Stop That Man: What the Cavs Need to do to Beat the Pacers
As the Cavs continue their battle against the Indiana Pacers, one of the biggest problems for the has been Victor Oladipo. Oladipo has been the best player for the Pacers all season and is a candidate for Most Improved Player.
In order for the Cavaliers to close out the Pacers in this series, they are going to need to contain Victor and force him to pass the ball and make other players beat them.
While he only shot 25% from the field in Game 4, he still managed to score 17 points and will not shoot that poorly from the field again. He averaged 23 points in the regular season as well as five rebounds and four assists.
Oladipo has nearly matched those numbers in the early stages of the playoffs averaging 22 points per game, five rebounds and 5.5 assists.
He has been leading the Pacers’ charge including the 32 points he scored in Game 1 against the Cavaliers at home on April 10. An excellent player off the dribble, Oladipo looks to often times break down defenders with above average dribbling abilities and attack the basket to draw fouls.
During the regular season, he was an 80% free throw shooter and averaged nearly five free throws a game. However, he can also knock down shots from the outside shooting at a 42% rate during the postseason.
Since Oladipo will likely not shoot 25% from the field again the Cavaliers, coach Ty Lue will need to figure out a defensive strategy to contain him in a year where the Cavs have had an otherwise atrocious defense.
Image: ESPN
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