Eastern Conference R1: (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (5) Indiana Pacers Game Thread

[Manny98]

Cleveland, yall ready for this? Laugh now cause this is how hard I'm going to be laughing at TT.

[Dro]

TT shouldn't be seeing the light of day in this series. I want to see Nance on the floor at all times, otherwise I'd feel like Myles Turner could become a problem.

I dunno, Id rather play TT if I'm Cleveland if Indiana defends Lebron how I think they will.

I think they'll try to prevent Lebron from playing in the middle of the court and I hope they pressure him full court if he's going to bringing the ball up the entire game. You just need to make him uncomfortable, you're not going to stop him. But Lebron is not the greatest ball handler in the world and if he has a smaller man on him, pick him up full court. If you get up on him, he will turn his back to you to dribble. He's not Steph Curry with the rock, although Lebron has good handles for his size. If he's going to run over you 94 feet from the rim then fine. This should help in trying to keep Lebron from getting a full run to the rim. Id also fully expect Cleveland to adjust to this eventually but thats what the playoffs are about. Who can make the best adjustments.

What I see when teams play Cleveland is they just let Lebron stand at the top of the key dribbling until the calls a pick and roll, gets a switch and does whatever he wants to do. I'm not laying off him like that, I'm pressuring him. But I'm doing that by forcing him to pick a side, I don't care if its left or right, he's good going both ways but I would definitely force him left(especially when he's bringing it up).

If he's on the perimeter on one of the corners (not the top), then I'm forcing more towards the baseline, stay on his high side. If he wants to shoot drifting, fadeaway jumpers towards the baseline then congrats. But once we push him that way, Turner or whoever's in the middle has to shut down the paint and anybody rolling to the rim so Lebron can't hit them with the quick pass. Lebron will have to make the cross court pass to Clarkson, Korver, Smith, whoever and we have to live with trying to get out to the shooters. I'm fine leaving Clarkson, not fine leaving Korver. I'm in the middle on JR and Hood. Both of those guys are streaky and Hood has no playoff experience so I'm willing to live and die with them beating us.

I said play TT in this situation because he would have a chance to grab a million offensive rebounds if we do this.

[StrongLurk]

This will be a 6 or 7 game series, guaranteed.

[egokiller]

My Cavs will win in 5.

Book it

[E_Stamkos]

Lebron owns this team

[LAVAR BALL]

Damn, talk about karma: Indiana make a great season out of nowhere, absolutely no one could have bet on them on October, and they get rewarded by having to play Lebron and his new crew...

Back to topic, the huge question is: how good will play the new Cavs (Hood, Clarkson and Nance)

Cavs in 6

[Naero]

The Pacers are better than the usual first-round fodder LeBron has been matched up against, but I'd still be shocked to see them give the Cavaliers any hasty run for their money

[Bill Russell]

Cleveland, yall ready for this? Laugh now cause this is how hard I'm going to be laughing at TT.

Reminds me of this on some level...

[tpols]

Oladipo has been a great revelation for the Pacers this year, but will he be as much of a boon in the playoffs? He hasn't really dazzled in last year's playoffs (to put it diplomatically).

What does last years playoffs matter? He had a suboptimal role and chemistry on that team. The biggest thing is clevelands defense is bottom rank...he has no excuse not to go off.

[34-24 Footwork]

I love Lebron when he's like this.

Fire Gif.

[dankok8]

Cavs' putrid defense should keep the Pacers in this series. If Cavs shoot the ball really well they should win comfortably but if they don't shoot well this could go 7 or even end as an upset.

I predict Cavs in 6.

[Bill Russell]

I love Lebron when he's like this.

Fire Gif.

https://streamable.com/b70g

[Naero]

What does last years playoffs matter? He had a suboptimal role and chemistry on that team. The biggest thing is clevelands defense is bottom rank...he has no excuse not to go off.

Right, but he still faltered come playoffs time even in that marginal role; therefore, it's reasonable to have misgivings about whether or not he can ratchet up his level of play moving into this year's playoffs as the team's focal point. He shot at a 42.4-TS% rate last year; and while it's true that the Cavaliers' defense is usually putrid, it's not that much worse come playoffs time than the Rocket's defense was in that series.

Obviously, he'll play considerably better than last year, but will he match, if not exceed, his regular-season level of play this year? If so, this series could get interesting; otherwise, it'll probably be as quick of a series as I predicted.

[LAmbruh]

[Bill Russell]