Rivals and friends, LeBron and George meet in playoffs again
The drama. It would be absolutely absurd if LeBron James decided at some point at a later date to move on from the Cleveland Cavaliers once again. He will no doubt do all that he can to get his team to be in the best position to win come June, assuming they get to the Finals.
After spending most of the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland went 10-14 in its last 24 contests to finish two games behind the Boston Celtics.
“We have good chance to win it all, but it starts with our opponent in two days”, James said. “I’ve got to be the leader of this team every time I step on the floor”.
Fully healthy entering the season after two years of dealing with knee issues, Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving had his most productive all-around season in the National Basketball Association, and it resulted in an All-Star start for the sixth-year pro.
Stars: The Cavs didn’t plan on overworking James this season, and while he did get rest (played 74 games), he also averaged more minutes than anyone during the season (37.8). IN will cut it down in the second half and maybe even take the lead back since Cleveland is prone to letting teams back into games, but a late take over from James and Irving will push the wine-and-gold to victory to finally get the monkey off the team’s back. LeBron James sat on the second leg of a back-to-back, J.R. Smith was DNP, and Kyle Korver was still in Atlanta in the clubs’ first clash.
But, boy, have they been bad lately.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ journey toward a second straight NBA Championship begins Saturday as they take on a Central Division foe in the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of a best-of-seven series in the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs. Some general trends to be mindful of is that home teams who lose Game 1 – looking in your direction, Toronto – are 49-10 SU in Game 2 since 2003. Cavs should actually make quick work of this.
Over the course of the season, coach Tyronn Lue has been forced to shuffle in 22 different players due to injuries and unevenness. What do you want? “But when things don’t go your way and adversity hits, how can you get back to the point that nobody thinks you can get back to?”
Sanders also played four games this season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ Development League affiliate.
Paul George: Everything beings and ends with George when it comes to Indiana’s playoff hopes. However, the Wizards have proved to be one of the top teams in the East, rivaling Toronto for the best backcourt in the conference with John Wall and Bradley Beal. “If you ask me, it’s who I’ve wanted to match up against”.
While the Pacers are seemingly a favorable matchup for Cleveland, they enter the playoffs with a lot of confidence.
“We’ve elevated our play”, said McMillan. “I’m sure they’ll get it going once the playoffs start”.
That all has changed though, and the Pacers are bringing a five-game winning streak into the postseason. After all, he’s won titles with two teams, snatched a road win in 25 consecutive series and takes a 40-17 record in first-round games into this series with the Pacers, a team he’s battled in postseasons before.
“We’re ready for this”, George said. “We just have to be able to play our normal defense until we get there and then we will see what happens”.
James recognizes the Cavs’ flaws and understands why they appear susceptible to an early-round upset.