As the Indiana Pacers look to go on another deep playoff run and make their second consecutive conference finals appearance, they still have one obstacle in their way--the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Both teams won their first-round matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, respectively, and did so in convincing fashion. However, something must give in this matchup as only one of these teams can advance to the conference finals this year.
While the Cavaliers are favored to eliminate the Pacers, the series may be much closer than many anticipate. The Pacers played well against the Cavaliers this season and went 3-1 against them. Still, the regular season does not matter once the postseason hits, and that applies to this series as well. As the Pacers look to continue their playoff run this season, they will rely heavily on their top players, especially Pascal Siakam, who will be crucial against the Cavaliers.
The Pacers need Pascal Siakam at his best against Cleveland
The Cavaliers have a lot of advantages in this series, but so do the Pacers. One of their main advantages is having a versatile and high-energy offense, which they can use to make things very difficult for the Cavaliers. To exploit this the best they can, it is important that the Pacers rely on Siakam, who provides a big boost on the offensive side of the ball.
Getting Siakam in the post should force the Cavaliers to double and get their players in rotation. The Cavaliers have a great defense, but it will be tough for them to stop Indiana's offense when their guards and Jarrett Allen are forced to switch into difficult spots. The Pacers have numerous ways to win on offense, and relying on Siakam in this way is one of them.
Indiana will have a tough challenge ahead of them, but as it stands, there are reasons for fans to be optimistic. The Pacers match up well against the Cavaliers and have the tools to pull off this upset and make it back to the conference finals. However, in order for them to get there, the entire team must bring their A-game, not just Siakam.
In this series, the Pacers will depend on a lot of their key role players in addition to Siakam and the rest of their top stars. Defeating Cleveland will be a full team effort, but the Pacers are well-equipped for that. This should be a tough series for Indiana, but as they have proven before, they thrive as the underdog, which bodes well for them ahead of their biggest challenge to this point.