CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 120-119 heartbreaker of a home loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of their second-round series. …
1. You’re probably mad right now if you’re a member of Cavs Nation. You may have even stopped believing.
2. That’s OK. The Cavs are mad, too. But they believe.
3. Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, sporting shades: “Gotta go get two in Indy. Simple as that. … It stings, but I have no doubt everybody in that locker room is ready.”
4. For the record, the Cavs trail the series, 2-0. Game 3 is Friday night in Indiana. Game 4 is Sunday, also in Indiana. The Cavs could sure afford to win both. Can they do it?
5. On Tuesday, they rightfully only focused on Game 3. “We know we’re capable of it,” guard Sam Merrill said. “What happened tonight, yeah, it sucks. Just gotta go out and get Game 3. Can’t worry about anything but that.”
6. Mitchell is right. Merrill is right. These Cavs can do it. They won 15 straight games to start the season. They won 12 straight later. They won 16 in a row after that. Now, they have to win four before the Pacers win two.
7. On Tuesday, they did not have Darius Garland, Evan Mobley or De’Andre Hunter. It’s hard to know if at least one will return to the lineup by Friday. But at this point, it can’t really matter.
8. The Cavs proved they can win without them. They seemingly had it won. Then, somehow, they lost. It’s still a stunner.
9. For the Cavs, the season has been about a minute too long. They led 117-110 after a Max Strus 3-pointer with just 1:06 to go. Then came a turnover off an inbounds pass. Then came a failed boxout off a missed Tyrese Haliburton free throw. Then came a 3-pointer by Haliburton just before the buzzer.
10. All of the Cavs were wildly disappointed, but perhaps no one showed it as much as Strus. His answers were short and direct. He clearly did not feel like talking. He slammed stuff around in his locker just before a brief session with reporters.
11. Strus on the loss: “A minute left and we’re up seven? Can’t lose that game. Gotta be better.”
12. His annoyance was completely understandable. “It’s gonna be a challenge,” he added. “We’ll see if we’re tough enough.”
13. Strus probably doesn’t need to worry about that. This team is resilient. It showed that for about 46 of the 48 minutes on Tuesday — and maybe more. The defense was relentless. Mitchell was utterly amazing on his way to 48 points. Not enough can be said about his A-level superstar performance.
14. So there was a lot to like about this game. Except, of course, for the outcome. And at this time of year, that’s all that matters.
15. Coach Kenny Atkinson said he “felt like we ran out of gas.” He added that the Pacers really “upped their physicality” in the fourth quarter. “But, that’s the playoffs,” Atkinson added.
16. Strus finished with 23 points. He couldn’t have been better. Yes, he threw the inbounds pass that was stolen at the end. The Cavs still should’ve won. Jarrett Allen went for 22 points and 12 rebounds. He was tireless, inspiring. Everyone who played worked their tails off. That’s not really up for debate. Merrill scored an underrated 14.
17. But without Garland, Hunter and Mobley, the Cavs needed more. Ty Jerome really struggled (1-of-14 shooting). He hasn’t played worse in Cleveland. Hard to fault a guy for just missing shots. Still, the Cavs had very little margin for error. That will remain the case this weekend on the road. Likely even more so.
18. As for the offensive rebound that led to Haliburton’s game-winner, well, Mitchell took the blame. That’s just what exceptional leaders do. “I should’ve grabbed it,” he said. “I was right there. … So, that’s on me.”
19. Teams have overcome 2-0 deficits, even after losing both at home. It’s happened. But the Cavs absolutely, positively must get Game 3 — as no one in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 hole. And the NBA has been around since 1946.
20. This has been a season of incredible accomplishments for Cleveland basketball. But nothing else they’ve done so far could touch bouncing back and winning this thing. Here’s some good news: They believe. Just gotta get Game 3 first. Do that, and it’s a series by Saturday.
- Box Score | Pacers 120, Cavs 119
- More Cavaliers | All coverage from Hoops Wire
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
Sorry, BUT, I still believe they played great, BUT, the fact that they have on the bench, those players NOT playing, just yuking it up, joking around, video displayed it, with Garland & Mobley laughing it up while Mitchell is playing his exhausted heart out, Strus too. It’s not the time for a (no pun intended) cavalier attitude.
I am certain the Indy bench was not in that mode ! ! !
Can they comeback–YES, but not with that same mentality!
It’s got to be serious attitude with the business at hand & shot MAKING.
Time outs have to be called in a timely manner, for exhaustions sake as well as momentum swings! Coaching too??? Somebody, as the announcer correctly did, has to tell Jerome that ALL his shots are consistently JUST a few inches SHORT!
And most important, the refs have to get the calls correct & equitable, not brutal action – yeah, I know it’s call playoff basketball but it’s NOT HOCKEY!