Eastern Conference Semifinals Live Thread: Game 1, Pacers @ Cavs
2025-05-04Good evening CtB!
The Cavs welcome Central Division rival Indiana Pacers to the banks of the Cuyahoga River for what is the most underrated playoff series of the Conference Semifinal round. Both of these teams are young, exciting, and have had a lot of recent success but looking to take the next step of becoming an actual championship contender. Some have casted this series as “Pacers vs. better version of the Pacers” in the sense of both teams being driven by their prolific offenses, and struggle against physical defending teams. Which team can junk up the game with physical defense and win ugly? It’ll probably be the team that takes the series.
Tip off is scheduled for 6:00PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted live nationally on the TNT family of networks, Go Cavs!
Relentless attack, Spider!
And just like that they’re ahead.I was just gonna say it’s”let’s see what you’ve got” time , and they clearly heard it.
Finally some stops eith Hali sitting. JA & Spida,driving the O. With some help from Mobes.
Keep attacking the rack. Indy is soft.
A lead! Nesmith eith 4.
Cavs down 12, so I nervously start cleaning, now they’re up 1. I hope there’s no correlation.
Attaway Mobes.
Need to really up the pressure on d and try to rattle them a bit.
Good call on that double dribble!
Need nets behind the basket to stop spida three straight attacks through the baseline. And the dunk. Incredible
Pace is lifting. Spida feasting. LFG!!!
Mitchell just attacking in transition.
Cavs need to make a run here.
Cavs not used to this level of competition.
Yeah. That Heat team was barely practice worthy. Good for keeping Cavs healthy during round 1 but that’s about it.
Allen moving really gingerly.
Well,evidently they’re not gonna miss any shots.
Indy carving the Cavs up.
I think they win this game. Everything is open & in the flow.
Make or miss league. Look at those percentages halfway through the third.
They are getting wide open shot after wide open shot. When that happens, you can sustain really high percentages. Practice shots.
Cavs over helping in the paint.
Down 12 again. Not looking good.
Not great Bob.
That is a flagrant on JA. He got shoved with 2 hands while in the air.
Can’t get the whistle at home in a playoff game.
Holy shit allen dunk and shod have been a flagrant!
Oof. Hope JA is ok.
That was a nasty spill JA took
Relieved he appears to be alright.
LFG!
That’s the shot strus passed up last time.
Interesting Cavs had 11 more FG attempts in first half
More JA touches in paint, please
…Or Evan touches
Indiana played a flawless 1st quarter – Cavs were a bit lackadaisical- and yet only down 6. I sort of like their chances and the optimist in me wants to say this is the toughest game of the series. Cavs defense will probably show up more in the second half. Also three pointers will start to fall. We’ll see!
Cavalanches not guaranteed, but likely in this setting. Let’s go Cavs!! KA bringing his magic
Down 6. I will take it. We woke up halfway through the 2nd.
Nembhard & McConnell going 3/4 on triples should not continue. Indy at 60% from deep. Cavs 25%.
Ice with the best +/- fwiw.
That was a good second quarter for the Cavs!
Turner walked
Mediocre at best and the diff is -4. Let’s start hitting a few 3’s, and maybe be aggressive in the paint
Put me in the camp that wants us to play inside out
👍🏻
Um, they scored like 30 points in the paint? Not sure where we are missing aggression. I will say would love to see some more entry passes and position deeper in the paint early in possession
Alright close out the quarter without any Pacer runs.
Our 3-point defense is gonna get tested this series.
Hopefully Hunter has sobered up
Place was ready explode but Strus missed.
Hunter looking kinda drunk on a few plays so far.
Okoro useless on offense.
Come on. He did drop a nice dime to JA and get an O board. Not great, though.
Okoro has more points & dimes than Wade. Are we relentlessly bitching about how useless Wade is on O?
Ice with an O board. Jerome getting going.
Cavs waking up.
There we go Ty!
At least Ice is getting some offensive rebounds
Indy playing tough D, particularly on Jerome. Good coaching by Carlisle.
Had a plan that time.
Cavs definitely rusty. At least they started closing out threes.
Okoro with no offense…. Blocked at the rim, clanks a 3!
Playoff Okoro has arrived.
I’ll live with a missed three but I’m so tired of seeing him driving knowing 100% he’s getting blocked.
It feels like he doesn’t have a plan when he drives to the rim.
I kind of like the aggression. I thought we were a bit too 3 happy.
Don’t disagree but he just has no instinct. Shot is so telegraphed.
Passed up an open jumper for a contested 2.
Jaylon Tyson and Javonte Green coudl’ve done that.
Jfc Ice
D. Wade with a couple nice drive and kicks.
Off like a herd of turtles
This looks like a loss.
36 minutes left. Suspect Indy will not shoot 66% rest of way. Smells bad, but…
Yeah. You are right. But they are playing SMARTER than us.
Bad first quarter
Mobley another TO.
Indy with no shot blocking, and we jacking 3s.
Jfc
Dumb shot Mobes
Big 3 by Sam
Terrible transition D with Mitchell down behind the play.
Mobley with a couple TOs. Merrill & Strus empty from deep. JA playing good D. Mitchell & Mobley have been the O.
Gotta think it is Jerome, Hunter + Wade/Ice time.
PLAY SOME FUCKING DEFENSE
CARRY US SPIDA
Maybe defend the three
Indy shredding our D.
Attaway Mitch.
Mobley with some good shooting, and bad TO & silly foul.
HOW LONG WILL DG BE OUT FOR ——- DAMN I NEED………… “ MORE BEER 🍺 PLEASE “
DAMN – SUCKS DG IS OUT!!!! ——GO CAVS !!! ——
DG is OUT. They said on TNT if this was the regular, they’d shut him down for 1-2 weeks.
If we can hold serve at home, keep resting him. If we fall behind in the series the calculus changes.
But we are gonna need him for Boston.
Go Cavs!
I agree go Cavs
Ready !!
Go Cavs!
I agree go Cavs