King James Gospel
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Predicting the Cavs’ record against divisional rivals

By Doug Patrick

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 20: Larry Nance Jr. #22 and Rodney Hood #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers box out Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2018 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 20: Larry Nance Jr. #22 and Rodney Hood #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers box out Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2018 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 18: Victor Oladipo
CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 18: Victor Oladipo /

The Indiana Pacers: 1-3

If there was an Overachievers award, Indiana would’ve had a case for running away with it last season. After being projected to win only 32 games before the season’s start, the Indiana Pacers ripped off 48 wins and were awarded the East’s fifth-seed.

Most Improved Player Victor Oladipo was paramount to the Pacers’ success last season. He averaged career-highs in points (23.1), rebounds (5.2), assists (4.3), and steals (2.4).

His lethal off-the-dribble three (46.6 percent) forced defenders into an impossible decision: play him close and risk getting left behind by Oladipo’s quick first step or give some space and let him rain down long-range bombs.

Sometimes, it didn’t matter which you chose—he was going to hit his threes.

If Oladipo continues this success or even builds upon it, he may find himself squarely in the MVP conversation.

However, if the Cavs can figure out ways to get the ball out of Oladipo’s hands — with double teams from a combination Sexton, Nwaba, Osman and Hood, for instance — the roster around him could look more ordinary.

Point guard Darren Collison is a decent starter who fits well with Oladipo and makes Indiana’s back court tough defensively. By himself though, he’s probably not turning any heads, especially if he is working against Sexton and Hill.

Domantas Sabonis was a great pickup for the Pacers last season but he also lacks a strong ability to create his own shot. The Cavs could put Thompson onto Sabonis and switch any pick-and-pop opportunities.

Bojan Bogdanovic shot 40.2 percent from three this past year and averaged 14.3 points. But again, he isn’t the best shot-creator.

Nearly everyone on Indiana’s roster could be similarly summed up except for Myles Turner and newly acquired Tyreke Evans.

Coming into his fourth season, Turner may be ready to turn the corner. He recently attended USA Basketball’s summer minicamp and looked primed to become a secondary scorer and defender down low. Turner’s confidence seems to be blooming.

Evans has recently bounced around the league a bit but that doesn’t mean he can’t help the Pacers in a secondary ball-handler role when opponents lock in on Oladipo.

He averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.1 rebounds last season and, as of late, he’s blossomed into a three-point shooter. Me shot 39.9 percent from deep last season on a high volume of threes (5.5 attempts per game).

I can see the Cavs having the personnel to make Oladipo uncomfortable at times. Like any other team, Cleveland will need to force other players on Indiana to beat them.

I can also see Indiana has the firepower to beat the Cavs even in a scenario where Oladipo can’t get going, though. Still, the Cavs could also catch Turner and Evans having a tough time moving the ball around to shooters who may just not be hitting their shots.