playoffs.

Make a difference? The King will let us know.

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