At 6 a.m. Beijing time on May 5, the Eastern Conference semifinals began, and the Cavaliers hosted the Pacers to start the first game of the series. The two teams met four times in the regular season, with the Pacers going 3-1 and becoming the only team in the league to beat the Cavaliers three times this season.
"If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best," Pacers guard Haliburton said, "so, yes, we're looking forward to this matchup." ”
The Cavaliers swept the Heat in the first round, winning by a combined 122 points in four games, an NBA record. In the G4 game, the Cavaliers won 138-83 in Miami, completing the sweep and setting a record for the largest point difference in the league in the knockout round.
The Pacers' series against the Bucks was a bit more intense, most notably a 119-118 overtime victory in the tiebreaker. Haliburton's winning goal completed an epic comeback, and with 40 seconds left in the game, the Bucks led 118-111.
The Pacers' underrated roster depth was on display against the Bucks, with Siakam, Haliburton, Turner, Nembhard, Nesmith, Mathurin and McConnell all averaging double-digit points per game. Siakam leads the team with 19.8 points per game.
"It's hard to simulate their style of play in practice because they're a tough team to play against," said Cavaliers center Allen, "and they're both outside players and obviously the fastest switching offense in the league." ”
Allen admits that opposing center Turner's ability to shoot threes on one end and block shots on the other end presents him with a unique conundrum because he doesn't typically defend outside the paint zone. "I'm not comfortable with that, so I just have to minimize the damage from defending on the perimeter," Allen says.
Cavaliers power forward Mobley was voted Defensive Player of the Year, and he thinks he can use a similar approach to limit Siakam. The first-time All-Star averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game against the Heat, which was relatively lackluster, but his abilities were much more than that.
"I'm going to use my height and arm length to defend him," Mobley said, "and he's going to shoot and hit, so my job is to stop him." ”
The state of Cavaliers point guard Garland is the biggest unknown of this series. The All-Star missed his final two games against the Heat after suffering a big toe injury to his left foot, and his appearance in Game 1 is now listed as questionable.
If Garland is unavailable, Jerome could replace the starter, but head coach Atkinson said he won't make a decision until just before the game starts.
"We're in this situation right now and we can just watch every day and see how he feels tomorrow morning," Atkinson said, "and I've seen Garland in an ice bucket and a hot water bucket." We have to find out about Garland tomorrow before we make a decision. ”
Although the Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 64-18 record and finished second in the league, the Pacers won three of the four meetings between the two teams. However, neither coach took these results very seriously.
"When you get to the second round of the playoffs, everything escalates," Pacers coach Carlisle said, "and the level of competition, the stage of the game, is different. There's a lot of exciting stuff going on. ”
The Cavaliers have won two of their past three playoff series with the Pacers, most recently in 2018, when James led the Cavaliers to a first-round tiebreaker. In the playoff battle against the Cavaliers, the Pacers have a 6-9 record.
List of injuries and illnesses
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson is out
Knight: Garland is doubtful
ESPN predicts the win rate: Pacers 28.4%, Cavaliers 71.6%