2018 NBA Playoffs Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers, SWOT Analysis & Prediction

X-Factor

Cleveland: Rodney Hood

Rodney Hood

Rodney Hood has a key role to play in this series. The Cavs have had during their reign atop the East a 3rd scorer who can be relied upon alongside James and Irving in Love. Now with Kyrie gone, Kevin Love has been promoted to the 2nd option on offense while the 3rd spot is open and that's where Hood fits in. His scoring is going to be vital alongside James and Love and if he can offer decent production they'll win this series in all likelihood. The Cavs are 11-2 when Hood gives them 10 or more points, and they're 2-6 when he doesn't. We can expect James and Love to deliver and if Hood does too, life will be much easier for the Cavs.

Indiana: Myles Turner

Myles Turner

As I've mentioned before, Turner has a big role to play in this series, but boy does he need to step up for that. He has been in a bit of funk leading up to the playoffs which is bad news for Indiana. He's averaging less than 8 points and 4 rebounds over the last 10 games to go along with shooting under 35% from the field. If this trend continues into the playoffs, Nate McMillan will have to bench his promising young Center. His replacement Domantas Sabonis can approximate Turner on offense, but he isn't nearly the defensive presence. If Indiana is to pose a serious threat to Cleveland, Turner has to churn out the production that he was putting out in late Feb and early March.