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NBA Sundays preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers

Former NBA coach Neal Meyer takes a look at Sunday's big game

Neal Meyer
Friday 06 November 2015 14:42 GMT
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LeBron James thinks about burning his new jersey.
LeBron James thinks about burning his new jersey. (Tony Dejak/Associated Press)

LeBron James and the Indiana Pacers had some terrific matchups back when LeBron played for the Miami Heat and Sunday’s game sees James go up against Paul George in what will be a fascinating battle between two of the best small forwards in the world.

Indiana Pacers

After a difficult start to the season, the Pacers have found some form this week with wins away versus the Detroit Pistons and at home against the Boston Celtics. The team has changed significantly over the last few years with key parts in Roy Hibbert (LA Lakers) and David West (San Antonio Spurs) joining new teams. Importantly though, they have Paul George back and fully healthy. They also have former Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis, who is a fantastic scorer and point guard George Hill has had his shot going to start the season

Player to Watch: Paul George – The 24-year-old suffered a horrific injury during the summer of 2014 and played very little last season. He’s back this year and will be looking to lead his team to the NBA Playoffs and has the ability both offensively and defensively to do just that.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Obviously the Cavs are on a mission to get back to the NBA Finals. They should be healthy this year and they’ve got Anderson Varejão and Kevin Love back, while Kyrie Irving is set to return in the coming weeks/months. After an opening night loss to Chicago they’ve gone on a four-game winning streak. At full strength the Cleveland team is formidable and I certainly think they’ll be the team to beat in the East.

Player to Watch: LeBron James – You probably don’t need me to tell you LeBron is the player to watch! He’s made the last five NBA Finals, is a 2 x NBA champion, 4 x NBA MVP and 11 x NBA All-Star. He’s one of the best the league has ever seen, so I’d recommend sitting back, relaxing and watching one of the greats in his prime.

Who wins? Tweet your prediction using #NBASUNDAYS

NBA Sundays on BT Sport – a live NBA game every Sunday at 8.30pm. This week on Nov 8 the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Indiana Pacers on BT Sport 1

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NEAL MEYER'S NBA CV

October 94 - August 95 - San Antonio Spurs - Assistant Video Coordinator & Camp Director, Basketball Operations

September 95 - July 97 - Denver Nuggets - Video Coordinator & Camp Director, Basketball Operations

August 97 - August 00 - Portland Trail Blazers - Video Coordinator & Camp Director, Basketball Operations

September 00 - July 02 - Portland Trail Blazers - Assistant Coach & Scout, Basketball Operations

October 02 - April 03 - Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors - Regional Advance Scout

August 03 - June 09 - Los Angeles Clippers - Assistant Coach & Director of Player Development, Basketball Operations

September 09 - October 10 - Cleveland Cavaliers - Video Coordinator/Coach, Basketball Operations

October 10 - present - Senior Director for the NBA's Basketball Operations across Europe, Middle East and Africa

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