When you sweep a first round series outscoring your opponent by 122 points in the four games, that’s historic. But then you have to remember the Cavaliers won 27 more games than the Miami Heat during the regular season.
We thought the playoff tested Heat would provide a good challenge for the wine and gold, but the two games in Florida were a total beatdown and it is on to the Eastern Conference semi-finals against Indiana, who defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in that matchup.
Despite what fans want in their hearts, which is a series against the Washington Wizards, the reality says the opponents in the playoffs get tougher as you move along. Indiana is no different.
The Pacers, who by the way went to the conference finals a year ago, got off to a tough start this season at 10-15. After that, they went 40-17, meaning they are a very good team, perhaps the third best in the East.
Rick Carlyle is a very good coach, winning a title with Dallas in the 2010-11 season, and has won over 1000 games as a head coach in the NBA.
Moreso, the Pacers are long, exactly the type of team the Cavaliers have had troubles with this season.
Indiana has size in the backcourt with Tyrese Haliburton (6’5″) and Andrew Nembhard (6’5″). As we know, that’s a big advantage over the Cleveland backcourt.
The Cavs match up pretty well in the frontcourt, as the Pacers go with Aaron Nesmith (6’5″), Pascal Siakam (6’8″), and Myles Turner (6’11”). Their sixth man is Bennedict Mathurin at 6’6″, and Obi Toppin (a player we’ve wanted the Cavs to sign) also gets a lot of minutes and he’s 6’9″.
They also have a solid back up point guard that Cleveland fans will hate in T. J. McConnell, who was a big factor in Indiana’s playoff run a year ago.
They like to play with pace, just like the Cavs, so it should be an action-packed series.
Both teams can make three-point shots, the Cavaliers were second in the NBA making 38.3% from beyond the arc, while the Pacers knock down 36.8%, good for 9th in the league.
Both teams take care of the basketball, among the top five in the NBA in least number of turnovers. They both shoot well overall, ranking in the top three in overall shooting percentage.
Considering this is a 1-4 matchup, these teams are very, very similar, and that leads to a very good matchup.
We still think the biggest edges the Cavs have are Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter. Mobley will likely play Siakam, who averaged 20.2 points per game. And after a rough first game against Miami, Hunter wound up knocking down 8 of 13 from three and averaged 17.3 points per game in the last three contests.
And remember that Darius Garland didn’t even play the last two games against the Heat.
One thing that would help the Cavs is getting more out of Dean Wade, who played 52 minutes in the series and took just five shots, making two. Wade played solid defense, as he always does, but he has to contribute something offensively as the opponents get better.
It would not be a shock to see Carlyle play off him and double up on a better offensive player.
And remember, the Pacers played a short-handed Milwaukee squad in round one. Cleveland is not that.
It should be very good basketball being played in this series. The Cavs should be able to advance to the conference finals though.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 