NBA Eastern Conference Finals: LeBron James Ready for the Challenge, Kyrie Irving ‘Going to Go’

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks will duke it out for the shot to play in the 2015 NBA Championships and Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are more than ready for the challenge.

James spoke with reporters after Monday's workout. The forward talked about being guarded by DeMarre Carroll, who is the Haws' leading scorer in the playoffs.

"They're similar in their own ways," James said in regards to Carroll and Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler. "The best thing about it is they have some very active bigs behind them. It gives them the ability to push up on me and trust that those bigs behind them are going to protect them. I relish the challenge, I love the challenge in both of them."

In the Cavs-Bulls series, James averaged 26.2 points but shot only 39.9 percent (61-of-153). Carroll, who is one inch taller than Butler, could close in on James' shooting space, forcing the forward to make tough shots. Carroll will also be relying heavily on teammates Paul Millsap and Al Horford.

On James' front, he will have his point guard, Kyrie Irving ready to go in Game 1. Irving injured his left leg during Game 6 against the Bulls and did not play in the second half at all. However, after four days of rest, Irving said he is "going to go."

"I would say just my spirits and mental confidence, just being able to actually feel both my feet underneath me, especially when I'm shooting, it feels amazing," Irving said. "You know, just a confidence of getting extra work in and just preparing with my teammates. I think that's the biggest thing I get out of it. I don't want to be on the sideline at all, especially preparing for a big stage like this. I want to be as close to 100 percent before Wednesday as I can be, so just doing the necessary things in order to do that."

Coach David Blatt added, "It's just good to see that he's making some progress. He's not there 100 percent yet, but he's making progress and that's a very good sign. I'm hopeful."

"The good thing is he's positive, he's feeling better, and that's positive for our team," James said before adding that in order to win the series, they will need to be focused on their defense.

Game 1 of the Cavs-Hawks series begins Wednesday, May 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.