With another Game 7 victory at stake, LeBron James would not sit out.

The assignment for Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris in his first start this post-season was easy to explain but nearly impossible to execute: Guard LeBron James and keep the four-time NBA MVP from running the Celtics out of their own gym in the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals for the second year in a row.

On Monday, the Boston Celtics were the surprising beneficiaries of one of the most generous systems in professional sport.