NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 keys to Cavaliers vs. Pacers matchup

2. The bigs

One of the more interesting matchups in this series comes from the bigs. Cleveland is mostly known for Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love but when the playoffs come around their defensive MVP is Tristan Thompson. A monster two years in a row now, Thompson usually anchors the defense with excellent rim protection and gobbles up rebounds on both sides. In both playoff runs, Thompson averaged four offensive rebounds a game. That is huge for the Cavs.

On the other side of Thompson is Myles Turner. The closest thing Indiana has to a second star, Turner needs to have a monster series to give the Pacers a shot at this. He’s extremely skilled with the ability to float out to the 3-point line and shoot, and solid traditional post skills down low. He may be able to take Thompson away from the rim when he floats out and his post skills gives the Pacers an option besides George on offense.

While Turner and Thompson is the big matchup, there are other bigs on both rosters that could make an impact on this series. Channing Frye is no slouch and Edy Tavares, just signed out of the D-League, is a wild card that could potentially ruin the day for any rim attackers. There’s Kevin Love, Thad Young, and if things get really weird there might be an Al Jefferson sighting if he’s healthy. There is a lot of skill from the big guys in this series and they’re going to be fun to watch the entire way.