Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers Statistical Showdown

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Mar 16, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Indiana Pacers forward David West (21) questions being called for a foul during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

For Cleveland Cavalier fans, this is going to be a long week. Tonight, they take on their Central Conference rival, the Indiana Pacers, and then will take on the streaking Miami Heat on Wednesday night. They’ll rap up the week playing the Houston Rockets, who are led by James Harden. That’s three playoffs teams in a span of five days, and they’ll be at disadvantages against all three teams. That starts tonight against the most defensively efficient team in the NBA.

Statistics

	Points	Points Allowed	Assists	Assists Allowed	Rebounds	Rebounds Allowed
Cavaliers	97.6 (15^th)	101.2 (26^th)	20.6 (26^th)	24.0 (28^th)	40.6(25^th)	41.8 (12^th)
Pacers	94.2 (25^th)	90.0 (7^th)	20.5 (27^th)	19.2 (2^nd)	45.8 (1^st)	40.8 (7^th)

Advanced Statistics

	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency
Cavaliers	101.8 (18^th)	106.8 (27^th)
Pacers	101.2 (20^th)	95.9 (1st)

Four Factors

	eFG%	Free Throw Rate	Turnover Rate	Offensive Rebound Rate
Cavaliers	47.7% (7^th)	20.8% (14^th)	13.0% (5^th)	28.5% (8^th)
Pacers	47.8% (9^th)	20.1 (11^th)	14.3% (26^th)	30.2% (5^th)

Players to Watch:

Cavaliers: Marresse Speights, forward

1. Shooting 42.4 percent from the field in his last five games (43.8 percent for the season)

2. Shooting 47.8 percent from the field for the entire month of March

3. Career 30.0 percent field goal shooter against the Pacers

Pacers: Roy Hibbert, center

1. Shooting 45.9 percent from the field in wins (38.1 percent in losses)

2. Averaging 3.8 offensive rebounds per game – a career high

3. Averaging 2.7 blocks per game – a career high

Key Matchup: Tristan Thompson versus David West

If West is active (he will be a game-time decision) his matchup versus Thompson should be a treat. West is a solid NBA player who plays consistently good basketball on a nightly basis. For most of this season, Thompson has done the same and he has become a nightly threat to post a double-double. But that is where their similarities end. Thompson is the more athletic player and is still a raw, unrefined talent. West, on the other had, is a veteran of the league with a wide repertoire of offensive moves. It’ll be interesting to see West go up against a player like Thompson. At the very least, we are going to know where his game is at this point in time.

Update: Pacers forward David West will be out tonight versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tyler Hansbrough will start in his place.