After eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, the Indiana Pacers will officially take on the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers to determine which team will make it to the conference finals. As the lower seed, the Pacers are considered the underdogs, but the team has built a reputation as one that can rise to the occasion, which should make this a closer series than many expect.
There is a lot to like about Indiana's matchup with the Cavaliers. However, given how good of a team Cleveland is, it is crucial that everybody on the Pacers brings their A-game. This certainly includes their top players, such as Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. However, for the Pacers to pull off the upset, their key role players are just as important and may be the deciding factor in the series.
The Pacers must get good play out of their key role players
Despite Cleveland's dominance for most of the regular season, they are not a flawless team. One of their biggest weaknesses is their ability to handle ball pressure, and while the Pacers are not an elite defensive team, this is one of the areas of that side of the ball they excel in. To make the most out of this strength, the Pacers will need to rely on Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and T.J. McConnell to make things difficult for Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. All three of these players and physical and bring high energy, which does not bode well for Cleveland.
Luckily for the Pacers, in addition to having the players to expose this Cavaliers weakness, they also have a fantastic head coach in Rick Carlisle, whose game plan was perfectly executed in the team's series against the Bucks. Given the situation, it is fair to assume the Pacers will guard full-court often and bring the pressure. Additionally, they must do whatever they can to take the Cavaliers out of their game, and this may be the exact way they need to do it.
Going up against a team like the Cavaliers, things will be incredibly challenging for the Pacers. However, they have the assets and system to pull off the upset. There will be plenty of notable players from both teams to keep an eye on in the series, but it may be the Pacers' role players that decide who secures the series victory.