Marcus Morris will be a factor this series.

[goz421]

He kind of stunk the place up against the Sixers. But, a big part of the reason they got him was of his defensive numbers against Lebron. I remember reading that against Lebron he had one of the highest defensive ratings in the league. Also, The odds say his shot will come back and he will shoot better.

Also, I expect to see some Semi against Lebron as well.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

By "factor," I presume you mean that he'll be a positive factor. Because Morris is always a factor, just not necessarily a positive one.

And I certainly do hope he has a positive impact in this series, on both sides of the ball.

[jpotter33]

Yeah, I think if we are to win this series, then Morris will have to be a bigger factor for us on both sides of the ball.

He's definitely due. He's largely been poo for the playoffs thus far, which is surprising given how well he ended the season, so hopefully we see a resurgence from him in this series.

[KGBirdBias]

Morris may have gotten out of his game because he's from Philly and was too hyped.

His defense and scoring will be key this series. Bron will get a heavy dose of Morris and Semi...two guys where their points are a bonus but their physical play is more important.

[trickybilly]

Yeah, it just feels like it will be so Marcusy this whole series. I expect both of them to have at least two big games.

[cons]

yeah they'll need him to score much more i think to have a chance here. fingers crossed.

[Surferdad]

Morris may have gotten out of his game because he's from Philly and was too hyped.

His defense and scoring will be key this series. Bron will get a heavy dose of Morris and Semi...two guys where their points are a bonus but their physical play is more important.

and Smart too.  In some fantasy world, this series is a better match-up for the C's than the Bucks and Sixers.

[aefgogreen]

Morris may have gotten out of his game because he's from Philly and was too hyped.

His defense and scoring will be key this series. Bron will get a heavy dose of Morris and Semi...two guys where their points are a bonus but their physical play is more important.

and Smart too.  In some fantasy world, this series is a better match-up for the C's than the Bucks and Sixers.

I'm all for letting Morris and Smart take turns guarding LeBron.  I think rather than trying to stop or contain him, we let him get his and shut down everyone else.  I like these guys because we depend on them less for scoring so they focus their energy on defense.  Just make him work for his points and keep  him from going crazy on the assists.

[Phantom255x]

Yeah, Morris will have to be big in this series for us to have a chance. Besides guarding Lebron for stretches, we're simply going to need him to hit the shots. Can't afford him having another 1-10 shooting night or a poor series in general.

I think Tatum will be another big factor. Going to need him to be more aggressive again and hopefully put up 20 or more points consistently. It's asking a lot for a 20 year old rookie, but considering the injuries and if we want to have a chance this series, we're going to need him big time.

If we assume Lebron guards Tatum primarily all series long though, then Brown becomes a huge X-factor. I'm not sure CLE has another guy who could successfully defend either Tatum/Brown to be honest, so we have to exploit those mismatches and knock down whatever's available.

Cleveland's defense honestly doesn't scare me outside of Lebron honestly. As long as we're not bricking open looks every time down the court, we got a shot.

[Sophomore]

I think one key to winning is to tire LeBron out. He plays 40+ minutes a game, and he counts on being able to rest during the game in order to be fresh enough to close out at the end. Watch video of him against Toronto and you will see him taking lots of possessions off because he’s hidden on their weakest offensive player. He will walk up the floor When they bring the ball up.

Whoever LBJ is guarding should run him off picks, or if they’re the ball handler, put him in a pick and roll. Do not let him rest. It’s OK if he plays good defense, so long as he’s grabbing his shorts by the middle of the fourth quarter.

[Chris22]

Morris may have gotten out of his game because he's from Philly and was too hyped.

His defense and scoring will be key this series. Bron will get a heavy dose of Morris and Semi...two guys where their points are a bonus but their physical play is more important.

That's a really good point. I hope you are right.

But the Morris we saw at the beginning of the season, is the Morris we saw against Philly.

[timpiker]

I sure as hell hope Morris brings his A game and I'd sure like to see that LeBUM-stopper we heard so much about when we traded for him.

[CelticsElite]

History Suggests Morris Could Challenge LeBron in ECF
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/prac-051118-history-suggests-morris-could-challenge-lebron-ecf?sf189367839=1

During his last 11 regular season and playoff games against a Morris team, James has averaged 21.1 points per game while shooting just 16.3 percent from 3-point range. Even more remarkable is the fact that James did not reach 30 points during any of those matchups, which is a feat he seemingly accomplishes every game nowadays.

Could it simply be a coincidence? The numbers suggest otherwise.

Two seasons ago, Morris was statistically the top defender of James in the entire NBA, according to Bleacher Report’s Tom Haberstroh. The veteran forward allowed just 20.5 points per 100 possessions when defending James that season, which was far below James’ average of 36.5 points per 100 possessions.

Morris’ success against James continued into the 2016 postseason, as he helped the Detroit Pistons limit the All-NBA forward to just 22.8 PPG during the first round – his lowest scoring average in a series since the 2011 NBA Finals.

That all begs the question: What advantage does Morris possess that others do not when it comes to guarding James?

“My size,” he told Celtics.com Friday afternoon following Celtics practice in Waltham, Massachusetts. “I’m 6-9, 240. I think that’s the perfect size to guard a guy like that who’s probably like 6-9, 260. So just having the height, the length and having the power, too, that all helps.”

But there are a number of players who have height, length and power in this league, so there must be something else that allows him to stand apart. Right?

“It’s his mindset,” answered teammate Jaylen Brown. “He’s tough, especially when he knows that he has other guys behind him that have his back. I think he’s going to thrive (in this series).”

Morris has already proven to Brown and the rest of his teammates this season that he can handle the matchup against James. During their last matchup on Feb. 11, Morris guarded James on 30 possessions (more than twice as many as any other Celtic defender) and surrendered just 13 points on 36.4 percent shooting from the field.

Such success, however, doesn’t come naturally. Morris says he does a substantial amount of research on James’ constantly-evolving game before each matchup, and that helps him game plan how to slow James down.

[makaveli]

I really hope that he becomes a factor because so far in the playoffs his value was back of the bench. You can argue that every other player made a bigger contribution than he did. I am not a big fan, but I do think that he can be very useful within a role, and if he plays solid D.

[bopna]

I think one key to winning is to tire LeBron out. He plays 40+ minutes a game, and he counts on being able to rest during the game in order to be fresh enough to close out at the end. Watch video of him against Toronto and you will see him taking lots of possessions off because he’s hidden on their weakest offensive player. He will walk up the floor When they bring the ball up.

Whoever LBJ is guarding should run him off picks, or if they’re the ball handler, put him in a pick and roll. Do not let him rest. It’s OK if he plays good defense, so long as he’s grabbing his shorts by the middle of the fourth quarter.

Lebro  toyed with the Raps because he wasn't spent.. The series with the Pacers went 7 but lebron scraped his butt off to dust the Pacers.. And that is what we have to do.. Keep lebron honest on defense and we do have a chance.. If ever they win this series it will not be like the last 2 where they cakewalked with a 4-0 and 4-1 series victories... This time he will bleed to advance to the Finals.