Indiana at Cleveland

Indiana opens the playoffs on the road, and they are not an elite defensive squad. The Pacers finished #18 in the NBA in field goal shooting defense. The Pacers were swept by the Cavaliers in the first round a year ago and catch a bad break by playing the Cavs again. Cleveland finished fifth in the NBA in scoring and vastly improved its defense after a mid-season trade, getting much better all-around. The Cavs have star power on offense, including the best player in the league in LeBron James, and a terrific bench anchored by Larry Nance, Jr. The Cavaliers are on a 10-3 spread run. They beat the Pacers and covered, 115-108, when they last met, and the rested and veteran home team holds hold all the cards for Game 1. Play Cleveland.