Playoff Live Thread: Cavs vs. Pacers, Game 1 (#WhoAreYou?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4

After 82 games and five roller coaster months, we’re not much closer to knowing just who the Cleveland Cavaliers are. Injuries, inconsistency, roster moves and general malaise have all complicated the identity of the defending NBA Champions.

Are they the team that went 25-7 before the end of 2016… or the team that went 26-24 in 2017?

Are they the team that rallied from 14 down to beat Golden State on Christmas Day, despite losing J.R. Smith to a broken thumb… or the team that got blown out those same Warriors by 35 a month later in the MLK Massacre Redux?

Are they the team that blitzed their opponents, averaging almost 120 points a game while going 8-2 in February… or the team that was almost dead last in allowing points through a rusted sieve of a defense while suffering through a brutal 10-14 stretch after the beginning of March?

Are they the team who easily man-handled the Celtics in Boston 10 days ago to take control of the top seed in the East… or the team that got embarrassed at home by the Hawks’ bench before suffering a historic 26 point collapse to their starters two nights later?

Are they the team that wanted that top seed so bad they rode LeBron James to the most average minutes per game of anyone in the NBA this season… or the team that didn’t really care about seeding as long as they got to the playoffs healthy?

Just who are you, Cavs? I really wanna know…

Well, we’re about to find out. The Cavs kick off the season that purportedly actually means something to them starting today against the Indiana Pacers. You don’t have to remember too far back to recall how potent the Pacers can be… as they took the Cavs to double overtime in a 135-130 thriller just two weeks ago. In that game, Paul George and LeBron James put on a classic duel, both scoring 40+ with LBJ notching a triple double and PG-13 coming up just short. And, like today, that game was at the Q. The Pacers are a much better team at home this year (29-12) than they were on the road (13-28), so the Cavs should look to jump out to an early series lead before things get tougher in Indy where they’ve struggled in recent history.

For the Cavs, the numbers speak for themselves. They are 13-1 at home in the playoffs against the Eastern Conference since 2015. They swept both first round opponents (Boston and Detroit) the last two seasons since LeBron returned. The Pacers present a bit more of a challenge since they do boast a superstar on their roster in PG-13. Yet, the Cavs have the ultimate playoff trump card in the man who has been to six straight NBA Finals. Today’s game will be LeBron’s 200th playoff tilt of his career. As far as playoff milestones go, he needs just 69 points to pass Kobe Bryant for 3rd in playoff scoring, eight rebounds to pass Robert Parish for 8th in boards, five steals to pass Magic Johnson for 3rd and 11 made field goals to pass Tim Duncan for 5th.

Will you know who carry the Cavs to another championship? We’ll be closer to that answer in a few hours…

Cavs probable starting lineup: Kevin Love, LeBron James, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Kyrie Irving.

Pacers probable starting lineup: Paul George, Jeff Teague, Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young, Monta Ellis.

Prediction: The Cavs show the Pacers who’s boss and show us all who they want to be with a convincing 117-104 victory.

Catch all of the playoff action starting at 3pm EST on ABC.