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Eastern Conference Playoffs Preview- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers

By Casimir Cuffy

Apr 2, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) in the first overtime at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) in the first overtime at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cavs and Pacers are gearing up for a wild first round of the NBA playoffs. Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The Cavs and Pacers are gearing up for a wild first round of the NBA playoffs. Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2017 NBA Playoffs are finally upon us and the defending champs, Cleveland Cavaliers, are facing off against the Indiana Pacers in the first round for what could be an interesting 2-seed vs 7-seed matchup.

Playoff History

The last time that the Indiana Pacers played the Cleveland Cavaliers in the post-season was in 1998. However, LeBron James and Paul George have had their share of battles against each other. When James was on the Miami Heat, George and the Indiana Pacers met them in back to back conference finals, both resulting in losses for Indiana. This Cavaliers team is certainly much different than those Heat teams, but LeBron James vs Paul George has always been a fun duel.

Season Series: Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1

The Cavaliers owned the upper hand in this season series. The Pacers won the first game of the series back in November by 10 points, but couldn’t break that seal again. Their defeats weren’t from lack of trying, however. In fact, their last meeting, a couple of weeks ago, went into double overtime with Paul George and LeBron James scoring 43 and 41 points, respectively.

Cavaliers Projected Starters (Season Statistics)

PG- Kyrie Irving (25.2 ppg & 5.8 apg)

SG- J.R. Smith (8.6 ppg & 35% 3PT)

SF- LeBron James (26.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg & 8.7 apg)

PF- Kevin Love (19.0 ppg & 11.1 rpg)

C- Tristan Thompson (8.1 ppg & 9.2 rpg)

Key Reserves- Kyle Korver (48.5% 3PT), Channing Frye (40.9% 3PT)

Pacers Projected Starters (Season Statistics)

PG- Jeff Teague (15.3 ppg & 7.8 apg)

SG- Monta Ellis (8.5 ppg & 3.2 apg)

SF- Paul George (23.7 ppg & 6.6 rpg)

PF- Thaddeus Young (11.0 ppg & 6.1 rpg)

C- Myles Turner (14.5 ppg & 2.1 bpg)

Key Reserves- Lance Stephenson (7.2 ppg), CJ Miles (41.3% 3PT)

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