Indiana Pacers: 5 keys to series vs. Cavaliers
5. Give multiple players a shot at LeBron
The only person who has ever been able to stop LeBron James is the guy he sees when he looks in the mirror. Unless the Pacers have the number for the San Antonio Spurs’ air conditioning guy, they’re not going to shut down the King.
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That doesn’t mean they can’t slow him down. The one thing that the Pacers have going for them is they’ve got several bodies to throw at LeBron who will at least make him work to get what he wants on offense. Thaddeus Young will probably get the first shot, but with Young also able to slide onto Kevin Love, Myles Turner may be able to switch onto LeBron as well. Neither guy is quick enough to keep up, but alternating might have its benefits.
Then there’s Victor Oladipo, who is probably going to wind up on one of the All-Defense teams after leading the league in steals and generally being a pain in the butt (albeit below the levels he was pegged at coming out of college). He’ll take some selective shots at James when it really matters, and it will be up to LeBron to take him down into the post, where Oladipo should be able to hold his own.
On the bench, Glenn Robinson III is a bit short (he gives up about three inches), but offers more lateral quickness than anyone on the starting unit.
Last, but oh so definitely not least, is Lance Stephenson. For all his silliness, Stephenson will absolutely give this matchup everything he has, and will in no way be intimidated.