Playoff Live Thread: Cavs vs. Pacers, Game 4 (#BroomsOut)
2017-04-23
The Indiana Pacers has never been swept in four games in a best-of-seven series in NBA franchise history. The Cleveland Cavaliers have gone on to sweep an opponent all seven times they’ve lead 3-0 in a playoff series. Something’s gotta give.
Following the biggest second half comeback in NBA playoff history that the Cavs hung on the Pacers Thursday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it would be understandable if Indy was too demoralized to put up much of a fight in Game 4. However, if Jeff Teague has anything to say about it, the Pacers will refuse to go quietly. And, while it would also be understandable if the Cavs took their foot off of the gas, and the Pacers’ collective necks, especially given their propensity for not finishing off opponents in the regular season… they could make things easy on themselves with a clean sweep. After all, the early round sweeps last year seemed to really benefit the wine & gold by affording them more energy in the tank to pull of their epic Finals comeback.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love should be plenty well rested for this one after sitting out the fourth quarter of Game 3. We’ll see if that development winds up being an outlier or a trend today.
Cavs probable starting lineup: Kevin Love, LeBron James, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Kyrie Irving. Pacers probable starting lineup: Paul George, Jeff Teague, Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young, C.J. Miles.
Prediction: It isn’t easy, but the Cavs sweep their way into the second round 122-118, and get a full week to prepare for whoever survives the Raps and Bucks series.
Catch all the action starting at 1pm (EST) on ABC, and don’t forget to chime in here…
[Editor’s note: The InstaCap for today’s game will be posted later this evening]
As great as LeBron was against the Pacers his poor FT shooting was the main factor for the Cavs not winning some of these games by double digits.
I also have mixed emotions about the sweep because now we have to wait until May 1st to watch the Cavs play again.
At the other hand it would be a good week for the Cavs to get some more practice to continue to integrate the new pieces even more.
InstaCap Up. Sorry it took so long
Crowder screams ‘AND ONE!!!!!’ Every. Single. Time. He. Drives. He’s a joke.
He must be a devout disciple of St. Weirdo…
If I were a ref, I’d make it a point to not give clowns like that any benefit of the doubt…
Mirotic can only make threes against the Cavs. No joke.
Bulls cannot play MCW. if he was as good defensively as, say, Roberson, they could play him, but he’s not anything like that. He’s like Austin Rivers playing PG if Rivers couldn’t shoot at all.
Butler’s gassed big time.
Celtics switching to a zone to keep Thomas out of the pick and roll defense.
Uh oh….’here comes Michael Carter-Williams’….not want you want to hear, ever…
The craziness of all the other series shows how awesome James teams have been. They never lose a series
We gotta game now boys!!!
Bulls really need to go right at Thomas now….get that 5th foul…
Yup…. have to be disciplined and go at him every time.
Crowder shrieks ‘AND ONE!!!!’ just as ineffectually as Dion. Also, 4th foul on Thomas….
Guys, did you saw what Lopez just did? lol.
Got a T on the Celtics, too…that was hi-larious…
Still can’t believe the calls IT gets… just ridiculous
Someone remind the bulls their on TNT not ABC
Wow, they’re. Cmon man you have an English degree.
ESPN staffers really need to take some statistics classes to learn how to appropriately display data. Some of the ways they share stats/information are just egregious misrepresentations.
Do you mean click bait?
Bulls hot garbage to start…
Just realized the Grizzlies finished one game ahead of the pacers. So…yeah. Flaws aside, we should probably be pleased as punch with the sweep.
How good would harden actually be if he didn’t get offensive flop/touch fouls?
Probably not an all star…
He’d be really good, but less so. His game, and the cheap crap that he he constantly pulls, essentially cheating and trying to get away with nonsense, disgusts me.
Russ did everything he could… his team’s just not good enough
NeNe… 12-12 from the field… crazy
Game over. Series probably over. Russ gets the triple double, but Harden gets the win…
Wow… Russ
Preach!
Harden shouldn’t get MVP, but I’m good with him getting MLT — Most Legitimate Turd.
+1
Kawhi is the MVP.
No
Westbrook just tipped it in for the Rockets… yikes
Can’t believe Donovan isn’t taking Roberson out… stupid
That Harden ‘hook the defenders arm and put up a “shot”‘ BS needs to be banned. Or call it an offensive foul. It has no place in the game. He’s literally grabbing the defender’s arm.
It’s really unbelievable that they give Harden these calls where he hooks the defender and still gets the foul…
UGH stupid hack-a
CAVS HAVE YET TO BREAK OUT THE “ORANGE ” UNIS / WHICH IS WHEN THEY PLAY THE MOST ENERGIZED / UPTEMPO—-UNDEFEATED OR 5-1 I BELIEVE THIS SEASON WITH THE ” ORANGE CRUSH ” ON