Live Thread: Cavs vs. Pacers
2015-03-20
LeBron was questionable for tonight’s final match-up against the Pacers with an illness that forced him to miss today’s shootaround. It sounds like he will give it a go though, as the Cavs attempt to even the season series against a potential first round opponent in Indiana.
The Cavs lost the last two outings against the Pacers (both on Indy’s home floor), but the last time 
were without both LBJ and Kyrie. The Pacers themselves have been short-handed all year, but got some positive news today about a familiar face...
Indiana needs a bit of good fortune to go their way after dropping their last three straight to fall behind Miami and Boston for the race to the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs have been rolling winning four of the last five coming off of one of the toughest road trips of the season. They’ve also won 14 in a row at the Q. Let’s hope they can keep the offense going, while tightening up their D which has been slipping a bit in the last couple of weeks.
Chime in and call your shot!
Hill is owning Kyrie right now… Kyrie’s bad shooting night getting in his head…
Cavs just not pushing the pace and have let Pacers right back in it
Kyrie still cold
Looked like LBJ forgot to wipe off his shoes or something there…
Fantastic defensive sequence leading to trip by LBJ.
Uh oh… CJ hit one…
Now LBJ is back out there… wonder if he was getting an IV drip?
I don’t get why the Cavs play at their pace!!! Cavs need to play fast!!!
KLOVE with a bomb from three!
Cavs sharing the ball more to start the third…
If JR is hitting the side-step off balance deep two… Pacers are in trouble!
A+ game from JR so far.
Kyrie does…something awesome to score. I feel like the announcer in Semi-Pro trying to describe the first alley-oop,.
Kyrie with the tough hoop in traffic!
How does he do it!?!
Kyrie!
Shump starts the second half for LBJ… must be sicker than he thought…
Man, OK State is screwing up my bracket. I trusted you guys!
I feel your pain.
My bracket was screwed after two games…
After the first three games, only about 0.25% of brackets in the CBS tournament challenge were still perfect.
Pacers have 14 fouls, the Cavs 5. The refs doing their part to try to maintain civilization.
Game is close because Cavs missing shots in the paint. Need to go back to Love down low.
Cavs here to play tonight. Feeling good about the second half.
I just hope LBJ doesn’t over do it. As much as I like the confidence builder of beating this pacers team, I’d rather he not gut out any games until the playoffs.
He could probably take Sunday off against the Bucks…
Honestly, I got no complaints if he takes another two week vacation. Marion is healthy. Sked isn’t too tough. Whatever we need to do to have him healthy and ready. That goes for Love too.
Cavs back to dominating the boards which is good to see. Just not hitting shots, but the majority have been drives inside. Not a much sharing the ball, but not horrible. Pacers bench and Hibbert are what’s keeping them in this one so far.
Its a good game plan. We have good finishers at the rim and as a defense tires it fouls more. If we keep running at them they’ll foul even more than they already are and over compensate by packing the paint. Then the threes will open up, then its over. However, we still need to try to run in transition to tire them out more quickly.
Completely agree with that
Timo gives the best interviews.
MOZ with the halftime interview with Allie… new comedy duo…
Allie needs to start spouting Russian. This must happen.
She would be an all-timer if she did that…
That would be awesome. A greeting and thank you, at bare minimum.
That would be fantastic. She needs to practice something so she sounds fluent for one sentence. Just to see what he does next.
Let’s chip in to get her a tutor.
Were there any passes in that last possession?
One at the top, but ended with LBJ drive to the hoop. Looked like he might have gotten fouled, but not called.
I’m just wondering again about my end of quarter pet peeve. Pacers didn’t care about draining clock, just ran a play to get a good look. Did we run a play to get a good look, or just waste 12 seconds so the pacers wouldn’t get the last shot? Just get a good shot and then play defense.
It wasn’t one of those stand around and dribble out the clock possessions though. It was a strong drive by LBJ and a good look at the hoop. He just missed it…
Okay, I am satisfied. Thank you for the report.
Now about Scola….
Yeah, I’ll admit he’s got a bit of Andy in him with the craftiness, but the guy just rubs me the wrong way…
Hey man, you had me when you said he went to Kyrie’s head. Once you go after that sweet little child, it’s over. Scola is on my poopie list now.
Not a great end to the half, but not horrible either…
Pacers bench keeping them in it… outscoring Cavs bench 19-6
Fred points out Pacers bench is top scoring in the league.
KI with a horrible shooting night so far.
He’s been pretty active though… lots of drives inside that he hasn’t quite finished
Cavs shooting 38% overall.
Like Kyrie says – the law of averages always catch up. He’s going 9 for 12 in the second half.
JR SWISH!
Sweet move — behind the back/between the legs step-back.
Hold em under 40.
AC is right… Cavs need to speed the pace up. Pacers can’t run with them…
I’m assuming that was a hard foul on LBJ since he missed the first free throw?
Not as hard as LBJ made it look… but yeah, you can win money in Vegas on him missing the front end of FT’s following a hard foul…
He needs to practice with Moz. Moz can push him down and then LBJ has to shoot a free throw.
That foul by Hibbert looked worse than it was…
Hill with a Shaqtin’ a Fool moment there…
Moz and Hibbert having a good battle inside tonight…
I’d watch that cage match.
Paging Dana White…
I don’t know if this is game planned or not. But we’re purposely taking it to the hole almost knowing they’re physicality is going to result in fouls. That’s just who they are.
I’m thinking its the plan. We settled for jump shots last time to avoid the interior D and that’s how Indiana wins. You have to get a bloody nose to beat them. They have pride in that. That’s why I want nothing to do with them in the first round.
Am I a bad person if I like KLove more the Lebron?
Not at all
Three fouls on West now… oh joy… more Scola…
Bring in Perk. He don’t suffer that Euro-basketball.
I’d like to see a good amount of Perk tonight.
KLove fakes West into fouling him on the three ball…
Joey, if you could have seen Scola jabbing his elbow at Kyrie’s head during that last scrum for the ball, you might agree with me about his dirtiness…
You are a man of honor. I take you at your word. Have him killed.
Kyrie wonders what’s happening on that play as he doesn’t remember signing up for football.
May be time to call Perk up the middle for his 4 fouls in 3 minutes routine.
Excellent idea. You;re our new offensive coordinator.
GREAT strip from SHUMP!
Man do I not want to see the pacers in round one. I don’t care if we can beat them in a series. I don’t want to see them. I’d actually rather see Chicago.
I would only not want to see them because they try to play physical and muddy things up…
That’s what I’m saying. You win, but they bleed you to death by the end of each game.
Back to back runouts in transition for the Pacers
Moz can’t dribble the ball in the paint…
He can’t dribble the ball in an empty gym.
Transition D still a real problem, isn’t it?
It is for every team. This is the NBA.
Missing shots is also a problem for every team. Some are better at it than others.
Should have been a great ally-oop to Shump from LBJ, but LBJ pass a little off…
Is Tim Duncan the only player not called for that kind of moving screen? He must have been grandfathered in like spitballers in baseball.
Yes, I think so… and sometimes Perk since he does it so often…
What the first quarter stats are telling me because I can’t watch live: LBJ is being tentative – due to injury? – and Cavs game plan is to get inside and try to get Indiana into foul trouble, rather than concede the interior and settle for jjumpers, a la last two losses against them.
LBJ might be a little slow due to the head cold… although he just hit a nice turnaround in the lane…
Cavs did a good job of holding the Pacers shooting down in first quarter.
Just keep an eye on our old friend C.J. Miles. Last few games against us he’s gotten hot at the end.
JAMES FREAKING JONES!!
Wait, what?………..
Scola over the back on Shump to tip in the last cheapo…
Was he failing to box out or was it a bad non-call
Seemed like a bad non-call that refs let go since it was end of quarter…
Refs doing a good job of getting the game under control the past few minutes.
Rodney Stuckey is only making 1.2 mill the year. No way he’d sign with us for vet minimum, right?
All is well, back to the NCAA
We’ll get you if it gets close.
See?
Shump and JR with the double block on Scola. Refs call phantom foul.
Irving may foul the entire Pacers team out on this one possession.
That’s a call that Kyrie would not get in Indiana…
I’m sure Scola will check his annoying self in shortly… and there he is…
You know, I appreciate that guy. He’s annoying to us like Andy is to everyone else. He’s a crafty vet doing what he can to have an NBA career.
I just find him to be a dirty player… plus he resembles Russell Brand who I can’t stand…
I don’t know if I’d go dirty. I reserve dirty for plays where someone is trying to hurt a guy. The Russel Brand thing I’ll grant you.
Could just be me, but I feel like I see him pull at least one or two dirty moves each time I watch him…
Like how he just pushed up on Shump’s shoulder (over the back) to tip in the last shot…
KLove and Moz were fighting each other for that last board… thought it might get ugly.
KLove needs to back down from anything that involves “fight” and “Mozgov”.
Amid all the pushing and missed shots, there was a 13-0 run by the Cavs before that West jumper.
Moz is running the floor like a large Russian reindeer…
Mozzy, the russ-nosed reindeer?
I like it…
KYRIE FROM DEEEEEEEEP IN THE Q!!
Moz is liking the banging.
MOZ showing some MOVES!
So far teams a combined 9 of 24. Shooting clinic out there.
Lot of defense and contested shots too…
Yeah, I’m just being a sarcastic a-hole. As usual.
Totally forgiveable…
A lot of contact by both teams with not a lot of whistles.
Seems to be the theme these days…
JR going coast to coast!
LeBron looks bigger in the white uni.
White adds ten pounds on camera. Always has, honey.
MOZ with the BRUTE STRENGTH!
Just checking in. Kyrie’s missed two layups, Moz missed a lay up and two free throws. What the heck?
Lot of inside penetration for the Cavs, but missing at the finish…
JR SWISH!!!!!
Why do I get the feeling that most people are going to be watching March Madness instead of this game?
No way, baby! Gotta stay with the saga that is the Cavs.
I’m with you… the Madness is a strong draw though…
Love the tourney, but the matchups are kind of blah right now.
This KLove bobble-head giveaway commercial is embarrassingly bad…