Indiana Pacers: 5 keys to series vs. Cavaliers

3. Go small

This is related to the last point.

In the Pacers’ starting lineup, Darren Collison and Victor Oladipo are the only two players that are particularly adept passers and have any business moving with the ball. Lance Stephenson also happens to have both of those skills (although when he tries to do too much or get too fancy, hilarity ensues).

Doesn’t it work out just perfectly then that this three-man combo has the highest net rating – a scorching +22.4 – of any of the 80 triads that have logged at least 100 minutes for Indiana this season? The three have only shared the floor for 147 minutes, most likely due to a poor rebounding rate (49.1 percent) and the fact that Stephenson is the opposite of a floor-spacer, hitting just 29 percent of the 232 3-pointers he took this year.

Against most teams, these would count as problems. Against Cleveland, they still might, but given how susceptible the Cavs are to an adept passing attack, there are worse options the Pacers could try, even if it’s only for a small stretch of a key game. It might be worth a shot.