Tom Thibodeau did something no New York Knicks head coach hadn’t been able to do in 25 years. Make the Knicks relevant again.

In his fifth season, Thibodeau led New York to a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the playoff run ended in disappointment, as the Knicks fell to Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals.

Just as Thibs seemed poised to lead the Knicks back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, the rug was pulled from under him. In a major shift, the Knicks fired the defensive-minded Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown, a coach known for favoring a faster tempo. Brown, a disciple of Steve Kerr’s pace-and-space methodology that powered the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships in eight years, brings a new approach.

Brown takes over a Knicks squad led by reigning Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson.

Brunson, who averaged 26.0 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, is the unquestioned leader of the Knicks and arguably the franchise’s best star player since Patrick Ewing. Brunson, along with Knicks teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, played college ball at Villanova.

In Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks have one of the best guard-center combos in the league, and Brown will lean on both to help him establish a more diversified offensive attack.

Towns fit in seamlessly with the Knicks and earned a fifth All-Star selection. OG Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart formed a sturdy perimeter wall, locking down opposing wings and bringing toughness on both ends of the floor. The Knicks, with their core under contract for the next few years, are well-positioned to contend for a championship. The last time the Knicks won an NBA title, “The French Connection” won Best Picture at the Oscars. That was 54 years ago.

OneManFastBreak projects the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.

1-New York Knicks — Devastating Achilles’ injuries to Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton open the door for the Knicks to climb into the top spot and become beast of the East. The addition of free agents Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele should bolster the Knicks bench.

2-Cleveland Cavaliers — The Cavs won 64 regular-season games a season ago but got bounced early in the postseason. The pressure is on All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to help the Cavs rebound from last season’s disappointing finish.

3-Detroit Pistons — Cade Cunningham took his game to a new level under J.B. Bickerstaff. Motor Cade got a taste of the postseason last season, and another year under his belt will only increase his stock. Jaden Ivey returns to the lineup after missing 52 games due to a knee injury.

4-Milwaukee Bucks — Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming off a superb summer, leading his Greek national team to a bronze medal at EuroBasket. As long as the Greek Freak is healthy and happy, the Bucks will always be a threat.

5-Orlando Magic — The addition of shooting guard Desmond Bane should make life a little easier for Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. Wagner is coming off a sensational summer after helping Germany win a gold medal at EuroBasket.

6-Atlanta Hawks — The Hawks opted not to offer point guard Trae Young a max extension. Trae will be highly motivated to show the Hawks that he’s worth the $229 million investment.

7-Miami Heat — Heat Culture took a hit last season, winning only 37 games and finishing 12th in the conference. Erik Spoelstra won’t let it happen again, and he’ll have a new spark plug in Norman Powell to fire up the offense.

8-Boston Celtics — Tatum’s Achilles’ tear drastically alters the Celtics’ plans for this season, but it doesn’t mean they are going to tank. Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is still on the roster, and expect expanded roles for Payton Pritchard and Derrick White.

Play-In teams: Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers

LeBron James agreed to a four-year, $154 million deal with the Lakers. (Getty Images)

There were no ESPN specials or introspective Sports Illustrated essays. It was just one simple tweet from his management group.

Klutch Sports Group sent out a tweet at 5:08 pm PT on July 1 that read: LeBron James, four-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, 14-time NBA All-Star, and two-time Olympic gold medalist has agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James leaves Cleveland for the second time in his basketball career and heads to Los Angeles to join one of the NBA’s iconic franchises. He will be playing for one of the greatest players in NBA history in Magic Johnson and he’ll be playing under the shadows of 16 championship banners and the retired jerseys of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Magic.

Unlike his two previous forays into NBA free agency, the 33-year-old global superstar did not drag out his decision and made the announcement less than 24 hours after free agency opened. LeBron said he regretted the way he left Cleveland the first time, and it seemed like he learned his lesson. No more big celebrations. No proclamations of “taking my talents” elsewhere. No videos of “not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six” championship predictions. The Decision 3.0 was more mature and, quite frankly, tastefully done.

Shortly after announcing to the world that he is signing with the Lakers, LeBron posted a heartfelt note on Instagram to let Cleveland fans, especially the residents of Northeast Ohio, know how much they meant to him. It read: “Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible 4 seasons. This will always be home.”

The message was accompanied by a photo of LeBron riding in a car surrounded by hundreds of fans celebrating the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA title.

LeBron left a thank you message for Cavs fans on his IG story.

: kingjames | Instagram pic.twitter.com/qPQL7lBReN

— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) July 2, 2018

Cleveland sports fans shouldn’t be upset. They had a great run with LeBron. There should be no burning No. 23 jerseys or hate-filled posts on social media. The “kid” from Akron brought a championship to the city and lifted a 52-year curse. The Cavaliers were extremely relevant in his 11 years wearing Cavs colors. He promised a title to The Land and he delivered on that promise when the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. If anyone has earned the right to choose his own path, it’s LeBron James.

This Cleveland fan gets it.

Its that time. @Reflog_18 @BleacherReport @SN_Ohio pic.twitter.com/zAcFj6RpZ9

— Alec (@asapolin) July 2, 2018

“You’re talking about a man who ended a 52-year [title] drought, and is sending literally thousands of kids in Akron to college,” said former Cavaliers GM David Griffin, who was partly responding for helping end the 52-year Cleveland curse. Griff, as LeBron affectionately called him, wasn’t completely shocked by LeBron’s decision to sign with the Lakers. Griffin said on NBA TV that it made more sense for LeBron to move to L.A. because of several factors. He has two homes there, one of which is being renovated, and his burgeoning business empire is in Tinseltown. His wife, Savannah, loves it in L.A. as well as his kids. James’ heart may belong to Northeast Ohio, but his mind and his future was in L.A.

“I was one of those people who thought it was inevitable that eventually he was going to leave Cleveland again and the reason was when he came, and the [SI] essay was written by Lee Jenkins, the one thing he talked about was being patient,” Griffin said. “He knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight. And it made it sound like [Cleveland] was where he was going to ride off in the sunset. But he continued to execute one-year deal after one-year deal. What ended up happening is now that ends up signing a longer term deal gives Los Angeles the ability to know what nucleus they are building and it gives him and his family the ability to know this is where we will finish the career. And in all likelihood, this is where he will build his film industry empire as well. They know what the future looks like now.

“When he came to [Cleveland], you always felt like there was another shoe to drop. You just didn’t quite know what it was. So you had to do everything that you possibly could to win that year’s championship. It made the process much more stunted and less organic. But that’s the way [LeBron] wanted it for a reason.”

LeBron wasn’t the only one who handled this free agency news a whole lot better. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert released this statement:

LeBron James and Steph Curry meet for the fourth time in the NBA Finals. (Getty Images)

LeBron James refers to the Golden State Warriors as the “monster” from the West. The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar got a closer look at the Dubs during the 2017 NBA Finals and the result was downright scary. Steph Curry and Co. won the series in five games, and only a record-setting game by the Cavs saved the series from being a sweep.

James gets a fourth shot at the two-time world champion Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals. The task seems daunting to say the least and almost impossible based the numbers Las Vegas oddmakers are putting up. The Cavs enter The Finals as massive underdogs, but there may be a sliver of hope. There are a few things LeBron and head coach Tyronn Lue could draw up that could keep this series from becoming a complete wipeout. Here are five ways the Cavs can tame the Monsters from the Bay.

Junk up the game
The Miami Heat won the NBA title in 2006 not because they were better than the Dallas Mavericks, but they were much more physical. And the officials allowed. It’s human nature to root for the underdog, and the same applies to basketball officials. Referees tend to give more rope to lesser teams, and in this case a much lesser team in the Cavs. The Cavaliers won’t beat the Warriors in a track meet. They have to keep the score in the 90s and control the tempo. They can’t let Steph, Klay Thompson and others run around the court unimpeded. Knock ’em down if they have to. Do everything it takes to muck up the flow of the game and make each quarter and each game into a street fight.

Let Curry, Durant go one-on-one
The Warriors are at their best when they are moving without the ball. Head coach Steve Kerr always preaches ball and player movement. The Cavs could counter the Dubs’ free-flowing offense by inviting Curry and Kevin Durant to put the ball on the deck and play one-on-one. Run them off the 3-point line whenever you can. The Houston Rockets successfully employed this during the Western Conference finals. They were able to draw Durant into a lot of iso-ball by switching everything, even if they were forced into a matchup they didn’t necessarily like. It might harder to make Curry play one-on-one, but the Cavs could dangle a carrot by putting a lesser defender on Curry (i.e. Kevin Love or Kyle Korver) and let Steph go to work. The danger in this approach is that KD or Steph could get insanely hot and score 50 points. But you don’t have many options at this point, so you roll the dice that these two MVPs will eventually wear down playing one-on-one.

Always keep an eye on Klay
It’s about time to give Klay Thompson the recognition he properly deserves. He is one of the 10 best players in the world, and arguably the second-greatest shooter of our generation. The man scored 60 points on 11 dribbles. Klay is a pure shooter. The Warriors don’t survive Oklahoma City series in 2016 without Klay and they don’t survive the 2018 conference finals against the Rockets without Klay. Curry and Durant get most of the notoriety but Klay Thompson is the most consistent shooter on the Dubs. Thompson prefers to catch-and-shoot, so it is imperative that the Cavs stay attached to Klay wherever he goes. J.R. Smith should get the bulk of the assignment on Klay, and Lue might even throw in Jordan Clarkson in the mix.

Play LeBron off the ball
The Warriors own one of the best if not the best defense in the NBA. Draymond Green and Durant usually clean up the back end of the Warriors’ defense, so what the Cavs can do is put LeBron on the low block or high post, where he can see where the double teams are coming. Cavs can also use LeBron as the screener off the pick-and-rolls. Anticipating that Durant will get the assignment on LeBron if Andre Iguodala can’t go, the Cavs should put KD in as many pick-and-rolls as possible to wear him down. The Rockets had the right idea in the conference finals, but they focused too much on trying to get Curry in pick-and-rolls. They should have focused on Durant because this will keep Durant from guarding the rim, something he prefers to do in the Warriors’ defensive scheme. By having LeBron as the roller on the 1-3 pick-and-roll with either George Hill or Jordan Clarkson, he can finish at the rim and it won’t allow the Warriors to load up.

Use LeBron as a free safety
LeBron will be playing heavy minutes, so he has to conserve his energy on defense. The Warriors will try to locate LeBron on defense as much as possible. During the 2017 Finals, LeBron got matched up with Durant way too much and it sapped his power source. One way to “hide” LeBron is by having him guard the point guard. The Warriors use Draymond at the point a lot, so the Cavs could put LeBron on Draymond. By having LeBron on the point, he doesn’t have to worry about chasing bodies and he can see all the switches in front of him. And if Draymond decides to be aggressive on offense, let him. Force him into a scorer. Another way to keep LeBron’s legs fresh on defense is by having him on Kevon Looney or Jordan Bell. Both are not a threat to score and the Warriors would rather have them steer clear of the ball as much as possible.

Even if the Cavs play the perfect game, there is still no guarantee they’ll keep it interesting for East Coast viewers. Some of the games might be over by halftime. LeBron said he will squeeze every once of juice left in these Cavs. Whatever gas is left in LeBron’s tank, he will surely empty it in this series. If LeBron James is able to somehow pull off the impossible and beat the Dubs, he should drop the mic and retire on the spot.

LeBron James looks rejuvenated after the Cavaliers’ trade deadline moves. (AP)

LeBron James couldn’t stop smiling when the new-look Cavaliers put on a show in Boston. It almost looked like a 225-pound had been lifted from LeBron’s massive shoulders. The King was having fun again, and that’s bad news for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

It’s only a very small sample size but the Cavaliers’ 121-99 demolition of Kyrie Irving and the Celtics on Paul Pierce Night sent shockwaves around the NBA. The Cleveland team that looked old and broken down for two months has picked up some brand new parts, and they all seem to fit in nicely.

George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., and Rodney Hood made their Cavs debut Sunday in a nationally televised game and they didn’t disappoint, making the Cavs instantly better on offense and more stout on defense.

The four players Cleveland acquired in multiple deals during the trade deadline combined for 49 points and eight 3-pointers against the No. 1 defense in the NBA. It looked like the Cavs team that won the NBA title in 2016 when they were a 3-point happy bunch and teams couldn’t get a clue where the attack was coming. Defensively, they were flying to the ball and were locked in on shooters.

If the Cavs look this good now wait until they get a few practices under their belt.

Clarkson, the former Lakers guard, scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field in 23 minutes off the bench. His teammate in L.A., Nance Jr., scored five points and grabbed four rebounds, but made his biggest impact on defense. He covered up for guards who were beaten on the perimeter and used his length and athleticism to protect the rim. His father, former Cavs great Larry Nance Sr., would have been proud of the effort. Hood, who was acquired from the Jazz, also came off the bench and ripped the nets for 15 points and was 3-for-6 from 3-point range in 18 minutes.

Hill, the veteran of the group, started the game and scored 12 points in 21 minutes. Hill came from Sacramento, where his main role was to tutor rookie guard DeAaron Fox. Now that he’s a Cavalier, the playoff-tested guard will be looked upon as one of the leaders on and off the floor.

“We haven’t gelled yet, but if it looks like that, we have chance to be something special,” said Hill, who could be the linchpin of a revamped Cavaliers’ defense which had been torched on pick-and-rolls throughout the first half of the season. Hill is a smart defender who can switch against 1s, 2s, 3s, and some 4s. This is a complete turnaround from how the Cavs were forced to play defense with the vertically challenged Isaiah Thomas and the injury riddled Derrick Rose. Hill is already a huge upgrade at the point for LeBron’s crew.

“The IQ and the passion that they play with is gonna help us out a lot,” LeBron said of his new teammates. “You look at Larry [Nance], you look at Jordan [Clarkson] they haven’t been in a playoff game and they’re kinda hungry. You look at George Hill, who has been in Sacramento, he’s ready to get back in the playoffs. And we get Rodney Hood who was in the playoffs last year with Utah. We got some hungry guys and then we got our guys that’s been here. It’s gonna be very challenging, but we accept it and we’re looking forward to it. It’s gonna be special.”

The Celtics shot just 40.4 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc. Hill was often matched up against Kyrie and held his own, holding the Celtics’ dynamic point guard to 18 points and was just 1-for-7 from 3-point range. Nance gives the Cavs an athletic forward who an occasionally play center if needed. Hood is a pure shooter who can heat up like a microwave. And Clarkson provides firepower off the bench and a big guard who can create matchup problems for smaller guards.

With all these new toys at his disposal, LeBron looks almost giddy.

General manager Koby Altman told Cleveland.com that he may have missed the mark on how he constructed the team prior to the start of the season. The parts he added didn’t fit, so when given an opportunity for a reset he pressed all the right buttons.

“I needed to put a lot more live bodies out there and be way more active and quicker to the ball and still scoring and hopefully we return to some of that fun,” Altman said. “I think we’re going to get a rejuvenated LeBron James and that’s the key.”

Celtics acquired Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward during the offseason. (AP)

If you need to know why Kyrie Irving left Cleveland for Boston, just listen to LeBron James’ press conference on media day. James, the man many consider as the best player on the planet, runs the show in Cleveland. He’s the king of Ohio. He’s got the ball in his hands on the court, he’s got coach Tyronn Lue’s ear, and he has major input on all basketball-related roster moves. On paper, Koby Altman has the title of general manager. But every final decision needs King James’ stamp of approval.

Kyrie knows Cleveland will never be his town. Kyrie knows the Cavaliers will never be his team. As long as LeBron is running the Cavs’ household, Kyrie will always be the “kid” seeking parental approval. And that’s how LeBron see’s Kyrie. Even though they only have a seven-year age gap, LeBron treats Kyrie as “the kid.”

“I tried to do whatever I could do to help the kid out and be the best player he could be. Tried to help him be a better leader, be a better scorer, a better floor general, a better defender, a better passer, getting guys involved, a better leader vocally,” James said. “I tried to give him everything and give him as much of the DNA as I could.”

LeBron sounded like a parent teaching his son on how to grow up to be a man. Well, that “kid” is all grown up now and ready to fly on his own.

“The only thing I’m upset about is that he took a lot of the DNA and the blueprints up to Boston, that’s the only thing I’m upset about really,” James said. “Other than that I wish the kid great health. The kid wanted to do what was best for his career and I give credit to our GM, Koby (Altman), and our ownership for granting that for him. Other than that, I don’t have much more to say. It was so many different emotions. I tried to do whatever I could to help the kid be as great as he could be. That’s it.”

LeBron remains in Cleveland. Kyrie is now in Boston. Battle lines have been drawn for two basketball alpha males. The Celtics and Cavaliers are on a collision course in the postseason and NBA fans can’t wait to see it.

OneManFastBreak.net projects which eight teams will make the Eastern Conference playoffs:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1-BOSTON CELTICS: The Celtics were ahead of schedule when they finished with the best record in the East (53-29) last season. Isaiah Thomas and Co. reached the conference finals, but got dispatched by LeBron and the Cavs. Cleveland exposed Boston’s weaknesses during the series and that playoff loss got the ball moving on a blockbuster deal that could shift the balance of power in the East. Team executive Danny Ainge charged up his cellphone and got to work. His first major move was signing free agent Gordon Hayward. Hayward, who played for coach Brad Stevens at Butler University, is a 20-plus scorer who is just entering his prime. Then Ainge made shockwaves across the basketball landscape by trading Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a couple of draft picks to Cleveland for superstar point guard Kyrie Irving. Essentially, it was Thomas for Irving. Armed with two bonafide All-Stars in Irving and Hayward, two superb role players in Al Horford and Marcus Smart, and two young studs in Jaylen Brown (20) and Jayson Tatum (19), the Celtics could threaten the Cavs as the top dog in the East. Prediction: 55-27

2-CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: For someone who just lost his All-Star running mate and months removed from a stinging NBA Finals loss to the Warriors, LeBron James seems to be in a good mood these days. He was seen working out at UCLA with his new BFF Kevin Love and has been reunited with his old BFF, Dwyane Wade. Must be good to be The King. The Cavs completely retooled their roster during the summer. Aside from the megadeal with Boston, they also added veteran guard Derrick Rose. Even though D-Rose and D-Wade are past their prime, they’re still capable scorers who can carry the offense when LeBron sits. Jae Crowder is a solid two-way player who can play either forward position. The big question mark is the health of Isaiah Thomas. The former Celtics guard is scheduled to return in January. If he is anything close to the Isaiah Thomas in Boston, then the Cavs could roll out a lineup of five All-Stars that could destroy the East.  If not, then the Cavs drop a peg and chase Boston for the best record in the conference. Let’s assume Thomas will be back close to form. Prediction: 54-28

3-WASHINGTON WIZARDS: John Wall gave Wizards fans a taste of playoff drama when he sank a walk-off 3-pointer against the Celtics. Now Wizards fans expect a little more out of their superstar point guard and backcourt partner Bradley Beal. Wall and Beal have flourished in Scott Brooks’ Princeton-style offense. Washington’s dynamic duo both averaged 23.1 points per game, but Wall greatly improved his player efficiency rating (23.2) and became a much better playmaker as he got more comfortable in Brooks’ system. The Wizards ranked fifth in scoring (109.2) in 2016-17, but if they’re going to challenge Boston and Cleveland they need to improve on their 21st ranking on defense (107.4). Prediction: 52-30

4-TORONTO RAPTORS: If it weren’t for the Cavs, we may be talking about the Raptors in a different light. The Cavs are the Raptors’ No. 1 nemesis, losing twice to LeBron and Co. in the postseason. Toronto lost 4-2 to Cleveland in the 2016 playoffs and got swept 4-0 in the 2017 playoffs. This season the Raptors will get a Cavs reprieve. But the end result should be the same. This time they’ll get bounced in the second round by the Celtics. Prediction: 49-33

5-MILWAUKEE BUCKS: The Bucks will go as far as MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo takes them. Giannis, 22, made great strides last season as face of the franchise. The Greek Freak carried Milwaukee to the playoffs, raising his scoring average to 22.9 and posting career highs in rebounds (8.8), assists (5.4), steals (1.6), and blocks (1.9). Scary part is Giannis still has room to grow. If coach Jason Kidd can find a consistent second scorer to help Giannis, the Bucks could challenge the Raptors and Heat for the fourth spot in the conference. Shooting guard Khris Middleton is healthy again and forward Jabari Parker is targeting February for his return from ACL surgery. When all the pieces are there, the Bucks will be a tough out in the playoffs. Prediction: 48-34

6-MIAMI HEAT: Head coach Erik Spoelstra showed why he’s one of the best coaches in the NBA when he nearly got the Heat into the 2017 playoffs despite starting 11-30. Miami made a complete turnaround, finishing 30-11 and coming within a whisker of making the eighth seed. That late-season surge should carry over into 2017-18 as the Heat should finish in the top five. After getting spurned by the top free agents, Heat executive Pat Riley decided to keep it in-house and stay within the Heat family. Riley re-signed Dion Waiters and James Johnson to long-term deals, allowing the Heat to keep the core group that came together in the second half. Riley described Waiters as “a player that has no fear in taking the last shot.” If Waiters can fill the role of closer and learn how to consistently play off Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside, the Heat has the potential to challenge the Raptors for the fourth spot in the conference. Prediction: 45-37

7-DETROIT PISTONS: After greatly underachieving the past two years, it’s time for the Pistons to finally grow up. It starts with 24-year-old Andre Drummond. This is Drummond’s fifth year in the league and if he’s truly one of the game’s best centers then he needs to carry the franchise on his back and lead it to the playoffs. Avery Bradley is a much-needed addition to the starting lineup. Bradley, considered by many experts as the best on-ball defender in the league, brings toughness, leadership and playoff experience to the Pistons. Bradley can lock down the opposition’s best guard, allowing coach Stan Van Gundy to hide Reggie Jackson on defense. Prediction: 38-44

8-CHARLOTTE HORNETS: The Hornets got some bad news during the preseason when swingman Nic Batum tore ligaments in his left elbow and is expected to miss six weeks. This puts a lot of pressure on point guard Kemba Walker, who is coming off a season in which he knocked down 240 threes and posted a career-best 23.9 points per game. The acquisition of center Dwight Howard should help improve an average defense. Prediction: 36-46

Last three out: Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks

Kyrie Irving could be the missing piece to the Celtics’ championship puzzle. (AP)

Whenever you have blockbuster trades in the NBA, the best way to evaluate who won and who lost is by asking this question: which team got the best player?

When the Philadelphia 76ers traded Wilt Chamberlain to the L.A. Lakers in 1968 for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff, who got the best player in the deal? Without a doubt, the Lakers. They got Wilt.

When the Lakers traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat in 2004 for Caron, Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a first-round pick (which turned into Jordan Farmar), who got the best player in the deal? Easy. It was the Heat because they got Shaq.

When the Cavaliers sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in August in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, Boston’s unprotected 2018 first-round pick, and (just to ease the minds of the Cavs about Thomas’ balky hip) a 2020 second-round draft pick, the Celtics got the better end of this blockbuster swap.

Boston could have kept sending more picks to the Cavaliers and it still wouldn’t tilt the trade. The Celtics were the clear winners because they got the best player in the deal in Kyrie. As much as we love Thomas’ scoring ability and fourth-quarter heroics and Crowder brings grit and toughness, the Cavaliers were still losing arguably the best one-on-one player in basketball who is just entering the prime years of his basketball career.

Kyrie, 25, is a true superstar. He is what Stephen A. Smith would call “box office.” He can bring people to the arena and pull in big TV ratings. And he’s got the game kids would love to emulate. He’s the best closer in the game. Period.

Thomas is fantastic player, without a doubt. But he greatly benefitted from Brad Stevens’ guard-friendly offense. Thomas was a 20-point scorer before he got to Boston. When he hooked up with Stevens, he became a 29-point scorer and an All-Star. The 28-year-old guard is also a liability on defense because of his 5-9 size (and that’s a generous listing).

The fear is that Thomas has already hit his peak as a player, while Irving’s arrow is still pointing upwards. And the hip injury is a major concern if you’re the Cavs. But even if Thomas is given a clean bill of health, he still can’t measure up to Kyrie. The Celtics know it. The Cavs know it. If Irving and Thomas were on par with each other, the Cavs would have been OK with a straight one-for-one swap. The fact that Boston had to add a role player and picks to sweeten the deal says it all.

Kyrie is already a proven 25-point scorer. With some tutelage from the brilliant mind of Stevens, Kyrie could turn into the most unstoppable scoring machine. Irving will now lead a Boston bunch that includes top free-agent acquisition Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and a pair of young guns in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The road through the Eastern Conference playoffs still goes through Cleveland, but the Celtics have closed the gap and could make things very interesting in the conference finals.

Golden State Warriors fans love Steph Curry. (GETTY IMAGES)

We have a full plate of goodies from the NBA on Christmas Day, but let’s be real. The only game that really matters is the afternoon delight in Cleveland between the Warriors and the Cavaliers.

It’s a rematch of the 2015 and 2016 NBA Finals. It’s the first meeting between two basketball titans expected to roll through their respective conferences and meet again in June for a third consecutive Finals date.

LeBron James and the Cavs may be the defending champions when the teams tip it off at high noon but it’s the Warriors who are the top dog. They come into Christmas Day with the league’s best record and armed with four of the top 15 players in the world.

When Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City joined Steph Curry and Co. in the summer, the balance of power shifted back to the Bay Area. It was a stunning move that sent shockwaves around the world. It was like Justin Bieber joining forces with One Direction. Or Cristiano Ronaldo teaming up with Lionel Messi.

The Warriors are must-see TV. They’re the Lannisters. They’re the envy of everyone. Women want to meet them. Men want to be them.

And so far, they have lived up to the hype.

The Warriors are not just winning game, they are destroying the competition. They are averaging a league-best 118 points per game. That’s five points better than second-best Houston (113) and six points better than third-best Toronto (112).

The Warriors are also the most efficient team in the league, as they’re the only team shooting over 49 percent from the field. They’re also sharing the ball at a record rate, posting an average of 31.5 assists. That’s almost seven more assists than the next-best team. The Dubs have three players averaging more than 22 points per game. Kevin Durant owns a team-best 26 points per game, followed by Steph Curry (25) and Klay Thompson (22). Thompson posted the highest-scoring game this season when he lit up the Indiana Pacers for 60 points in 29 minutes. Now that’s efficiency at it’s finest.

Some basketball pundits thought it would take at least half the season for Durant to acclimate himself to the Golden State culture. Through the quarter mark of the season, it’s safe to say KD has fully embraced the Warrior Way.

If there’s a crack in the Golden State armor it’s at the center position. Zaza Pachulia hasn’t made people forget Andrew Bogut, forcing coach Steve Kerr to call on JaVale McGree and Kevon Looney. But because the Warriors are so devastating offensively their “weakness” hasn’t been exploited.

LeBron and Kyrie Irving will try to test the Warriors’ defense the same way they attacked them in last year’s Finals. LeBron and Kyrie will take turns playing the point while Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye will camp out at the 3-point line. Tristan Thompson will be the one guy down in the low block when he’s not setting screens. The Warriors prefer to stay home on the Cavs shooters, so LeBron and Kyrie should be able to operate one-on-one. Klay will get the assignment on Kyrie, while Andre Iguodala will be matched up against LeBron when the Warriors go to their Death Lineup. Durant should also get some time against LeBron, but it’s not a matchup the Warriors forward has won in the past. Durant is 4-17 for his career in head-to-head matchups against LeBron.

When the Warriors have the ball, expect the Cavs to play a straight-up man defense. Coach Ty Lue most likely won’t show his hand until the Finals. Kyrie will likely start on defense against Curry and J.R. will draw the assignment on Klay. Smith did a number on Klay during the playoffs, so it’ll be important for Klay to play well. Love and Tristan Thompson will go chest-to-chest with Draymond Green and whoever Kerr decides to start at center. Green believes he has the clear edge against Love, so the Cavs may stick Tristan Thompson on Draymond.

That leaves LeBron on KD. The two best wing forwards in the world will go head-to-head for much of the game, unless one of them gets into foul trouble. This matchup alone is worth the price of admission.

Andre Iguodala gave Golden State a big boost in Game 4 of NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

When the Golden State Warriors were trailing 2-1 in the 2015 NBA Finals and all the momentum seemingly on the side of the Cleveland Cavaliers, first-year head coach Steve Kerr went to his go-to guy to stop the bleeding. And that’s exactly what do-it-all forward Andre Iguodala did.

Iguodala scored 22 points, made eight of his 15 field goals, knocked down four 3-pointers, and grabbed eight rebounds in 39 minutes in his first starting assignment of the season. He also helped the Warriors harass LeBron James into his worst shooting performance in The Finals: 20 points (he was averaging 41 through three games) and 7-for-22 from the field.

The Warriors went on to win Game 4 and never lost again in The Finals.

With Iguodala in the starting lineup, the small-ball unit accomplished two key things: it increased the tempo on offense and made the Warriors more active on defense. Cavaliers 7-foot center Timofey Mozgov was stuck guarding Iguodala and the 6-8 wingman took advantage of the space Mozgov gave him on offense by knocking down jumper after jumper.

Iguodala was arguably the Warriors’ best player in the series and deserved to be named Finals MVP. Not bad for someone who didn’t start in the regular season and is regarded as the Warriors’ fifth-best player behind Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes.

“Guarding LeBron James has to be the hardest job in basketball. After the first three games we decided to start Andre because he was by far doing the best job on LeBron, but he was also contributing in so many ways,” Kerr said. “[Cleveland’s] plan was to take Steph away and take Klay away and force Draymond and Andre to beat them, and Andre did.”

Kerr said you can argue that the Finals MVP should have gone to Curry or LeBron, but Andre winning the award was a fitting ending for Golden State squad that has prided itself in team ball and sacrifices.

“He sacrificed his starting role from the first game in the season. He had never come off the bench once in his entire career. And he sacrificed that job to make Harrison better and make our bench better, and that set the tone for our whole season. An All-Star and an Olympian said ‘OK, I’ll come off the bench.’ ”

Coming off the bench wasn’t an easy adjustment for Iguodala, who has spent the majority of his 11-year NBA career (eight in Philadelphia and one in Denver) as a starter.But when Kerr got the Warriors coaching gig he decided that what’s best for the team is for Iguodala take a back seat.

“He was the focal point [in Philadelphia]. It’s a different role for him here,” Kerr said of his fellow Arizona Wildcat. “In this series he looks like the 76ers version of Andre because he’s taking on a bigger role. He’s playing more minutes, he’s guarding LeBron, he’s also been good offensively. I just think Andre is one of those guys who rises to the occasion and embraces the challenge. He’s having a great series.”

Iguodala said not being a starter is “a lot harder than it looks,” and finding a flow coming off the bench has been the most difficult adjustment. “This is a lot different,” he said. “It took me a while to find it. I’m still trying to figure it out right now.”

Iguodala adds a different dimension to the Warriors. His versatility makes the Warriors unpredictable on offense, and his playmaking abilities from the forward spot allows Curry to play off the ball.

“That’s kinda been my game pretty much my whole life,” Iguodala said. “From a kid I was probably the tallest on the floor but never wanted to play center. I’ve always wanted to play point guard. My favorite players were Scottie Pippen, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill. Those guys have similar games. That’s just something I saw and try to do from age 6-7 years old.”

Golden State has been rotating different bodies on LeBron to try to wear down the Cavs superstar. Iguodala, Barnes, Green and Thompson have been matched up with the four-time MVP on various stages of the game, but Iguodala has easily been the most successful at holding down King James.

Iguodala has some familiarity with LeBron’s game from his time with Team USA during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He uses his length to bother LeBron’s sight line and he is strong enough to make it tough for ‘Bron to get to his post-up game. And when LeBron goes to his patented forays to the left side of the lane, Iguodala beats him to the spot and forces him to tough, contested step-back jumpers.

LeBron had a chance to win games 1 and 2 at Oracle Arena in the final seconds of regulation, but both times Iguodala stepped up and made crucial defensive stops. He forced LeBron into a difficult step-back jumper that bounced off the rim Game 1 and then he forced LeBron to miss a left-handed layup in Game 2.

“You gotta be mentally prepared more than anything,” Iguodala said of guarding James. “Not to overreact to certain things. I think that’s key. We have a scheme in place and in order for the scheme to work overall picture is 48 minutes. In the grand scheme of things you try to break him down, you try to force your will upon him, and it’s gonna take the whole game. Mentally you gotta be with it the whole night.”

“A guy like LeBron who can pass the ball, you have to see where his eyes are. He can see the whole floor. It’s just about being smart and more importantly communicate because if I can hear a guy double team I know where to funnel. We know how to rotate out of it, and it usually works for us.”

Iguodala capped his phenomenal playoff run with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in Game 6 to close out the Cavaliers and end the 40-year NBA title drought in the Bay Area.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are struggling against the Cavs in the NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

You can analyze or overanalyze basketball games with all types of fancy analytics and metrics, but teams that win championships follow two basic formulas: score easy baskets and don’t give up easy baskets.

Basically, to speak in the language so millennials can understand, you want to score in the paint and protect the paint (if your hardwood court has a painted area, of course).

Conventional basketball has always been built on scoring inside, meaning dump the ball inside your biggest or tallest player. Aside from getting an easy hoop, this serves two purposes: 1) collapse the defense and open shots for other players, and 2) rewards big men for all the hard work they do inside. Remember the old Shaquille O’Neal line: “Feed the big dog if you want the big dog to protect the yard.”

It’s a proven fact that big men will work harder if they get their touches on offense, and it will inspire them to protect the basket on the other end of the court.

Shaq subscribes to the inside-out theory because that’s the way NBA championships were won. George Mikan’s Minneapolis Lakers played that way. Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics played that way. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s L.A. Lakers played that way. Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets played that way.

In the post-Michael Jordan era, the NBA Finals have been dominated by two big men: Shaq and Tim Duncan.

O’Neal and Duncan have been a part of The Finals in 11 of the last 16 seasons, winning a combined nine titles.

There were a few exceptions to the rule. Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams were mainly a jump-shooting team. But in the triangle offense, otherwise known as the triple post, Jordan was the post-up player. He didn’t post up in the traditional way, as in planting himself on the low block, but he posted up on the elbows or the pinch post. Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks 2011 championship team used the same concept. When the Mavs needed a bucket, they went to Dirk on the pinch post. And LeBron James didn’t start winning titles until he developed a post-up game when he was in Miami.

This bring us to the Golden State Warriors, the 2014-15 NBA champions.

The Warriors are a basketball anomaly. They are bucking the conventional thinking that you can’t win a NBA title primarily by shooting jump shots. Charles Barkley has repeated said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” that jump shooting teams don’t win titles. Barkley should know this because his high-octane, 3-shooting teams in Phoenix lived and died by the jump shot in the playoffs.

Golden State’s offense is very similar to Barkley’s Suns. They’re built around the long-range shooting skills of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — also known as The Splash Brothers. They don’t even have a pinch-post player. Everything flows through Curry and Thompson out in the perimeter.

But these Warriors are a different breed. Sure, they win games by shooting lights out from behind the 3-point line and running teams out of the gym. But what made them a 67-win juggernaut during the regular season was defense.

“I know there’s been all this talk this year, especially about the 3-point shot. Can you win shooting it?” Warriors first-year head coach Steve Kerr said. “There’s a lot of different styles that can work. You have to base it on your own personnel.”

Kerr added: “What really wins is a combination of great offense and great defense. We have the No. 1 defense in the league. We had the highest scoring team in the league. We were No. 1 in assists. We were No. 1 in field-goal percentage defense. When you get that combination then you’re going to be pretty good. Whether you’re shooting threes or twos it’s about the balance. To win a title you have to be able to make stops. You’ve got to string together stops at crucial times and you gotta find ways to score. With our depth and our talent we were able to do that and it turned into a special season as a result.”

Golden State arguably has three of the 10 best defensive players in the league. Thompson is an elite perimeter defender, Andrew Bogut is a beast in front of the rim, and Draymond Green finished second to Kawhi Leonard as the defensive player of the year. Add Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala into the mix and you can see why teams struggle to score against them.

Kerr has taken what Mark Jackson built and improved it. The Warriors have largely used a predominantly perimeter attack on offense and a switching defense on their way to the 2015 NBA Finals, using the same concepts installed by Jackson. Kerr has modified a few things here and there, but the Warriors have stayed true to form. They share the ball on offense and they use their speed and quickness to recover on defense. It’s a similar approach that powered the San Antonio Spurs to their fifth NBA title in 2014 with one huge difference. The Warriors don’t have a Tim Duncan controlling the paint on both ends.

Bogut starts at center but he rarely plays more than 20 minutes a game, and Kerr likes to play a smaller lineup down the stretch with Iguodala, Barnes and Green in the frontcourt to go along with Curry and Thompson in the backcourt. This makes the Warriors unique. It’s a style of basketball that court influence a whole generation of coaches and players. It’s comparable to the European League in which the focus is on dribble handoffs and pick-and-pops, and frontcourt players spend most of their time above the free throw line.

Before we crown Golden State as the next NBA dynasty, it needs to sustain this historic run. The Warriors were able to avoid the San Antonio Spurs and L.A. Clippers in the Western Conference, and they ran into a short-handed Cleveland team in The Finals.

The Cavs are a no-nonsense, gritty team that plays defense as if their lives depended on it. If they had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, it would have been a totally different series.

Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov punished the Warriors on the boards whenever Kerr went to his small lineup. And then there is LeBron. The four-time MVP averaged nearly 40 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in The Finals, and he did all this while playing nearly 48 minutes a game.

The Warriors were able to end the Bay Area’s 40-year championship drought. Now, it’s about keeping that No. 1 ranking.

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James has endured a ton of criticism over the years. (AP)

No athlete in the world has taken a beating publicly from fans, the sports media and other professional athletes for not being clutch more than LeBron James.

For years ESPN talking head Skip Bayless has mercilessly mocked LeBron for not having the “clutch gene” or being afraid of driving to the hoop because he doesn’t want to shoot free throws at the end of games. Bayless often referred to the 2011 NBA Finals as the low point of James’ career when he peppered him with shot after shot. Bayless says it is nothing personal, but his criticisms are so incendiary that it has fueled a lot of LeBron haters out there.

Bayless was somewhat muted after LeBron won a championship in 2012, but the damage had already been done. Every time LeBron stumbles his critics are quick to revisit his past failures. Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah loves to poke fun at LeBron every chance he gets. Noah recently challenged James’ manhood by calling him a pussy.

It took a few years for James to finally rid of the stigma that he shrinks in big moments. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ run to the 2015 NBA Finals not only validated LeBron’s place as the game’s best player but it also grew his legend by coming two games short of winning a title with depleted Cavaliers squad. His stat line during the series with Golden State was straight out of a Marvel comic book. Take away LeBron and these Cavs — even with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love — do not make the playoffs.

What so-called experts such as Bayless and other basketball scribes fail to recognize is that LeBron has succeeded more often than he has failed during his postseason career.

In the last 15 years, no NBA player has had more buzzer-beaters in the postseason than LeBron. That’s just as many Jordan had in his legendary career and two more than Kobe.

In the 2006 playoffs, Bron’s first playoff appearance, he scored the game-winning basket for the Cavaliers on a driving layup to beat the Wizards. In 2009, he caused a minor tremor in Cleveland when he drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to stun the Orlando Magic. In Game 1 of the 2013 East finals, as a member of the Miami Heat, James scooted past Paul George and the Indiana Pacers with an electrifying left-handed layup to beat the buzzer.

There was a moment in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals that changed a legacy. The San Antonio Spurs were poised to tie the game when the great Tim Duncan had a point-blank layup and missed. A few minutes later, LeBron hit a midrange jumper from the right wing to give the Heat a cushion with 27 seconds left in the game. It was a four-point swing that solidified James’ place in history. Had James lost to Duncan again, he would have been branded a one-hit wonder.

Winning back-to-back titles validated LeBron as a true champion. James’ stat line in that Game 7 was mind-blowing: 37 points in 45 minutes, 12 rebounds, and 5-for-10 from behind the 3-point line. His best shot probably came after the game during the on-court championship celebration when LeBron said, “I can’t worry about what everybody says about me. I’m LeBron James from Akron, Ohio, from the inner city. I’m not even supposed to be here.”

He has already won.

The latest LeBron clutch moment came in Game 4 of the 2015 East first-round game in Chicago when he reminded everyone that he is still the game’s best player and added to his growing legend. With 1.5 seconds left in a tie game, Bron “scratched” the play head coach David Blatt drew up and called his own number.

James said: “I told Coach there was no way I’m taking the ball out unless I could shoot it over the backboard and go in. So I told him, ‘Have somebody else take the ball out.’ The play that was drawn up, I scratched it. I just told Coach, ‘Just give me the ball. We’re either going to go into overtime or I’m going to win it for us.'”

That quote doesn’t sound like a player who shrinks in big moments.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.