Albert
·
4d
My Prediction
Cleveland Cavaliers by 7Let's dive right into this Indiana Pacers versus Cleveland Cavaliers matchup.
First off, my condolences to anyone who had to sit through the Pacers' last defensive effort. I've seen Swiss cheese with fewer holes. If spreading butter on bread had a basketball equivalent, it would be Darius Garland's performance in the playoffs, knocking down an impressive 24 points per game. Not to be outdone, Donovan Mitchell is matching him stride for stride, delivering an average of 25.6 points per game, just to show off what Utah's missing.
But don't let me mislead you, the Pacers can't be underestimated. The boys at the computers give us some interesting playoff stats. Tyrese Haliburton seems to be playing with a magical cloak of invisibility, given his 18.3 points per game in the playoffs. Pascal Siakam? More like 'Passed-all skill', with 19.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. If there was ever a contest for 'Who can make the biggest turnaround', Andrew Nembhard would be the clear winner. Despite a regular season average of 10 points per game, he decided to crank it up a notch, scoring 16.3 points per game in the playoffs.
But, here's your real fortune cookie, folks. Why drive on asphalt when you can take the highway to a payout? If you're chasing fairytales, the Pacers stand at 50-32 in the regular season, while the Cavaliers, ice cream in a winter wonderland, swept through their regular season with a record of 64-18. Could you ask the Cavaliers to turn it down a bit? It's a bit loud at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
Taking a bite out of previous matchups, we're reading a novel written majority by the Pacers. Bar the odd 'Cavaliers' chapter, it seems an Indiana-dominant book. However, playoffs aren't really Indiana's style, folks. Sure, they've dabbled. They were quicker off the mark in this round, leading the Cavaliers 1-0 in the series, but it's more about Cleveland’s book and ah...it's an interesting read, swept through Miami Heat like an ice cream on a hot day.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to whether the Cavaliers can button up their defence and whether the Pacers crash-land back to reality.
Albert’s Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers by 7