Cavs vs. Pacers Game 5 preview

*internal weeping commences*

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of a Round 2 exit for the second year in a row. Game 4 was nauseating and traumatic for most. This is do-or-die—not just for the season, but possibly for the core of this Cavaliers nucleus.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (1-3) vs. Indiana Pacers (3-1)

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: 7 pm EST

TV: TNT

Line: Cavaliers -7.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Dean Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Donovan Mitchell – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)

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

Do or die

Well, here we are. The Cavaliers are down to the Pacers 3-1, commencing a quest to win the next three games for the chance of continuing the mission for an NBA title. The Cavaliers, in case you missed it, narrowly lost to the Indiana Pacers in Game 4. What a game, an iron sharpening iron type of battle.

Just kidding. The Cavaliers got smoked, embarrassed, taken around back, and pummeled. There was no point in this game where you felt good about anything the Cavaliers were putting on the floor. The Pacers took the momentum that Cleveland generated in Game 3 and smothered it.

Now, the Cavaliers will try to climb their way out of the pit of despair. With Mitchell’s status up in the air, the questions on how Cleveland will accomplish this task grow. Between Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell’s injuries, it’ll frankly take a miracle for Cleveland to string enough quality basketball to escape the hellish offseason dialogue that is already ensuing.

That being said, as Garland mentioned after Game 4, if any franchise can be comfortable with this deficit, it’s the Cavaliers. Now, are they missing the key components that made up the winning formula last time?

Next question please.

This iteration of the playoff is breaking off in the most heartbreaking fashion

The NBA gods are on a real heater for torturing fan bases. First, Cooper Flagg goes to Dallas in the NBA lottery, now the Cavaliers are essentially going to miss a conference final without the Boston Celtics?

Would it be a lock that the Cavaliers would have made the finals without the Celtics in their way? No, especially given the level of play we have seen lately. However, a boy can dream, right? Is it a dream? Not really?

At this point, it is an awful nightmare. All the discourse during the season was about how Cleveland would get around Boston to make the Finals. Now, both franchises are heartbroken for different reasons and looking down the barrel of a 4-1 defeat in the second round.