The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t lose a lot of games this season.
More specifically, they didn’t lose a lot of games against the same opponent.
That’s why they can’t overlook the Indiana Pacers in the second round, as Rick Carlisle’s team beat them three out of four times.
The Pacers are a tough matchup for any team, including Cleveland.
They have two mobile bigs who are pretty comfortable stepping out to the perimeter, which is why NBA insider Chris Fedor believes they can spell trouble for Kenny Atkinson’s team:
“I think it can be a little bit problematic for Evan and Jarrett together against Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam because of their offensive versatility,” Fedor explained.
Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has already shown that he can hold his ground on the perimeter.
Myles Turner is constantly pulling up from the top of the arc, so Mobley might be a better match for him on defense, with Allen taking care of Pascal Siakam.
Nevertheless, even though Siakam doesn’t take as many threes as Turner and does most of his damage in the post and with the mid-range, Allen could still have some problems holding his ground if Siakam drives him away from the paint.
De’Andre Hunter can also guard multiple positions, and he’s the same height as Siakam, so he can be another option to guard the Cameroonian big man.
This will be an intriguing chess match between two good offensive minds, and it feels like all games will go down to the wire.
The Cavs should still be heavily favored and win this series, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see this go to seven games.
NEXT: NBA Announces Schedule For Cavs-Pacers Playoff Series
