CLEVELAND—So let’s get this straight. Toronto’s game plan, in their third annual clash with King James and the Cavaliers, went something like this.
Play LeBron James single coverage as much as possible. Double team him only in rare circumstances. And the result of this bit of tactical genius would limit the damage done from James’s supporting cast, which came into the series looking faded and inadequate. Make James beat you single-handedly: A similar philosophy almost worked for the Indiana Pacers in the first round, when the Pacers pushed Cleveland to seven games by ensuring just one Cavalier not named LeBron finished with a series scoring average in double figures.