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Key: Trying to Keep Pace
On Saturday, the Wine & Gold play their third game in four nights, looking to get their first win of the campaign. It won’t be easy, going up against the team that gave them fits last year – the Indiana Pacers.
Nate McMillan’s squad took three of four from the reigning Eastern Conference champs during the regular season and nearly knocked Cleveland out of the Playoffs in seven bare-knuckle matchups.
The Cavaliers are a different squad these days and come into tonight’s meeting having dropped their first five games of the season – including Thursday night’s solid effort in Motown, squandering a big effort by the bench and getting dominated by Detroit’s dynamic duo of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
Indiana comes to town trying to keep pace with the division’s top two teams, Milwaukee and Detroit, neither of whom have lost a game this season. The Pacers took one on the chin on Monday night in Minnesota but bounced back to blow out the Spurs on Wednesday in San Antonio.
The Cavaliers aren’t the same squad that eliminated Indy from the postseason over the past couple years, but they’ll still be in a mood for some revenge when they roll into Cleveland tonight. The Wine & Gold would love to hand them the same result they did last April.
Key: Follow the Leader
Victor Oladipo had a season for the ages last year.
After four so-so seasons with Orlando and OKC, the former No. 2 overall pick had a breakout season in the state where he played his college ball – earning his first All-Star nod, a place on the All-Defensive First Team and the Most Improved Player Award.
He’s right back at it this season, leading Indy in scoring and assists again through their first five games. The NBA’s steals leader from a season ago has averaged 19.8 points per in 24 career contests against the Cavs, including three 30-point games against Cleveland last year and a 45-point outburst a couple seasons ago with Orlando.
If the Wine & Gold are to get off the schneid, they’ll need to solve Oladipo.
The Cavaliers will probably throw a few looks at Indiana’s All-Star, but Rodney Hood will get the starting assignment. Hood’s been consistent and showing progress so far this season – notching double-figures in all five outings – but he’s shooting under 40 percent from the floor and has just a single three-pointer in nine attempts.
The Cavaliers will need Hood to up his intensity on both ends if they hope to slow down Oladipo on Saturday night.
Key: On Point
Victor Oladipo is only half the problem for the Cavaliers’ backcourt on Saturday night.
As the Cavaliers have seen over the years, Darren Collison can also be a handful. The former UCLA star led the NBA in three-point percentage last season, but he’s off to a slow start so far this year – shooting just 3-of-10 from long-range, netting just five points apiece in each of his last two games and taking the collar in the opener against Memphis.
Collison tormented the Cavaliers during the regular season last year – averaging 18.0 points, shooting 68 percent from the floor, including 75 percent from long-range. He slowed down a little bit in the First Round matchup, but still finished with 23 points in Indy’s Game 7 loss.
A familiar face to Pacer fans is George Hill, who spent five years with Indy after being drafted (and dealt) by the Spurs out of IUPUI. Hill has scored at least 15 points in three of Cleveland’s first five games, shooting 58 percent from the floor and 67 percent from deep in those outings.
The Wine & Gold would love to see him put those type of games together, and he’ll have to start getting teammates more involved – having posted zero assists over his last two games – but they’ll need his grit against Collison if they hope to get Saturday’s win.
Key: Middle Management
The Cavaliers group of big men isn’t glamourous. They’re not even the earth-mover that Andre Drummond is in Detroit. But they are developing as this team’s leaders, both on and off the floor.
Now in his eighth season with the Wine & Gold, Tristan Thompson is the most tenured Cavalier. He’s seen the absolute highs and absolute lows of the franchise’s history and he’s trying to maintain a hard-working, winning culture.
Before struggling on Thursday night against Drummond, Thompson was averaging double-digit boards on the season and he comes into tonight’s contest needing just 11 rebounds to pass Anderson Varejao and into the franchise’s all-time top five.
Larry Nance Jr. does a little bit of everything on the floor and showed that versatility on both ends in Thursday’s loss.
The fourth-year man from Wyoming (via Akron) is showing progress and finished with a season-high 11 points, going 5-of-8 from the floor, adding six boards, five assists and a game-high three steals.
They’ll both have their hands full on Saturday night with Pacers big man Myles Turner, who’s coming off a 16-point night against the Spurs. One of the league’s premier shot-blockers, Turner has notched double-figures in every game since the opener.
Key: Big Lift
The Cavaliers bench was sensational on Thursday night in Detroit – finishing with 64 of Cleveland’s 103 points.
Kyle Korver had easily his best game of the season, leading the squad with 21 points, going 7-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from deep, adding two boards and two assists in just 22 minutes of work.
Jordan Clarkson has been doing it all season long and he was red-hot on Thursday night – finishing with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep. Through five games this season, Clarkson is averaging 17.0 points per off the bench – good for 4th-best in the NBA.
And then there’s the Young Bull, Collin Sexton, who’s been as advertised – fearless with the ball and a potentially dynamic scorer. In 25 minutes off the bench on Thursday night, Sexton finished with 14 points, going 5-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the stripe, adding a career-best five assists and a pair of steals.