The 64-18 Cleveland Cavaliers made quick work of the Miami Heat, sweeping the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed emphatically. The closest game was a narrow 121-112 Game 2 victory, which actually required the Cavaliers’ best players to suit up for meaningful minutes in the fourth quarter.
Otherwise, every other game was at least a 21-point blowout. The Cavaliers’ average margin of victory was a brutal 30.5 points per.
So Cleveland will be cruising into its second round playoff series matchup against the 50-32 Indiana Pacers, who bested the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in their own relatively easy first round clash.
A title favorite, the Cavaliers are hardly looking past the challenge the Pacers pose.
Per NBA insider Daryl Ruiter, six-time All-Star Cleveland combo guard Donovan Mitchell has revealed what elements most concern him about the Pacers’ game: their speed and their depth.