LeBron, rebuilt Cavs begin fresh title quest

CLEVELAND – Five years ago, LeBron James left the floor after Game 5 against Boston in disgrace. There were boos from the home fans, even some whispers he'd quit on the Cavaliers.

On Sunday, in his first playoff game for Cleveland since 2010, James will take his first step toward an NBA championship — toward the one that could top them all.

James and the Cavaliers open the playoffs against the Celtics, a team he knows well and the one that abruptly ended his first stay in Cleveland. Shortly before his exit to Miami in the summer of 2010, the Cavs lost in six games by the Celtics, and that series loss, perhaps as much as any other, scarred James.

"It stuck with me a lot," he said after Friday's practice.

This opening-round matchup appears to be a mismatch for James and the Cavs, who righted themselves after a 19-20 start. In James, Kyrie Irving and former Timberwolf Kevin Love, Cleveland has an updated version of the "Big 3," while Boston traded star guard Rajon Rondo and finished two games under .500.

James knows well that there are no guarantees.

"Everyone's 0-0 when you get to this point, so our whole game plan right now is giving ourselves a chance to win the game," said James, who has never lost a first-round series.

Since James and Love came to town, Cleveland has been tagged as the team to beat. Love, a playoff rookie who was traded to Cleveland after six seasons in Minnesota, has shown he is willing to sacrifice personal stats for team goals.

"You can shoot 0-for-35. As long as you win, that's all that matters," Love said.

Irving also will make his playoff debut, a game he has dreamed of since childhood.

"This probably will be the biggest game I've played in," said Irving, who in his fourth season has developed into one of the game's top point guards.

Coach David Blatt has spent the season trying to manage the hype.

"We haven't done anything as a team yet at this stage."

Boston's trade with Phoenix for 5-9 guard Isaiah Thomas on Feb. 19 changed the season. The Celtics were 20-31 before the deal, 20-11 afterward. Thomas sat out 10 of those games, but Boston was 14-7 when he played, and he led them with 19 points per game.

Cleveland and Boston split the season series, with the Celtics winning twice last week — games in which Blatt rested starters to be fresh for the postseason. The only time both teams were at close to full strength was March 3, when the Cavs demolished the Celtics 110-79.

Boston guard Evan Turner knows for the Celtics to have any chance, James must be slowed.