Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

2018 NBA Playoffs: Last time the Cavaliers-Pacers met in the postseason

By Dante Nelson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball while defended by Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 8, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball while defended by Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 8, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

What happened the last time the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Playoffs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers don’t really have much aggressive playoff history. It’s more of LeBron James vs the Pacers. Still, the 2018 playoffs are a rematch of last year. The Cavaliers were the 2nd seed and the Pacers were 7th. This was a first round meeting.

The Cavs swept Indiana in four games. Um, yeah. But, the games were close. The largest loss for the Pacers was six points. It’s a shame it ended in a sweep; it makes it look like it wasn’t as competitive. The average point difference was four points.

Side note: Even though these teams met just a year ago, both rosters have seen some major changes, so it’s almost an entirely new story.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

Right, so back to 2017. LeBron nearly averaged a triple-double for the series. He scored 32.8 points, grabbed 9.8 rebounds, and handed out 9 assists. He also got two blocks and three steals per game.

Paul George responded with 28 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. He had some double digit scoring help from Myles Turner, Thad Young, Lance Stevenson, and Jeff Teague.

This was tough but, Indiana actually had more rebounds, assists, and steals than the Cavaliers. The Pacers won most of the stats except for the final stat: points. They didn’t shoot as well as the Cavaliers and, of course, didn’t score more than the Cavs.

With the sweep last year, Cleveland has a 5-3 series advantage as Indiana won 3-1 in the first round (best of five) in 1998. Out of those eight wins by the Cavaliers, their largest win total is nine points. Really interesting. The Pacers have won by 29 points before.

Must Read: 2018 NBA Playoffs Roundtable: The Wild Wild West

Yes, 1998 was 20 years ago. So, the Cavaliers and Pacers are celebrating their 20th anniversary of meeting in the playoffs. What kind of gift do you get for that?