Cavs About To Face Whole New Set Of Challenges Against High-Octane Pacers

The Cavaliers stifled Miami with brute force and defensive discipline. Now comes a very different test — and possibly a very different kind of series.

Indiana, armed with the third-best offensive rating in the playoffs and fresh off dismantling Milwaukee, presents a challenge that could stretch Cleveland in new and uncomfortable ways.

The Pacers’ ability to space the floor with Myles Turner and attack from multiple angles with Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton could force Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson into tough lineup decisions — particularly regarding his preferred two-big combination of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

That pairing has long been Cleveland’s defensive backbone. But against a team as fast and floor-stretching as Indiana, Atkinson may have to pivot toward smaller, more mobile lineups — using Dean Wade or De’Andre Hunter alongside just one of his two towers. Hunter, notably, was acquired at the trade deadline in anticipation of matchups like this one.

So for this series in particular, it won’t always be about size. Sometimes, it’s about speed and spacing. 

And there will be plenty of that. On the bright side for the Cavs, already they have shown an ability to play just about any style and utilize any sort of lineup.

Both teams enter the series riding some of the most explosive postseason offensive numbers in recent memory. For instance, the Cavs posted a 136.2 offensive rating in Round 1 — the highest of any playoff team in a series since 1997. Indiana’s 123.8 mark ranks seventh in that same span.

That means this isn’t likely to be anything resembling a defensive struggle. More like a track meet disguised as a playoff series.

While Allen and Mobley give Cleveland a defensive safety net few teams can match, the Pacers’ shooting and pace may limit the Cavs’ ability to play both together for long stretches. 

Game 1 tips off Sunday in Cleveland, where the Cavs will look to maintain the defensive edge that carried them past Miami, while proving they can keep pace in a shootout, too.