Do Indiana Pacers Match Up Better With Chicago Bulls or Cleveland Cavaliers?

For the past few years while LeBron James wasn’t in Cleveland and Derrick Rose was hurt for the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers came into their own as the Central’s best team. However, with Paul George hurt this year, it’s clear they’re now the third, maybe even fourth, best team in the division.

With the Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers now the premier teams in not only the division but the Eastern Conference, which squad do the Pacers match up with better and do they stand a chance in any of their meetings with the two teams this year?

To begin with, we need to dissect the Pacers themselves. Where are their strong points? Obviously, their bigs are going to be the foundation this season. David West is a true pro who gives it his all on both ends. Roy Hibbert needs to step up and play the way he is capable of, which means finally maturing and becoming more mentally strong. Those two are essentially the Pacers’ only hope at a playoff appearance this year, but they do have a couple guards who can help them out.

George Hill and Rodney Stuckey aren’t great players by any means, but they are certainly capable of playing roles. And don’t forget about C.J. Watson and Lavoy Allen off the bench. Those guys should all be able to play a part this season. The only issue is that there are no go-to scorers on this squad. Their elite team defense will be the key, but can they keep it up without George?

All that said, let’s look at the Bulls. They’re strong at point guard and in the post. The one weakness on the roster appears to be on the wing, with Jimmy Butler the only proven commodity there, at least defensively. When George was still healthy, that would give the Pacers an edge to look forward to in this matchup, but that will not be the case this season.

Instead, the Bulls will combat the Pacers’ biggest strength with Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic. Obviously, the Bulls have the edge at guard with Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Butler over Hill, Stuckey and Watson. Even on the wing, the Bulls are stronger with the absence of Paul George.

In this series, it’ll be tough for Indiana to take any of the four games away from Chicago. At best, the Pacers might go 1-3, but 0-4 against the Bulls seems most likely this year.

Moving on to the Cavs, any team with LeBron James is tough to match up with. Again, had George been available, they would actually have a pretty good lineup to combat Cleveland’s. The Cavs don’t have near the amount of depth in the frontcourt that the Pacers or Bulls have, as Kevin Love is the only great player down low. Sorry, but Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson don’t exactly strike fear into anyone at the moment.

At guard, Kyrie Irving will be tough offensively to stop as well, but he can also be had on the other end. His defense has been below-average to this point in his career, so guys like Stuckey and Hill could find success against him and Dion Waiters.

Essentially, the Pacers’ only shot in these four games is controlling the pace by out-rebounding the Cavaliers. They have a shot to win a game or two, but only if they do that and continue their tough defense.

James and Irving will get their own, but the Pacers have to limit everyone else, including Love, who they can potentially slow down with West, Hibbert and Ian Mahinmi.

While neither team is a good matchup for Indiana, winning a couple games will be key for proving they are still a team to fear, especially once George returns next year. Realistically, though, I see the Pacers only winning one game. They’ll take one from the Cavs, likely early in the season while those guys are learning to play together still, but the Bulls will be too difficult a task because of their all-around talent and depth.

Brian Neal is a columnist for InkOnIndy.com. Follow him on Twitter @brianneal23.