Cavs vs Pacers Game 1 preview and gamethread

The Cavs will host the visiting Pacers at Rocket Arena to kick off the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals is here, as the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Arena. Both the Cavs and Pacers made it this far last season as well, but only Indiana advanced beyond this round. But this is a different Cavs team, one brimming with confidence off their historic four-game sweep of the Miami Heat.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: 6:00 pm EST

TV: TNT

Line: Cavaliers -8.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Darius Garland – QUESTIONABLE (sprained toe)

Expected Pacers starting lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Pacers injury report: Isaiah Jackson – OUT (torn achilles)

What to Watch for

Long Layoff?

The Cavs have not played a game since April 28 when they beat Miami by 55 points. That should have given them plenty of time to rest and recover, but will they come out of the gate flat? Sure, the Pacers last played a game April 29, but they played a more engaging series against the Milwaukee Bucks including a nail-biter overtime win in Game 5.

Following the All-Star Break, which was eight days of rest, the Cavs rattled off 12-straight wins. But the playoffs are a different story, and the Pacers are not the Heat. Indiana finished with the eighth-best offense in the league and averaged the sixth-most points per game after the All-Star Break. The Heat were 21st and 20th in the league in those areas, so the Pacers were significantly better. The Cavs were first and fourth in those two categories respectively, for what it’s worth.

The Cavs have been questioned coming into the playoffs, despite their excellent regular season record. They did not wilt under the bright playoff lights in the first round, they did not play down to their competition, and even with a key injury they kept trucking. The expectation should be that, despite the long layoff, they come out firing with the home crowd behind them.

Navigating without Darius Garland

Even though he has not played since April 23, Darius Garland is still listed as questionable to play in Game 1 with a sprained big toe. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said that this injury could linger through the playoffs, meaning the Cavs will likely try to live without Garland for as long as they can. While the Cavs may not need Garland to win the series, and they already played exceedingly well against Miami without him, his offense could be needed if the Pacers start flexing their scoring muscles.

The Cavs have replaced Garland in the lineup with Sam Merrill, who has been able to provide playmaking and pesky defense as well as three-point shooting. Merrill has not been as strong shooting the basketball from deep this season compared to last, but he has found ways to be useful despite that. If Merrill shoots well while doing those things, the Cavs look very difficult to beat.

Problems present, though, if the Cavs begin to fall behind and Merrill is not pulling his weight on offense. That could prompt more Ty Jerome and Donovan Mitchell minutes to up the scoring punch, which would in turn rearrange the bench rotations. The Pacers can score in bunches, unlike the Heat, and the Cavs could find themselves playing catch up at times. That could be challenging without Garland.

Facing a more Dynamic Frontcourt

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley both had very good series against the Heat, in part because Miami simply had no answer for either of them aside from Bam Adebayo. The Pacers, on the other hand, are more equipped to handle Mobley and Allen with Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner – two physical players with two-way potential. Both Turner and Siakam shot 39% from three-point territory and play physical defense. The Cavs’ frontcourt will be tested much more this series as opposed to the first one.