The moment of truth has finally come for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Their first-round matchup with the Miami Heat wasn’t a barometer to determine whether they’re a legitimate contender.
That’s not the case with the Indiana Pacers, a team that took three out of four meetings with them this season.
However, as tough as the matchup might seem, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com believes this can all come down to whether Donovan Mitchell can get the job done.
In his latest column, he believes that Donovan Mitchell will be the biggest factor in this series, as he’s the best scorer between both teams, and his ability to dominate in half-court sets could pose some major trouble for the Pacers:
“Indiana’s weakness (halfcourt defense) is Cleveland’s strength (halfcourt offense). And the top-seeded Cavs have the best player. Over the course of a seven-game series, those realities will play out,” Fedor wrote. “[Donovan] Mitchell is the difference. He must be. He will be. It’s finally his time.”
The Cavs can’t afford to let the Pacers dictate the tempo of this series.
They can run anybody off the court, and while the Cavs have a deep rotation and can also play that style of game, they need to slow down the pace and turn this into a half-court battle.
Rick Carlisle’s offense tends to be stagnant once they don’t get a clean look at the rim early in the possession, and Tyrese Haliburton is far less efficient when he’s forced to be an iso-heavy player as opposed to easily finding the open man after a couple of dribbles.
As for Mitchell, he has had some big performances in the playoffs, but it’s time he finally takes a leap forward and makes it to the Conference Finals once and for all.
NEXT: Key Cavs Player Is Questionable For Game 1 Against Pacers
