This series against the Pacers is a microcosm of the Cavaliers season

The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled in many phases in the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. Curiously enough, it really puts on display a lot of the problems the team has been dealing with all season long.

Unless they live in Ohio or are NBA League Pass subscribers, most NBA fans did not watch the Cleveland Cavaliers unless it was on national television. Which honestly is a shame, because they get to miss out on Fred McCleod, Austin Carr and Allie Clifton’s play-by-play commentary.

Besides missing out on the best color commentators in the Association (don’t @ me) many NBA fans missed something else. They missed a lot of putrid basketball.

No, this is not hyperbole since the Cavaliers were downright unwatchable at times this season. A lot of it had to do to with Isaiah Thomas but there was a myriad of other little things, too.

With the playoffs underway and every game on national television, the whole world can see these flaws. In what has turned into an ugly series the worst parts of the Cavaliers have come to light. It is almost funny that the first round is a microcosm for this season.

As mentioned before, a lot of the problems fell squarely on Thomas. Thomas played with the swagger of an MVP candidate but with the body of a benchwarmer. Things reached a boiling point when Cavaliers fans got fed up with Thomas’s antics:

Soon after, the Cavaliers got rid of their small problem and brought in George Hill, Rodney Hood, and Jordan Clarkson to share the load.

While all three were solid in the regular season, they have been pedestrian in the playoffs. Hill is averaging 8.6 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 and has been sidelined for the last two games with a nagging back injury. Hood is averaging 6.4 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. Clarkson is averaging 5.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

The other let down for the Cavaliers offense is All-Star forward Kevin Love. Even though he was an All-Star, Love has not looked it in the playoffs. He is currently averaging 11.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. To be fair, Love is battling torn ligaments in his thumb but the Pacers’ defensive scheme is to shut down Love and it has been effective.

Outside of the trio of guards, the offense as a whole has been a disappointment. The team is only averaging 94.4 points a game, which is a stark comparison to their regular season average of 110.9 points per game.

The silver lining to this is the Cavaliers defense has become stingy against the Pacers. They are only allowing 96.4 points per game. While this number seems high, it is inflated by the Pacers winning game one 98-80.

This is a lot different compared to the Cavaliers’ regular season defense. Over 82 games the Cavs allowed 109.9 points per game, which ranked 26th in the league. They also have been giving Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo the fits:

While the Cavs have been struggling on offense, there is some hope thanks to some gritty defense.

It is pretty safe to assume that most NBA fans can do basic math. It is also easy to notice that the Cavs are being outscored by the Pacers by 2.0 points per game in the first round. How does that equate having a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6?

Easy.

The Cavaliers have LeBron freaking James on their side. James has been stellar for the Cavaliers in the first round with averages of 34.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 8.0 assists. The series was also capped off by James when he hit this shot in Game 5:

At this point, James just keeps adding more ammo to why he should be this year’s Most Valuable Player. But this is not the first game-winner James has hit this season.

James also hit a very similar shot in an overtime win against the Minnesota Timberwolves:

This season has been a struggle from every Cavalier not named LeBron James and because of that, the team has had to lean on him countless times. This is the first season he has played a full regular season and that can be taxing on a run to win an NBA Championship.

The Cavaliers’ offense is shockingly similar in the playoffs as well. With the team failing to hit three-pointers (31.9% connected), James has to bail out the team plenty of times.

The team’s offense is a lot like that episode of Hey Arnold!  where they had to get the ball to Tucker:

The over-reliance on James is expected, though as mentioned before the rest of the team has not stepped up. If the Cavaliers want to break the vicious cycle of this season, things need to change. Clarkson, Hood, Hill, and Love all need to step up. They need to find to find their three-point stroke again.

Most of all, they need to stop expecting

Tucker

LeBron to bail out the team every time on offense.

If the Cavaliers close out on the road in Game 6, they’ll play the winner between the Raptors and the Wizards. Either team has given the Cavaliers problems this season, like the Pacers. Things need to change if they want to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

If anyone on the Cavaliers coaching staff or roster happens to be reading this, please pass on what was discussed. Fans cannot take the soul crushing losses or the heart stopping wins, and need a little relief.

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