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When the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers tip off the second round Eastern Conference Playoffs, it’ll mark their fifth meeting of the season, but it's the first that truly matters. And for all the tactical intrigue that lies ahead, one thing has already been made crystal clear. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson is putting Cleveland's defensive spotlight directly on Jarrett Allen, his star big man.
“We all know J.A.'s next step is to be able to guard five out, Atkinson said. “I think it's a challenge. But he's more than capable with his versatility. I will say this, they apply that, but we also have two bigs offensively, so they're going to have to guard us too, right? It's a hard guard for us.
“But I think when we play those two bigs together with our offensive rebounding, our pick and roll offense with J.A., they're going to have to guard him. So it might seem like a disadvantage for us on one end. It could be an advantage for us on the other [hand].”
The Pacers come into the series wielding one of the NBA’s most dynamic postseason offenses. Indiana features a fluid five-out system that stretches defenses by putting five shooters on the floor at all times. It’s not just theoretical spacing, either. Seven Pacers are averaging double figures in the playoffs, led by Pascal Siakam (19.8 points per game), Tyrese Haliburton (17.6), Myles Turner (16.8), Andrew Nembhard (15.0), Aaron Nesmith (14.8), Bennedict Mathurin (10.3), and T.J. McConnell (10.0). That kind of balanced scoring isn’t just unusual. Instead, it can be borderline unsustainable for defenses that can’t contain every inch of the floor.
“Oh, it's the hardest thing to guard in basketball is five out, five shooters. It just is,” Atkinson said. “So you've got to decide how much you're going to. It's the Boston conundrum, it's Indiana [conundrum]. How much you're going to switch? Are you going to stay in coverage? Obviously against Miami, we were in coverage a lot, right? We didn't switch as much. But this series could be different because of the five out.”
Jarrett Allen knows the challenge ahead of him when the Cavs play the Pacers
That strategic fork in the road directly implicates Allen, the anchor of Cleveland’s defense and a player who’s long been praised for his rim protection and rebounding, but not always his mobility in space. That mobility will now be tested like never before. The Pacers will pull him away from the basket, use constant motion to put him in pick-and-rolls, and dare him to either chase or get burned.
But Allen isn’t backing away from that confrontation. He seems to be inviting it.
“It's huge,” said Allen. “That's who they are. Myles, Siakam, they're all perimeter players, and at the end of the day, I'm not used to being out there and guarding. Everybody knows that. So, for me, I just have to give more effort. It's not gonna be perfect for me. But [I’ll] just try to mitigate the damages out there.”
Still, Allen won’t be fighting alone. Cleveland’s defense is already one of the league’s best, second in defensive rating through the first round, and now the Cavs add De’Andre Hunter, a midseason trade acquisition who missed most of the regular-season battles against the Pacers.
Hunter’s presence looms large. He’s likely to draw Siakam as his primary assignment but could see time on Haliburton, Nesmith, Mathurin, or other Pacers players. If the Cavs hold the edge on defense, they’ve also been the most potent offense in the playoffs, averaging a staggering 136.2 offensive rating through round one.
While Indiana ranks second in that category (118.0), the gap illustrates just how dangerous Cleveland has become with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Allen all clicking. And that offensive edge may be the perfect counterweight to the Pacers’ style.
Cleveland could have a hidden edge in this matchup
In truth, the regular-season series between these two Central Division foes offers little clarity. Indiana won it 3-1, but each matchup featured incomplete rosters and changing rotations. The Cavs didn’t acquire Hunter until February. In the final meeting, a double-overtime thriller, Cleveland played a skeleton crew with seeding locked up.
So, when these teams meet in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it'll be like a brand new challenge. The pressure is heightened, and as the series unfolds, the tactical chess match will define each game, switching defenses, who blinks first, and who controls tempo. For Allen, his defense could be the hidden edge against Indiana's offense and make the difference in the Cavs punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals.
