That loss was so bad it eliminated any sense, or necessity, for a proper game recap. Only the Cavs could somehow make the Game 2 loss pale in comparison to another loss in the same series.
In a game the Cavs needed, they seemed content, and unresponsiveness, if letting the game and their season slip away.
Coming off a strong Game 3 loss and being at home, everyone figured the Pacers would come out aggressive… everyone except the Cavs. A 12-5 run forced a Kenny Atkinson time out early and while the Cavs had it to a two-possession game, it quickly built… and built… and built (or they punched.. and punched… and punched) and the Cavs seemed content to take it and did little to stop it.
The Cavs were on the other end of a Cavalanche and got buried so deep there was little way out. The Pacers caught their rhythm early, especially inside where they dominated, while the Cavs were bumbling down the mountain.
The Pacers eventually got hot, and looked unconscious at times throughout the game, but they beat the Cavs the very place they were supposed to have an advantage: in the paint.
Going 12-for-18 on three-pointers in the first half is one thing. Allowing 14-for-22 inside the paint + restricted area, and 7-for-13 in the 1Q, is another thing. It’s a make or miss league sometimes and the Pacers couldn’t miss. The one area they were supposed to control, which is the most infuriating part, they didn’t.
Shellshocked would be one word on how the Cavs played in the first half. They committed 7 turnovers in the 1Q and 7 turnovers in the 2Q. The Cavs continued to struggle with the Indiana pressure but in large part most of the turnovers were the Cavs speeding themselves up and mishandling, dropping or bobbling otherwise plays they would normally make. But when it rains and it pours and the Cavs couldn’t get out of their own way.
Unfortunately, the Cavs didn’t do much to get in the way. Their shot chart in the 1Q had ONE field goal make inside the paint and just THREE field goal attempts. They were just 3-for-12 outside the paint yet were content to keep giving in to what the Pacer defense wanted and did little to attack the paint as consistently or effectively as they had in prior games.
This has been an issue that has popped up throughout the year, and it popped up at the wrong time again. The Cavs become too heavily reliant on their perimeter shooting and inside of trying to flow inside-out to catch the rhythm again they instead try to shoot their way out of it. When the Pacers were shooting them out of the game, trying to keep pace with that only got them further in a hole.
The two bigs had just 4 FGA in the first half – four. That is unacceptable. It’s easy to say Mobley should have been more aggressive or how could Allen let that happen but bigs can only be as effective in so much as the guards are at getting them the ball. Or, only as effective as the coach facilitates touches to ensure they get the ball when the guards aren’t doing their job. It was a failure on both ends as the Cavs (unexplicably) went away from one of the few bright spots they had.
And if you think it’s on the bigs in any way, how do you figure the Cavs had 3 assists and 14 turnovers in the first half? If the guards are doing their job, how does that transpire?
The last note I had before drowning into the very seat I was sitting in was, “The Pacers can’t miss.” Ben Sheppard was hitting bank three-pointers. Myles Turner was hitting spot-up three after spot-up three on late Allen contests. Thomas Bryant decided to join the mix, too.
And this was all without one of the best offensive players in Benedict Mathurin who got ejected earlier in the game. The Pacers put up 80 points at half time without blinking and without one of their cogs.
Mathurin had been toeing the line all series when he unprovoked punched De’Andre Hunter in the sternum during an out-of-bounds play a skirmish ensued. Hunter pointed at Mathurin and shoved him to the ground. Turner came over to defend Mathurin before the refs intervened.
The result was Mathurin getting ejected, and Hunter and Turner receiving technical. At this point, one would think that type of situation would inspire the Cavs instead it inspired the Pacers. They would still go on to outplay the Cavs the rest of the quarter 16 to 13. If the Cavs weren’t going to stand up for that, what were they going to stand up for?
Max Strus hit a couple of threes and was trying to make some difference, but it was like pissing into the ocean. There was little what one player could do, let alone a role player, given the uphill battle this team was facing.
When the starters didn’t get it done there was no one left to turn to. From a bench that powered the team, and extended runs all season long Ty Jerome continued to look like a shell of himself, Sam Merrill was consistently playing playoff minutes he shouldn’t be played, and Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro look like the first pieces that should be put in trade scenarios this offseason. The Cavs have billed themselves as a deep team all year but when it mattered most, they were a house of cards.
The new CBA era requires at least 7 to 8 playable payers in the playoffs. The problem is the Cavs maybe had 6 this series with half of those players battling some type of ailment and missing time. Yes, every team is battling something at this time of year but the Garland they saw this year and the Hunter they traded for are not the ones that showed up in Indiana. Outside of that, it was hard to find pieces or rotations that were productive.
A lot of that is due to the complete lack of shooting around the core. What happened? Outside of the Miami series, this is what the shooting has been like over the course of other series:
NYK: 32.7% on 30.6 3PA/g
ORL: 28.7% on 29.9 3PA/g
BOS: 34.6% on 37 3PA/g
IND: 30.2% on 39.8 3PA/g
The Cavs were 2nd in 3P% this year, 15th last year and 12th the year before. How are they that good in the regular season and that bad in the postseason? It’s happened too frequently to say it’s just a blip and it’s a question they’ll have to evaluate as they look to pieces that can contribute to the regular season and postseason.
It’s going to be a long offseason. The Cavs were already battling against allegations and innuendos all season and this current stretch won’t help. For as much as the Cavs may not like their reputation, they had every chance to tamp it down but only added more fuel to the fire.
The one allegation they’re not beating is their struggles against teams that are strong at the point-of-attack and make them earn their space on offense. Kenny said it in his postgame comments which is a damning remark when you consider a new coach is seeing the same issues with this team that existed against the New York Knicks. Whether it be the Knicks, Magic last year, Pacers this year or even the Rockets, Thunder and Pacers during the regular season, how the Cavs handle and relieve pressure has continually been a disruptor to the extent that the offense looks half as effective as it normally is.
Having your lead ball-handler on a bad toe limiting his mobility and your backup point guard being almost unplayable doesn’t help but even when those two were healthy and right this team still struggled with breaking the press and breaking pressure which is as intermediate as it gets. Get physical with the Cavs and get what you want defensively, and there’s still not a looming answer for it.
And this isn’t a “small” backcourt issue, or the Cavs being bothered by tremendous length and size. Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are no longer or bigger (weight wise) than Garland, Mitchell or Strus. Check the measurements.Size disadvantages add to the case but it’s not the sole contributing factor. You don’t have to be big and strong to play good defense and you don’t have to be big and strong to be able to handle pressure.
All this has been said and Donovan Mitchell not returning in the second half hasn’t been mentioned. After 3-for-11 first half with 2 turnovers and 0 assists, Mitchell tried to warm up for the second half but his lower body had other ideas. Other than Mitchell saying he’d be good for Tuesday in postgame remarks, mum was the word. It took the broadcast (what seemed like hours) to find the root cause of him not starting, or being on the bench, before the Cavs said he was doubtful to return with a left ankle injury.
Before anyone goes to run to blame this on Mitchell, don’t. If there’s one player who has singlehandedly keep the team in this series, it’s Mitchell. Back-to-back 40+ point games, earning the one victory (should be two victories), and playing through injury (effectively, mind you). The “he can’t advance past the 2nd round” or “he’s not a primary scoring option” are mislabeling a player who has done everything the Cavs could have asked for and more and has been let down by those around him more than he has let down those around him.
The reason Mobley’s development has been so key is because Mitchell can’t do it all himself and has needed another guy to share the spotlight with. Again, size isn’t everything, but it makes thing easier which is why Mobley has been in that spotlight and not Garland. Mitchell left Utah because there was never a clear second guy capable so until Mobley can clearly and assertively be that guy the questions will always (unfairly) fall to Mitchell if he’s doing enough or if he’s capable. He’s shown he’s more than enough and more than capable but only a handful of players can truly do it on their own and that’s not a Mitchell issue.
That also isn’t an indictment on Mobley, it’s just he’s not quite all the way there yet. He’s taken a giant leap this year, and continues to ascend, and his next challenge is being that guy consistently in the playoffs to where he can carry a team at times like Mitchell did at most times.
The “soft” allegations are never going to go away until the Cavs prove otherwise but just to note: Garland played the entire 3Q on an injured toe when he very well could have packed it in and sat out. Say what you want about him, but he finished the game with 21 points, 6 assists, 1 steal on 54% shooting. That isn’t a guy who is soft.
The most disappointing part of seeing this likely coming to an end is the Cavs did everything right: They developed Mobley, Garland rebounded, Allen looked like one of the best bargain contracts, they managed minutes, they were healthy, they developed a strong, deep bench, they had an offensive system, they maintained their defensive identity and they were one of the best shooting teams in the league. And yet, it all came a part, injuries and play, in the matter of games. How does one explain that?
The Cavs will have to answer about their play and why the same few themes keep popping up but the untimely nature of injuries happening when they have is just as frustrating. Allen was missed last year, and Mitchell ended the playoffs on the bench. Garland missed time this year, along with Hunter and Mobley, and Mitchell had tweaks even if he didn’t look like it. Sometimes playoff success is about being lucky as much as it is being good, and the Cavs have not had any help in the luck department as it pertains to health to give them a shot at competing as constructed.
The bottom line is the Cavs let one thing devolve into another and their margin for error decreased each time. Each game is its own game but the Cavs margin for error shrunk without Garland and then that multiplied after Game 2 putting them in must-win game’s the rest of the way. The Cavs kept getting pushed further and further against the wall, and were never able to recover.
Whatever it is, the Cavs need something different. Steven Adams isn’t the difference in this being a 2nd Round team versus a Finals contender but it feels like there’s some undercurrent to this team’s approach that needs changed. Ultimately, people may not want to hear it, but the best bet may be continuing to fight to change from within but having another outside perspective brought in some way, shape or fashion also may very well be needed.
The offseason is going to be a long one. The trade machines are going to be putting in heavy work. But two things to note: One, the Cavs can make trades before now and the end of the current league year (end of June) under the current salary cap terms. They cannot trade pending free agents (so, Merrill or Jerome) and cannot trade for players without exercised options. The Cavs did work to get under the luxury tax, as did other teams, so while the Cavs can make moves without restrictions it doesn’t come without difficulties. The further difficulties come in the league year. For two, they will be a 2nd Apron team as currently constructed which means they cannot aggregate outgoing salaries, take on more money then sending out in deals and can only sign veteran minimum contracts (outside of draft picks). So if work is to be put in during the summer, it’s going to be even further limited to what they can do. If they want to make moves, and significant moves at that, it may require making moves now and putting themselves in a financial position they were trying to avoid.
All of that is for another day. For now, there’s another game. How the home crowd reacts should be one of the storylines heading on Tuesday. It should be fun (or depressing).
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