East Conf. Finals - Game 3: Boston Celtics 86-116 Cleveland Cavaliers - 5 Talking Points

#2 Tristan Thompson should start every game for the Cavs

Tristan Thompson

In both previous playoff series, Ty Lue has made one key adjustment that has directly led to an impact on the fortunes of his team. In the Indiana Pacers' series, it was the high-risk, high-reward strategy of throwing hard double-teams at Victor Oladipo that caused a drastic reduction in his efficiency during the series, while in the Conference Semifinals it was his decision to surround LeBron with at least three 3-point shooters at all times.

In this series, the resurgent Tristan Thompson has so far been a big positive for the Cavaliers. Having him on the floor at the same time as Kevin Love forces the Celtics to go big, bringing the likes of Aron Baynes or Greg Monroe into the mix and affecting their offense.

Brad Stevens has earmarked Marcus Morris as LeBron's primary defender in this series. But with Thompson in the mix, he's forced to guard the 6'9" forward, while the young guns Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown is matched up with LeBron James and his 260-pound frame.

Thompson finished Game 3 with 10 points and 7 rebounds while playing exemplary defense on Baynes, Monroe and Horford.