After sweeping the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing to face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Kenny Atkinson’s team has been among the most dominant forces in the NBA this season. As such, the Cavaliers will enter their series against Indiana as the heavy favorites to progress.
During a recent episode of Fox Sports’ “First Things First,” Chris Broussard declared that the Cavaliers are heading to the NBA Finals. He dubbed Atkinson’s team as the best in the East, even above the Boston Celtics.
“Cleveland proved that it is the best team in the Eastern Conference,” Broussard said. “That’s right, I said it…The Cavaliers are going to the finals. Take that Boston. You don’t do this (sweep) to the Miami Heat…To beat them by an average of 30 points per game?…You can’t stop Donovan (Mitchell) from getting to the hole. That’s no surprise…They got depth in the backcourt…They defend, they can protect the rim…I think they are the best team in the East.”
The Cavaliers are an inexperienced roster when it comes to the postseason. If they manage to beat the Pacers, who made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Cleveland will then face the Celtics. Beating Boston, over a seven-game series, will not be an easy task. Joe Mazzulla’s squad is one of the most experienced and playoff-tested teams in the entire NBA.
Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell Has a Plan for Pacers
Donovan Mitchell recently broke down the approach the Cavaliers need to adopt, if they’re going to be successful when facing the Pacers.
“(Indiana’s) guys have been farther in the playoffs and whatnot,” Mitchell told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “It’s the same mentality we had against Miami. Take care of home court. Take care of business on the road. Rebound. Extra possessions. Get back in transition. You know, stick to what you do and do it better for 48 minutes.”
Cleveland’s biggest test will be slowing down Indiana’s high-tempo offense. If Atkinson can position his team to control the tempo, the Pacers could struggle, especially in a more physical half-court setting. However, many teams have tried to slow Indiana down and failed. As such, the Cavaliers have a big test on their hands.
Mitchell is Looking to Build Momentum
Beating the Pacers will undoubtedly provide the Cavaliers with the momentum they need heading into the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s why Mitchell wants his team to keep chipping away, regardless of whether things get difficult during their second-round series.
“I’m not gonna say we’ve sat here and figured it out,” Mitchell told Vardon. “We gotta continue to do it against Indiana, and then the next round and the next round. I think winning the way we did in Game 2 (a close game) set the table for Games 3 and 4 (against Miami). It’s something I think we can carry over into this series.”
Cleveland will begin their second-round matchup on Sunday, May 4. They will have home-court advantage. Nevertheless, they would be wise not to take the Pacers lightly. After all, at this stage of the season, every team has earned its place. There are no easy wins.
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