LeBron James: What Celtics Must Do in Game 7 to Contain Heat Superstar

LeBron James eviscerated the Boston Celtics on Thursday night to the tune of 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. This stellar performance came during a critical Game 6 with the Miami Heat’s back against the wall. 

The contest, which was never even close, ended 98-79.

If Boston wants to advance to the third (and possibly last) NBA Finals in the latest “Big Three” era, they will need to figure out a way to stop King James from once again wreaking havoc on his home court in Game 7.

It’s certainly not going to be easy and it may not even be possible, but here is what the C’s must do to limit LBJ on Saturday night.

Find a Way to Keep Paul Pierce Fresh

Pierce has been nursing a sprained MCL all postseason long, but he’s not using it as an excuse. He’s put forth an admirable effort in the series, keeping LeBron in check, but he just wasn’t able to get the job done last night.

Doc Rivers is going to have to massage his star swingman’s minutes in a way that will allow him to get necessary rest on the bench, but come in to check the King when they most direly need it.

They cannot have The Truth exhausting all his energy early and letting James impose his will on the deciding game.

Tight Transition Defense

Miami may play their best offense when they push the fast break and have Dwyane Wade and LeBron sprinting down the court for easy buckets. It’s tough for an older group like the C’s to get back and set, especially after a long rebound or blocked shot.

It’s also imperative that the team takes care of the ball on the offensive end to limit the number of possessions that the Heat will get and also cut down on their number of fast-break opportunities.

As tough as it may be, Boston has no choice but to figure out a plan to hustle back on D and get their man marked or zone in place if they want to pull out an improbable victory.

Do Not Let James Breathe

We mean this figuratively more than literally, although the latter actually might be needed to slow the King if he is locked in like he was for Game 6.

Many of James points came on tough mid-range jumpers, and the Celtic defenders need to do a better job of getting right up in his face and contesting.

Mickael Pietrus excels at doing this and rarely bites on the shot fake, despite how close in proximity he gets up on the potential shooter. The rest of the roster needs to take a lesson from the Frenchman and learn to contest James’ jumper.