This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
After a sweep of the Celtics at home, the Cavs once again took a beating in the Garden and now face elimination in Game 6. DraftKings will once again offer the Showdown Format for this contest, with six utility spots to use for lineup construction.
LeBron James, it all comes down to you. He was born for moments like these. He will do everything in his power to pull his team back from the precipice. His $19,700 price tag, while exorbitant, is totally justified and I don't see an avenue to a winning lineup without his inclusion. That's certainly been the case in this series, and there's no reason to suspect any deviation. For those who wish to fade James, I'm going to provide a non-James sample lineup at the end of the article. Also, in our below selections, I will highlight a play that might allow you to get one of the higher-riced Celtics along with James.
One of the big reasons Cleveland finds itself in this spot – James' supporting cast simply failed to show up in Game 5. Now that they are back in Cleveland, the team's only true guarantee besides the King is the home crowd, and it's almost a blind dart throw in figuring out who (if anyone) will post a worthy stat line on the roster, save Kevin Love, who has posted a nightly floor of around 30 DKFP in the series.
Once you put James up there, you're left with an average of $6,060 left per player. Despite that extreme handicap, I think it's still entirely doable. Since the Cavs are at home, I expect them to be a favorite to tie this series up and deliver some good performances from the team as a result.
GUARDS
Marcus Smart ($8,400): The problem with adding James is that guys like Horford, Brown and Rozier are out of reach. This leaves Smart as the only viable guard to look at for Boston unless you choose to avoid LeBron. He didn't exactly light up the scoreboard in the two losses on the road, but then again, the Celtics did not look like themselves in one of those games. Smart has been fighting for playing time with Jaylen Brown back in the fold, but he should see enough usage to justify his price.
Kyle Korver ($4,400): Where, oh where to go in Cleveland? Korver has been here before and he knows how to win. His Game 5 performance was a bit of a head-scratcher as he only saw 18 minutes of action and wasn't in foul trouble. Unfortunately for the Cavs, no one absorbed that output. He isn't the most talented backcourt player on the floor but he's easily one of the best in the league from long range. If he gets hot, he'll crush value at this price.
FORWARDS
Marcus Morris ($7,700): Even if we go way below $6K on our remaining picks we won't have enough cash to spend on an elite Celtic, but Morris is definitely within range. If we had a Successful LeBron Defense category we would see a huge night from Morris, but unfortunately that intangible won't come directly into play on a DFS scorecard. Like Smart, he didn't have a great pair of games on the road, but I think he's a better play than a guy like J.R Smith or Jeff Green.
Larry Nance, Jr. ($3,800): As I look back at some of my lineups, I think I'm depending on Nance a bit too much so I did reduce my exposure to him, but he's the Cavs player that has the best chance to outplay his projections. He's hovered around 20 DKFP over the past few games, and has stepped in for Love and Thompson at the four and five more often in this series.
CENTERS
Aron Baynes ($4,900): He gets starter's minutes, and while he isn't a flashy play, you can depend on Baynes to deliver a solid floor in the 20 DKFP range. I would love to take Tristan Thompson over him, but he's simply become too expensive.
Greg Monroe ($1,500): Ok, hear me out. Monroe has slowly emerged from obscurity in the past few games, and I think he's your ideal play if you want to pair James with a Brown or Tatum. At $1,500 you can certainly get a spot for around $12K if you play your cards right. He's a huge risk, but he's necessary for a more balanced roster.
PRO-CELTICS STACK
If you want to exclude James and expect Boston to close it out, here's a sample lineup that leaves out LeBron.
Brown
Tatum
Morris
Baynes
Monroe
Smart
You could also play Rozier or Horford if you take out Brown and/or Tatum and play someone like Korver or another low-priced Cavalier. Not to be ignored is Kevin Love, who could also be a viable sub for Brown or Tatum in this kind of lineup.
