Ahead of what, on paper, looks like a mismatch in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics are not about to back down after clawing through their entire season to get to this point.
The Celtics are a tough-minded team this year and are by no means an easy out even with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward sidelined. However, toughness doesn’t mean much when guarding one LeBron James, a daunting task the Celtics now must try to overcome. One of the bodies they are expected to throw at James is that of combo forward Marcus Morris, who had some interesting things to say about himself and LeBron.
When asked about his looming matchup with James, Morris said he is the best option in the league to guard the 14-time All-Star besides Kawhi Leonard. Following from The Athletic’s Jay King.
Marcus Morris not shying away from matchup with LeBron: “Personally, I think probably the best guy defending him in the league, outside of Kawhi.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 12, 2018
Obviously some strong words out of Marcus Morris, there truly isn’t much evidence to back up his claim though he did pester LeBron some during their playoff series two years ago when he was still a member of the Detroit Pistons.
Though Morris may match up best with LeBron James physically out of anyone on this young Celtics team, he is far from an elite defender and still knows James has to see multiple looks for Boston to survive.
Because you guys are freaking out about this quote, here’s another one from Marcus Morris today: “One person can’t defend LeBron, that’s obvious.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 12, 2018
The Celtics as a whole have been stout defensively this season but LeBron James is a whole different animal, especially in the postseason. Along with Morris, James will likely see plenty of young wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown while also being guarded by tough off-guard Marcus Smart on occasion.
There really is no solution to guarding James, as Tatum won’t be able to keep up strength wise while Marcus Smart is a whole five inches shorter. Brown, Morris and maybe even Al Horford give them the best bet to slow James down but even that won’t mean much.
It may have been beneficial had Morris kept this belief to himself as internal motivation instead of providing James the opportunity to get even more amped ahead of the series. Game one of the Eastern Conference Finals is set to commence Sunday at 3:30 PM in Boston.
