2018 NBA Playoffs: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers preview

Individual Matchups

PG: George Hill vs. Darren Collison

Ironically, George Hill used to be on the Indiana Pacers not that long ago. The team has drastically changed since then. Hill, who has always been touted as a plus defender is hosting a 111.4 defensive rating going into the playoffs. Hill, now 31, seems to be past his prime both offensively and defensively. Collison is a journeyman, having played for five different teams in nine seasons. But this year Collison decided to never miss a 3-point shot. He’s shooting a league-high 46.8 percent from deep. The advantage in this matchup goes to the guy who’s shooting the best mark of his career. Advantage: Pacers

SG: J.R. Smith vs. Victor Oladipo

If we’re only considering how both players did in the regular season, there’s no argument that Victor Oladipo crushes J.R. Smith in this matchup. Oladipo is having a transcendent All-Star season, while Smith seems to be coasting along and taking bad shots. The problem is, we’ve seen what Smith can do in the playoffs if he gets hot. Nobody in their right mind is giving him an open chance from deep. Still, Oladipo is one of the best defensive guards in the league. This will be one of the few series where Smith shouldn’t be able to get hot. The advantage goes to Oladipo. Advantage: Pacers

SF: Bojan Bogdanovic vs. LeBron James

This one is tricky to compare because most likely, Bogdanovic won’t be matched up with James.  He’s always been a defensive liability his whole career, so matching him up with one of the best offensive players to ever play the game is a bad idea. Any way you cut it, James has the advantage here. His sheer athletic prowess would hinder most attempts for Bogdanovic to score from deep like he tries to do. If Bojan is shooting well, that could be a great factor in the game, but James comes home with the decisive advantage. Advantage: Cavaliers

PF: Thaddeus Young vs. Jeff Green

This is a matchup that could sway one way or the other. Thaddeus Young has had some promising moments. While he may not always be engaged in one-on-one defending, he is ranked 10th in the league in steals per game. Thaddeus Young has scored 20 points or more seven times this season and when he has, the team has gone 6-1. Jeff Green, also a journeyman, has always struggled to be consistent. He’ll have a flashy dunk or a game where he goes off, but he’s struggled to keep it up for a big length of time. Due to the effort of Larry Nance Jr. and Tristian Thompson, we won’t entirely know how much of Jeff Green we’ll see. For that, the advantage goes to Young. Advantage: Pacers

C: Myles Turner vs. Kevin Love

Myles Turner has unfortunately regressed from last year, with his points, assists, rebounds and blocks all being down. Turner can still be an impact player spacing the floor and blocking shots, but unfortunately so can Kevin Love, at a much more impressive level. Love is not only a better rebounder despite being undersized, but also a much scarier offensive threat. It will be interesting to see just how small the Cavaliers decide to go in this season, but in this matchup, Love has the advantage. Advantage: Cavaliers