NBA Playoff Series Preview: Indiana Pacers vs Cleveland Cavaliers, Which Team will advance?
Welcome everybody to this NBA playoffs special. I’m Mike Pastor. Today we’re going to look at the second round of the NBA playoffs Eastern Conference semi-finals as the Indiana Pacers will play the Cleveland Cavaliers in a series the Cavaliers are heavily favored in. The Cavs right now are like 4 to1 favorites. I think they’re minus 410. The Indiana Placers are plus 330. And these are two teams that have been two of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last couple months of the season. And really, Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best team in the NBA all season long, or at least the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Indiana Pacers were a team that started out the season a little bit slow, but since the All-Star breakdown, the Pacers defense has been in the top 10. The Pacers offense has been top three. The Pacers finished the season 15-4 at the end to get the four seed. They beat the Milwaukee Bucks four games to one in a series they handled rather easily. Game three, they got blown out by the Bucks, but I think that was more of an anomaly. When you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, they beat up a depleted, injured Miami Heat team in four straight games. And I’m not saying that’s why it was four straight games because I think a completely healthy Miami Heat team would have been swept also by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers, I think when you look at this, have the better topline players, the top five guys on the roster. I think that they’re better than the Indiana Pacers. But the Indiana Pacers can go 10, 11 guys deep if need be. In a long series, that could be a huge factor. Now, when we look at this, the odds makers have set Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs as major favorites, guys. And they had a dominant sweep over Miami. But I think this right now these odds are way too long. If you give me the Pacers in 330, I’ll jump over all over right now. Now, both of these teams have plenty of playoff experience. Last year, the Cavs were lost in the second round. The Indiana Pacers actually pulled two upsets. They upset the Ducks and the Knicks. They made it to the conference finals against the Boston Celtics. And really, even though they were swept in four games, those games were tight. So, this is a team that does have the experience. Now, as I said before, on the court after the All-Star break, the Indiana Pacers stepped up in a huge way on defense. They became a top 10 defensive rating during that stretch. Now, if that keeps up in this series, the Pacers are going to be a much tougher out than most people expect. You know, whenever you got 11 players, you know, playing in the first round, contributing solid minutes, that showcases a depth that is able to throw fresh bodies at the Cavs all series long. Like I said before, Cleveland’s top group, I think, is a little bit better. They had three Allstars this season. You had two guys that are up for that were up for the NBA six man in a year. You know, you had Tyro, you had DeAndre Hunter. So, Cleveland’s not chopped liver. They’re just not as deep as the Indiana Pacers. I don’t know that any team is as deep as the Pacers right now. Cleveland finished the season with the best offensive rating in the NBA. So, the Pacers are going to have their work cut out for them on the defensive end of the floor. You know, Indiana’s going to pressure at times the Cavs full court. And I do love that the Pacers offense, you know, is far from an ISO heavy attack. You know, you got Tyrese Hallebertton leading the way and he’s an elite floor general. Now, oddsmakers seem to think the Cavs will win the series with relative ease, but the Pacers did have their number in the regular season. You know, two of those wins though came in the last week or two of the season where the Cavs were resting guys. But those two earlier season games, the Pacers dominated the Cavs in game one. Game two, the Cavs won 127 to 117 when Donathan Mitchell went off for 35 points. Now, I can admit this, after such a dominating season, regular season, it would be shocking to see the Cavs fail to advance in this matchup, but I don’t think they’re going to roll easily past the Pacers. Now, you know, remember Indiana won those two series against fe favored teams, the Bucks and the Knicks last season, and there are some defensive concerns when I look at this Cavaliers roster. They traditionally played two small guards. I would be amazed if they play at that same offensive pace as they did against Miami, though. They posted an NBA best offensive rating during the first round of the playoffs of over 136. Now, Cleveland has more topline talent, but the depth of this Indiana team is really interesting to watch here. The Pacers aren’t relying on a sole scorer to carry them each night. And you know, they have big games from Pascal Seakum, Tyresese Hallebertton, and others in that first round win over the Milwaukee Bucks. If Cleveland wins this series, I wouldn’t be shocked to see it go seven games. I think when I look at this series, I see a long series ahead. I think this is a series that goes six or seven games. Now, if I got to pick a winner, it’s hard to pick against a team that was the best team in the NBA all season long. But I’m going to do it right here, guys. I think the Indiana Pacers will split one of these first two games. I think they’ll win two at home. I think they’ll lose in Cleveland. And then they’ll come home in game six at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which will be rockus and crazy. And I think Tyrese Hallebertton and Pascal Seakkum are going to lead the Indiana Pacers to another upset. And just like last year, they’re going to win their first two series and are going to find themselves in the conference finals against either the New York Knicks or the Boston Celtics. The best thing about this is if you want to bet this game, you can go to bet MGM, the top sports book for betting on NBA, and you can get plus 330 on the Pacers to win this series right now. That’s great odds. That’s odds that are huge, heavy on value because the Indiana Pacers shouldn’t be a three to one underdog against anybody. Take the Pacers at six and you get like plus 800 or plus 1,000 money if you’re going to make a series bet predicting the series. So, make sure you check out BMGM. You can click on the link in the description down below if you’re watching on YouTube. So, make sure you check them out. Great sports book and make sure you follow us here at the Grueling Truth. You can follow us on XGringtruth. Like, subscribe, hit the bell notification on YouTube, check us out on Facebook, and check out the grillingtruth.com for all your basketball betting needs. But for now, guys, I’m Mike Good Pastor. You’ve been watching and listening to the Grilling Truth, where the legends speak.
This channel is for entertainment and educational purposes only, play responsibly.
Join Mike Goodpaster as he previews and predicts the Eastern Conference Semifinal Matchup between the Pacers and the Cavaliers.
Check out the Top Sportsbook for Betting on the NBA Playoffs.
https://thegruelingtruth.com/yt/betmgm/sport/
⛔️ Only for +18 or the legal age in your area.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more betting info, tips and strategies and to follow us on our other social channels ⤵️
https://www.facebook.com/thegruelingtruth/
Tweets by Grueling_Truth
@thegruelingtruth
#indianapacers #indianapacerspodcast #tyresehaliburton #donovanmitchell #nba #nbaplayoffs #sportsbetting #basketball #clevelandcavaliers
