CLEVELAND, Ohio – I have a scouting report on the Pacers from former Cavs coach Mike Fratello and other NBA sources.
But first, as the Cavs prepare to face Indiana in the second round of the playoffs, I decided to listen to the press conference video of Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. The best-of-seven series opens Sunday at Rocket Arena.
“The Cavs have been dominant in the East all year,” said Carlisle. “What they did to Miami is daunting.”
The Cavs swept Miami in four games in the first round. The final two games were eye-popping. Playing without All-Star guard Darius Garland (toe injury), the Cavs won the final two games in Miami and by a combined 92 points.
“They are as precise as any team in the league,” said Carlisle. “They have attackers at all positions. Even their bigs are playmakers.”
Carlisle was talking about Cleveland’s passing and movement on offense. The “bigs” are Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
“One is an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year (Mobley),” said Carlisle. “The other (Allen) right is like an All-Star.”
He mentioned how Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 when the Cavs were struggling against Miami.
“We know they’re good,” said Carlisle. “And they know they’re good.”
Cavs Coach Kenny Atkinson knows his team must be ready for Indiana’s speed. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
What is the truth?
This is the time of year when opposing playoff coaches discuss their opponents as if they were trying to hold off a tidal wave with a tea cup. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson talked about Indiana’s “elite speed” and praised stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
Fact is, these are two excellent teams. The Cavs had the best record in the Eastern Conference (64-18). The Pacers ranked fourth (50-32). Most fans outside of Indiana remember the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 before losing to eventual NBA champion Boston.
“They have two guys coming off the bench who are finalists for Sixth Man of the Year,” said Carlisle. “And they both went to a great school.”
Carlisle was talking about Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter, who were teammates at Virginia. Yes, that’s Carlisle’s alma mater.
Now 65, Carlisle is in his 23rd season as an NBA head coach. This is his 17th trip to the playoffs. He has a career record of 993-860. He’s had only six losing seasons in those 23 years.
“This series has two very underrated cities,” he said. “I’ve been to Cleveland a lot. They have a great fan base and their building is one of the loudest (in the NBA).”
I wrote about how Mitchell believes the Cavs need to “raise their level of desperation” to get past the Pacers. The Cavs’ leader and a six-time All-Star, Mitchell has never reached the third round of the playoffs. It gnaws at him.
“They are very hungry,” said Carlisle. “We have to match their level of hunger … We have to play our game better than they play their game.”
Illustration by Ted Crow for Crowquill. The Cavs will try to slow down Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.Ted Crow
How do the Pacers play?
1. “Fast,” said former Cavs coach Mike Fratello. “They push the ball up the court faster than any NBA team. They cross the halfcourt line in 4 seconds or less 76.8% of the time.”
2. Or as Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson told me: “They have Haliburton leading them and four other guys going like they are shot out of a cannon.”
3. Haliburton is Indiana’s 6-foot-5 point guard. He averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists in the regular season. Atkinson calls Haliburton Indiana’s “quarterback.” Fratello said, “Indiana is 25-3 when Haliburton scores at least 20 points. Keep an eye on that.”
4. Fratello stressed the Cavs need to be at their best on “transition defense,” meaning getting back to defend the fast break. Cleveland ranked 18th in that area. “This is not a plodding team that allows you to set up your defense. They don’t come down the court and run set plays.”
5. Amazing stat from Fratello: “Indiana throws more passes per possession than anyone in the NBA. It’s at the highest rate in the last seven seasons.”
6. That means Indiana players not only run up the court fast – they also throw the ball up the court quickly. It’s not just one guy dribbling the ball. They spread out – excellent spacing – putting stress on the defense as they throw the ball from one side of the court to the other.
7. Fratello said: “It’s almost like their offense is helter-skelter. They come at you so fast, the ball moves so quickly, it appears random. They are hard to defend.”
Illustration by Ted Crow for Crowquill. The Cavs Evan Mobley won 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year..Ted Crow
8. The Cavs have a size advantage with Mobley and Allen. Indiana will try to use its speed and athleticism to force the Cavs to have only one big man on the court at a time.
9. “Indiana likes to put Haliburton and (Myles) Turner in the pick-and-roll,” said Fratello. “How will the Cavs defend that with their bigs? Milwaukee tried to keep (7-foot) Brook Lopez in the game, and they killed him as he tried to drop back on defense.”
10. As Carlisle mentioned, Cleveland’s big men (Allen and Mobley) are athletic. They are more mobile than Lopez. Mobley is the Defensive Player of the Year, but he is more likely to be matched up with Pascal Siakam, the Pacers’ 20-point scorer. The 6-foot-8 Siakam is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He also is their leading rebounder (6.9).
11. Fratello discussed how Indiana likes to “drag Turner” as they push the ball up the court. That means as Haliburton or someone else leads the attack, the 6-foot-11 Turner comes behind. He stops at the 3-point line and catches a pass. He shoots 40% on 3-pointers.
De’Andre Hunter is listed at 6-foot-8 but he plays even taller than that as you can see in this picture.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
12. A huge factor in the series for the Cavs is De’Andre Hunter. The 6-foot-8 forward with long arms can defend taller players and smaller, quicker forwards. Cavs president Koby Altman traded for Hunter exactly for this time of year.
13. The Pacers have no one like Mitchell, who is a career 29-point playoff scorer – sixth highest all-time. Indiana will probably have Andrew Nembhard defending the Cavs superstar. Mitchell is set up to have a huge series in terms of scoring.
14. Indiana has a version of Cavs super-sub Ty Jerome. That’s T.J. McConnell, the 6-foot-1 guard who averages 9.1 points per game in 18 minutes.
15. Fratello on McConnell: “He’ll play the most frenetic 15-to-20 minutes you’ll ever see. He’ll fire through every gap, seeming to dribble around 18 guys. He’s tough as nails.”
BOTTOM LINE: This story has concentrated on the Pacers, but the Cavs have the superior team. That said, Indiana is a difficult matchup for Cleveland.
Prediction: Cavs in seven games.