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Game 5 could be the last game of the 2024-25 season if the Cavs can’t respond in a big way. Nothing we’ve seen in this series suggests the Cavs are capable on winning three games in a row against Indiana, a team that is 41-16 in calendar year 2025 and appears to be faster, stronger, more physical, healthier, and more skilled than the beat-up and floundering Cavaliers.
The Cavs are coming off the worst half of basketball in the history of the playoffs. No team has ever been outscored by 41 points in a half until now. The Cavs knew Indy would be coming out hard and physical after getting beat by 22 in Game 3, and they were not able to match it.
They dominated us in every facet of the game…We knew it was coming. You try to prepare for these things. You try to prepare your guys mentally, but they raised their game to another level and we didn’t match it. - Kenny Atkinson
They were pushing us off our spot. They were more aggressive than us. They were being really physical…That’s what they said they were going to do coming into this game, and we had no answer for that in the first half. - Darius Garland
The Cavs shot 40 free throws in Game 4. The Pacers are willing to trade free throws for being physical and pushing the Cavs around. They are deep enough to bring guys off the bench who come in pushing and grabbing, or in one case, punching. Their approach is to let the Cavs get to the line but don't give them open shots. Contest every pass, make the Cavs have to wrestle somebody just to get the ball. If they beat you, foul them hard, like the Mathurin foul that dislocated Hunter's thumb. The Cavs made just eight field goals in the first half of Game 4.
This game is in Cleveland but so far the visiting team has won 3 of 4, so it’s questionable whether there is a home court advantage in this series. More important than the venue is which team comes out with the right mentality and is able to execute.
In Game 4 the Cavs' starters were outscored by 21 to 35 points when they were on the floor. Indy’s starters were +22 to +29. The Cavs have to figure out how that happened and adjust.
The Cavs committed 22 turnovers in the game and made only 8 field goals in the first half. The comes out to one bucket every 3 minutes. As for the turnovers, nobody made more than 3, but every player had some.
Indy shot 53% from the field and 43% on 3’s. They were surprised by the Cavs’ new zone look in Game 3 but quickly adjusted and started getting the ball to the free throw line in Game 4. They finished the game with 37 assists in 49 buckets.
The Cavs were second in the NBA in 3-point percentage in the regular season but after four games they are shooting 30.2% from deep. Ty Jerome is at 15%, Mitchell and Hunter at 22%, and Garland at 25%.
I think 3’s are harder to make in the playoffs because of the increased pressure. Every shot is more important. I was watching a Denver/OKC game where at one point both teams were 1-for-18 on 3’s. It was a brickfest. I think the playoffs favor teams that don’t depend too much on outside shooting.
Jarrett Allen had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 20 minutes in Game 4. We need a lot more from him. Ty Jerome is 4-for-25 from the field the last three games. His lack of speed and athleticism is being exploited by the Pacers. It looks like it’s gotten into his head because he’s missing uncontested 3’s and floaters that he normally makes.
Garland said the Cavs have to play “our brand of basketball” and be more physical. I don’t think they can beat the Pacers in physicality. If they are going to survive to fight another day it’s going to take better 3-point shooting and getting back to grabbing a lot of offensive rebounds.
Mitchell injured his ankle last game and even if he can play I don’t expect a 40-point game. Guys are going to have to step up. Darius has 21 points and 6 assists in 27 minutes last game, so maybe his toe is feeling better. De’Andre Hunter is averaging 8 points a game on 33% from the field playing through a dislocated thumb on his shooting hand. That was a huge injury. We'd be tied 2-2 if he could have played in Game 2.
I don’t know if the Cavs are healthy enough to steal another win from the Pacers. They have four key players battling injuries. Guys like Allen, Mobley, Strus, Merrill, Wade, and Hunter are all going to have to play well, better than at any time so far this series.
The key is to avoid turnovers. In the last game the Pacers scored 35 points off Cavs’ turnovers. In the game the Cavs won it was 16 points - 19 fewer.
The Cavs also need to hit more uncontested 3’s. With their backs to the wall and facing elimination I don’t know if that will happen. The Pacers will be the loose, confident, relaxed team and the Cavs will be desperate. I don’t know if that’s a good formula for winning the 3-point battle.
The Cavs are averaging 32.5 free throws per game this series. During the season they averaged 22, which shows how much the Pacers are fouling. The Cavs need to stay cool and knock down the free throws. The Pacers are averaging 25.5 fouls per game. During the season they averaged 19.
On defense they need to harass Haliburton, who Atkinson referred to as “the head of the snake”. The one game the Cavs won was when they held him to 4 points. As expected, Carlisle came up with a solution to the Cavs 3-2 zone. Now Kenny needs decide whether to stick with it or stay with man-to-man or try another zone variation.
The Pacers were in the EC Finals last year and came within 5 points of Boston in three of their four losses. Boston went on to win it all and the Pacers either beat them or lost close games four of the five times they played. Indiana is a great team and their physical style of play is better suited for the playoffs than the Cavs’ style, which is heavily dependent on 3-point shooting.
The Pacers are so fast and athletic that open 3-point shots are harder to come by since the Pacers are able to close very quickly. I think it’s forcing the Cavs to hurry their shots or shoot more often with a hand in their face. I don’t know if they can come up with an answer. But whether they attack the rim or shoot from deep they need to reduce the turnovers dramatically, get back to dominating the offensive glass, and minimize Haliburton. That's what they did in their only win so far.
The Cavs are coming off the worst half of basketball in the history of the playoffs. No team has ever been outscored by 41 points in a half until now. The Cavs knew Indy would be coming out hard and physical after getting beat by 22 in Game 3, and they were not able to match it.
They dominated us in every facet of the game…We knew it was coming. You try to prepare for these things. You try to prepare your guys mentally, but they raised their game to another level and we didn’t match it. - Kenny Atkinson
They were pushing us off our spot. They were more aggressive than us. They were being really physical…That’s what they said they were going to do coming into this game, and we had no answer for that in the first half. - Darius Garland
The Cavs shot 40 free throws in Game 4. The Pacers are willing to trade free throws for being physical and pushing the Cavs around. They are deep enough to bring guys off the bench who come in pushing and grabbing, or in one case, punching. Their approach is to let the Cavs get to the line but don't give them open shots. Contest every pass, make the Cavs have to wrestle somebody just to get the ball. If they beat you, foul them hard, like the Mathurin foul that dislocated Hunter's thumb. The Cavs made just eight field goals in the first half of Game 4.
This game is in Cleveland but so far the visiting team has won 3 of 4, so it’s questionable whether there is a home court advantage in this series. More important than the venue is which team comes out with the right mentality and is able to execute.
In Game 4 the Cavs' starters were outscored by 21 to 35 points when they were on the floor. Indy’s starters were +22 to +29. The Cavs have to figure out how that happened and adjust.
The Cavs committed 22 turnovers in the game and made only 8 field goals in the first half. The comes out to one bucket every 3 minutes. As for the turnovers, nobody made more than 3, but every player had some.
Indy shot 53% from the field and 43% on 3’s. They were surprised by the Cavs’ new zone look in Game 3 but quickly adjusted and started getting the ball to the free throw line in Game 4. They finished the game with 37 assists in 49 buckets.
The Cavs were second in the NBA in 3-point percentage in the regular season but after four games they are shooting 30.2% from deep. Ty Jerome is at 15%, Mitchell and Hunter at 22%, and Garland at 25%.
I think 3’s are harder to make in the playoffs because of the increased pressure. Every shot is more important. I was watching a Denver/OKC game where at one point both teams were 1-for-18 on 3’s. It was a brickfest. I think the playoffs favor teams that don’t depend too much on outside shooting.
Jarrett Allen had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 20 minutes in Game 4. We need a lot more from him. Ty Jerome is 4-for-25 from the field the last three games. His lack of speed and athleticism is being exploited by the Pacers. It looks like it’s gotten into his head because he’s missing uncontested 3’s and floaters that he normally makes.
Garland said the Cavs have to play “our brand of basketball” and be more physical. I don’t think they can beat the Pacers in physicality. If they are going to survive to fight another day it’s going to take better 3-point shooting and getting back to grabbing a lot of offensive rebounds.
Mitchell injured his ankle last game and even if he can play I don’t expect a 40-point game. Guys are going to have to step up. Darius has 21 points and 6 assists in 27 minutes last game, so maybe his toe is feeling better. De’Andre Hunter is averaging 8 points a game on 33% from the field playing through a dislocated thumb on his shooting hand. That was a huge injury. We'd be tied 2-2 if he could have played in Game 2.
I don’t know if the Cavs are healthy enough to steal another win from the Pacers. They have four key players battling injuries. Guys like Allen, Mobley, Strus, Merrill, Wade, and Hunter are all going to have to play well, better than at any time so far this series.
The key is to avoid turnovers. In the last game the Pacers scored 35 points off Cavs’ turnovers. In the game the Cavs won it was 16 points - 19 fewer.
The Cavs also need to hit more uncontested 3’s. With their backs to the wall and facing elimination I don’t know if that will happen. The Pacers will be the loose, confident, relaxed team and the Cavs will be desperate. I don’t know if that’s a good formula for winning the 3-point battle.
The Cavs are averaging 32.5 free throws per game this series. During the season they averaged 22, which shows how much the Pacers are fouling. The Cavs need to stay cool and knock down the free throws. The Pacers are averaging 25.5 fouls per game. During the season they averaged 19.
On defense they need to harass Haliburton, who Atkinson referred to as “the head of the snake”. The one game the Cavs won was when they held him to 4 points. As expected, Carlisle came up with a solution to the Cavs 3-2 zone. Now Kenny needs decide whether to stick with it or stay with man-to-man or try another zone variation.
The Pacers were in the EC Finals last year and came within 5 points of Boston in three of their four losses. Boston went on to win it all and the Pacers either beat them or lost close games four of the five times they played. Indiana is a great team and their physical style of play is better suited for the playoffs than the Cavs’ style, which is heavily dependent on 3-point shooting.
The Pacers are so fast and athletic that open 3-point shots are harder to come by since the Pacers are able to close very quickly. I think it’s forcing the Cavs to hurry their shots or shoot more often with a hand in their face. I don’t know if they can come up with an answer. But whether they attack the rim or shoot from deep they need to reduce the turnovers dramatically, get back to dominating the offensive glass, and minimize Haliburton. That's what they did in their only win so far.
