The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers will tip-off the first game of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on Saturday afternoon. It will be another meeting between Eastern Conference Player of the Month Paul George and the league's top superstar LeBron James. The Cavs will start out their defense of their NBA Championship as a No. 2 seed which brought them this matchup with the Pacers. The tone of Game 1 could very well set how the rest of the series will look. If it's a complete blowout by the Cavs, then it could have fans contemplating a sweep. However, a surprise win by Indiana could have fans buzzing.

Here's a look at the game preview, as well as how to watch the Pacers-Cavs game live streaming online or on TV.

Game 1 preview & odds

The Pacers come into this matchup having secured their playoff spot on the very last day of the season with a victory. Thanks to Paul George, the team had an impressive month, racking up the necessary wins to maintain a spot in the top eight for the East. George enters this game with season averages of 23.7 points on 46 percent field goal shooting along with 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Despite the fact they're the world champions, the Cleveland Cavs come into this first playoffs game on a four-game losing streak. The team suffered two losses in dramatic fashion where they led heading into the fourth quarter by double-digits, only for the opponents to come back and win.

Still, this team ranks as second-favorite only to the Warriors when it comes to favorites to win the title.

The home team Cleveland Cavs are currently listed as 8.5-point favorites heading into this first game of the series. On the moneyline, they're priced at -450, while Indiana is priced as a +375 underdog. The over/under points total is hovering around 209 points for the complete NBA playoff game.

How to watch Game 1 live

The Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday afternoon. Live television coverage will be available on ABC network and their local affiliate channels around the United States. Cable and satellite customers in select regions can also log into the ABC Live portion of the network website to watch live streaming coverage of the game.

However, it is only available in about eight major cities as of this report.

Another option for watching the Pacers vs. Cavs live stream is WatchESPN. Cable and satellite customers who have ESPN as part of their channel lineup should be able to log into the WatchESPN web portal or compatible apps to watch a feed of this game live. This will allow for viewing the NBA game on various devices including smartphones, tablets, video game systems, smart TVs, and streaming media players.
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