Pacers’ Thad Young on Raptors vs. Cavaliers: “They’re letting them walk into the next round”

The Indiana Pacers took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round.

Then, LeBron James happened.

In a magical series for the 33-year-old, it was of course up to The King to finalize Cleveland’s movement to the next round of the playoffs. While the Pacers were the better team in the matchup, the Cavaliers had the better performance. Well, at least LeBron did.

Now, James and the Cavaliers are steamrolling the Toronto Raptors (stop me if you’ve heard this before) in the Eastern Conference semifinals and it’s a bummer to watch for the guys from Indiana.

Speaking to Hoops Hype’s Alex Kennedy, Pacers big man Thaddeus Young said he has been talking with teammates during the second round about the lack of resistance from the top-seeded Raptors.

Via Hoops Hype:

It’s funny that you asked me that because I was just texting Vic, Darren Collison and Cory Joseph last night [after Game 2] and I said, “Man, so they’re just going to let Cleveland walk into the Eastern Conference Finals? They’re letting them walk into the next round.” I told them, “Man, this is crazy. We’re supposed to be out there right now.” We all understand that we lost the series and there were self-inflicted mistakes on our part. But, at the end of the day, Toronto has to at least win a couple games. The first game could have gone either way, but the second game? You can’t come back like that. To answer your question, it’s damn frustrating to watch these games. We’re sitting at home and watching these games like, “Man, we would’ve at least been in the game. We would’ve at least gotten ourselves back into the game and made it a fight.”

Of course, since Young gave that interview the Cavaliers won Game 3, putting LeBron just one win away from a sweep and the Eastern Conference Finals.

I would have watched 14 straight games of Pacers-Cavaliers instead of this atrocity from the Raptors, so I get what Young is saying.

But the playoffs are not bereft of intrigue. If the Boston Celtics finish off the Philadelphia 76ers, the ECF will be a matchup between an ultimate function-as-a-unit team in Boston vs. the star-and-role-players style of the Cavaliers.

No doubt that series will be interesting to watch, even if Raptors-Cavaliers have not.