Brad Stevens Discusses Celtics vs. Cavaliers Series After Game 7 Win vs. Wizards

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens knows his team will be underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, but he's looking forward to facing off with the defending champions.

Following Boston's 115-105 Game 7 victory over the Washington Wizards Monday night, the team will only have a night to recover before welcoming in Cleveland Wednesday. As a result of the quick turnaround, Stevens said he and his staff will look to keep things relatively simple, courtesy of NBA TV:

The Cavaliers went 3-1 against the Celtics during the regular season, and in the last head-to-head meeting, Cleveland cruised to a 114-91 road win April 5.

Most concerning for Boston is the fact LeBron James averaged 29.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 9.8 assists in those four games. James has taken his game to a different level in the postseason as well. He put up 34.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.1 assists in the Cavs' eight victories so far.

A number of fans expect the Eastern Conference Finals to essentially be a coronation ceremony for the Cavaliers before they face off with the Golden State Warriors for the third year in a row in the NBA Finals.

The fact the Celtics are in the conference finals is an impressive achievement on its own—the culmination of a years-long rebuilding process. Should Boston fall short against Cleveland, though, it may the biggest sign president of basketball operations Danny Ainge needs to cash in the team's NBA draft assets for a ready-made star who can get the franchise past LeBron and the Cavs.