The Cleveland Cavaliers will host their division rival, the Indiana Pacers, in the second round of the playoffs. Game 1 is upon us, and with plenty of rest between these two teams, we should expect a hard-fought and great series ahead of us.
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The Cavaliers will look to make their first Eastern Conference final since 2018, when LeBron James led them. As for the Pacers, they will look to seek their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, as they fell short to the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics.
This series is sure not to disappoint; however, the Cavaliers could enter this series with a. slight disadvantage. Cleveland’s top guard, Darius Garland, enters this match listed as questionable due to a big toe sprain.
Garland missed the last two games for the Cavaliers and will miss his third consecutive game.
The Cavaliers have downgraded Garland from questionable to out. He will be sidelined once again.
Darius Garland (toe) ruled out Sunday.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 4, 2025
Sam Merrill will start in place of Garland.
Garland participated fully in practice on Friday. At the time, head coach Kenny Atkinson called his star’s status “up in the air.” However, the Cavaliers are not comfortable enough to trot out their star guard for a very important Game 1.
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“The toe’s a tough one,” Atkinson said. “There’s pain and all that. But the good thing, when we watch him shooting right now, he’s moving well.”
The 25-year-old was fantastic in the two games he played against the Miami Heat, averaging 24.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 51.6 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Over the course of the regular season, Garland suited up for 75 games and delivered steady production with 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per outing.
As for this Game 1, the Cavaliers enter this one as the massive home favorites with a -8.5 spread. According to ESPN analytics, the Cavaliers have a 71.5 percent chance to start the series 1-0, while the Pacers have a 28.5 percent chance of taking a 1-0 lead.
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