NBA Makes Major Cavs, Pacers Announcements Ahead of Playoff Matchup

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers both dominated their first-round matchups. 

Everyone expected it from Cleveland because they were going up against the No. 8 seed Miami Heat and finished the season with the second-best record in basketball. 

Indiana on the other hand was expected to win their series against the Milwaukee Bucks because they had home court advantage, but nobody expected a rout.

These teams played a combined nine games in the first round with the Pacers losing just one game to the Bucks. 

Now, the two teams will meet in the second round in what is anticipated to be a bloodbath and clash of styles.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell

© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Indiana now has a similar feel to the Oklahoma City Thunder teams of the early 2010s in the sense that they are young, athletic and all they want to do is run. 

Luckily for Cleveland, most of their core players are young as well, but they play a much slower, half-court brand of offense that is sure to contrast what the Pacers want to do.

Their series will begin on Sunday night in Cleveland, but until recently, that was the only game of the series with a confirmed start date and time. 

Now, with the series set to begin in less than 24 hours, the NBA has released the full schedule for all seven games, shall they need them.

This series will be about who is able to win the battle of attrition because aside from the two-day rest in between games two and three, mostly every game between the two teams will be played on just one day of rest. 

This will likely be better for the Pacers because they are younger and more energetic, but this is exactly why Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson got his guys some much needed rest at the end of the regular season.

This has the makings of a six or seven game series, so both of these teams need to be prepared to go to war.