BOSTON -- LeBron James knows franchises throughout the East shape and reshape themselves to try and beat him.

And no one has done it in the playoffs since 2010, when the Boston Celtics knocked him and the Cavs out of the Eastern semifinals.

On the eve of tonight's Cavs' conference finals lidlifter against the Celtics, however, Boston landed the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft next month. The Celtics had the best odds of winning the draft lottery (which means getting the top pick) because of a trade in 2013 they made with the Brooklyn Nets that included the right for Boston to swap No. 1 picks with the Nets this year.

The Celtics, choosing to blow up their team after it was clear they could no longer beat James (who was then in Miami), traded franchise greats Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets.

Brooklyn wound up with the worst record in the NBA this season, and that's how a team in the conference finals -- playing against James and the Cavs -- also has the top pick.

"It was just like, 'wow,' just like, 'OK," James said. "To be able to be a very, very good team and get the No. 1 pick, they got the better side of that situation with Brooklyn. I'll tell you that."

As an aside, the Celtics own the Cavs' second-round pick in 2017, acquiring it in 2014 from Cleveland while general manager David Griffin was working to clear the cap space to re-acquire James.

The Cavs do not have a pick in the 2017 draft.

James, who will face the Celtics in the playoffs for the sixth time starting tonight, the most he's played any team in the postseason, was then asked if Boston getting the top pick would rile up the crowd even more for Game 1.

"I don't think Boston fans need any more pumping up," he said. "They're born with pump."

James needs six steals to pass Michael Jordan (376 steals) for second place in NBA playoff history.