Jeff Teague Claims Pacers ‘Ain’t Getting Swept’ By The Cavaliers

In Game 3, the Indiana Pacers seemed to be on pace to get back on track in their first-round playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Paul George and company scored 72 first-half points and were in complete control with LeBron James and his squad struggling to keep up.

In the second half, everything changed. LeBron took over and led his team to victory with a 41-point triple-double. The Cavaliers now have a commanding 3-0 series lead against the Pacers and can close things out to advance to the second round with a win in Indiana on Sunday.

Although it appears the window of opportunity has closed on the Pacers, point guard Jeff Teague believes his team isn’t going to get swept by the defending NBA champions, via IndyStar’s Nate Taylor:

“We’re playing for pride now,” Jeff Teague said. “We’re all competitors in here and we all believe in one another. We ain’t getting swept.”

The Cavaliers have been far from a championship-caliber team during their run for a repeat. Cleveland has struggled during their series against the Pacers and continue to show their flaws defensively which could catch up with them in the later rounds.

If, and seemingly when, the Cavaliers win their first-round series with the Pacers they’ll advance to the second round to face the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors. Milwaukee currently controls the series at two games to one, but it also seems inevitable that the Bucks will advance as they have been by far the better of the two teams.

As for Indiana, the writing is on the wall with George and company headed for an early playoff exit and a lot of rumors surrounding the future of the superstar forward. The Pacers brass will likely have a lot to do this summer in order to keep their star player happy while potentially setting up the future of the franchise around George.