Despite entering their second-round playoff matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers as the underdogs, the Indiana Pacers have a few advantages in the series, and a few of them were on display in their Game 1 win--their shooting and depth. For the Pacers to pull off an upset against Cleveland and make it back to the conference finals, they must execute on their advantages. If Game 1 is any indication, they will do exactly that the rest of the way.
The Pacers need to win the shooting battle
The Cavaliers shot 38.3% from beyond the arc in the regular season. Though they struggled a bit later in the year, they still finished as the second-most efficient three-point shooting team in the league, only behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Additionally, the Cavaliers averaged 41.5 three-point field goal attempts in the regular season, fourth-most in the NBA.
In the postseason, things have not changed for the Cavaliers so far. They are averaging 42.6 three-point field goal attempts and stand only behind the Golden State Warriors in this area. Additionally, they are shooting an efficient 40.4% from the three-point line in the playoffs. This is second-best only behind the Pacers, who are shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc.
As it stands, this is an advantage the Pacers have over the Cavaliers. When they are hot, the Pacers are one of the most dangerous teams in the league, especially on offense. For them to have a legitimate shot against Cleveland, who ranked as one of the most complete teams in the NBA in the regular season, they need to win the shooting battle, which is exactly what happened in Game 1. In the win, the Pacers shot 52.8% from three-point land. The Cavaliers shot just 23.7%.
Another strength the Pacers have is their depth. They have an incredible starting lineup that all play well with each other, but they also have one of the best benches in the league. In Game 1, the Pacers ran an 11-man rotation, which is a bit unusual in the playoffs. While it is fair to argue that the Pacers may want to trim the rotation the rest of the way to ensure their top guys play as much as possible, it is still indicative of just how strong their depth is.
The Pacers should feel good about their performance in Game 1, but the series is far from over. They must move forward and take it one step at a time. If they can continue taking advantage of their strengths and doing what got them to this point, a second consecutive conference finals appearance may be inevitable for the Pacers.