Iman Shumpert is ready for a transition.
It's one that's been comfortable for him since his days at Georgia Tech and perhaps even before.
On Wednesday, when the Cavs meet the Celtics, Shumpert may be called upon to defend Celtics' star Isaiah Thomas.
That will be a change from the first two rounds of the playoffs, when Shumpert was charged with the Pacers' Paul George and the Raptors' DeMar DeRozan, both shooting guards/small forwards.
But Shumpert said the switch will be to his advantage because of experience that goes back years, perhaps even to his high school days in Oak Park, Ill.
"I always had to guard the wing in the second half after guarding the point guard, usually, as far as growing up playing ball," Shumpert said after practice Monday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "I think reverting back, not to call it easy, but it's a familiar place for me. It's just a little flip-flop, starting out guarding wings and now guarding 1s.
"It should be fine, man. Washington and Boston both headline with their point guards. I'm just going to do my job. If me guarding the point guard is what we need to do to win, then that's what we'll do."
Shumpert admitted that Cavs coach Tyronn Lue challenged him at the end of the regular season, telling him the team needed more from him.
"He was telling me that I had to be better for him in the playoffs just as far as getting more stops, fixing more mistakes that we make on the offensive end," Shumpert said. "When presented that it's like, 'OK. But at times I may have to sacrifice a foul or two to keep somebody honest.'
"T-Lue has done an incredible job of knowing how much he's going to need me in a game. At times, I may have three straight fouls and he's left me out there in these playoffs and it's allowed me to become more and more aggressive and get into more of a rhythm and to understand more of what that offensive player is trying to get done."
Lue praised Shumpert before the Cavs finished a sweep of the Raptors in the conference semifinals, saying Shumpert had been "very valuable in these playoffs."
"Taking the defensive challenge of guarding the best player on the floor every single night and shooting the shots when you're open, straight line drives, just keeping the game simple and keeping it easy," Lue said. "To keep himself in shape he's been playing three-on-three with the guys, four-on-four, five-on-five full court. He's been continuing to work on his game, staying in shape, and he's been ready."
Perhaps after center Edy Tavares fractured a bone in his right hand in a pre-practice scrimmage Thursday, the Cavs called a halt to the overly physical workouts. Those are not unusual, but became intense with the Cavs waiting nine days in between the conference semifinals and finals.
"After a while they had to stop letting us play pickup before anybody gets hurt. It gets pretty competitive," Shumpert said. "You don't want to totally get rid of your mean streak while you're waiting for the next round."
He still has a mean streak, but also a softer side.
Shumpert said his attitude toward the game has changed since he became a father for the first time. He said his daughter, Iman, was born close to Kyrie Irving's daughter, Azurie, who was announced by her dad in November 2015. Shumpert said their girls have had playdates, they joke about "daddy day care" and they have rocked babies during their pregame handshake.
Shumpert believes fatherhood has made both he and Irving better people and honed their focus on the floor.
"All your life you're playing basketball and, yeah, you're playing for your family and you're playing for where you're from, you want to make everybody proud, but there's no feeling like having your child look at the screen if they're not there or being at the game and just seeing their father play," Shumpert said. "It's a different bond."
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