Game 1 Reaction: How the Pacers beat the Cavaliers in six steps

Well, that was fun! The Pacers thumped the heavily-favored Cavaliers 98-80 in game one of their first-round matchup. Let’s look back at how the Pacers won the game following a six-step formula.

A few of you, our dear readers, saw that butt-kicking coming. Most of you knew an Indaina Pacers victory was possible, but not like that.

Another segment didn’t think beating Cleveland was possible.

Even less of you were in Darren Rovell’s camp, where you just had an epiphany: “Well I’ll be damned, they play basketball in Indiana. Who knew?”

A few days before game one, we published an article called “The Pacers can knock off the Cavaliers, but it won’t be easy” which you can read here. The thought behind that story was: if Indiana does these things they should win. Apparently we were wrong. If the Pacers do those steps they won’t just win, but pummel them.

1. Attack, attack, attack

With gusto.

Victor Oladipo was unguardable (32 points, 58% from the field, 67% from three, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals). The Pacers were unafraid of both Cleveland and the moment. Their biggest lead was 23. Cleveland’s biggest lead was…zero.

They never lead. To paraphrase Knute Rockne, the Pacers got Cleveland on the run and kept them on the run all game long. Indiana was more aggressive, more prepared, and just better on the court.

2. Limit LeBron’s merry men

LeBron scored 24, but only two other Cavaliers scored in double-figures, none higher than J.R. Smith’s 15. Cleveland missed a lot from three, hitting 8 of 34, six of which were courtesy of Kevin Love and Smith (three a piece).

And it wasn’t just because the Cavs were cold, the Pacers defense swarmed them. Open looks were few and far between. Apart from James, Cleveland’s other four starters combined for 25whole points. Yikes.

3. Myles Turner needs to show up, and if not him then Domantas Sabonis better.

Turner showed up (16 points, 8 rebounds and an emphatic block). Sabonis? To be fair, he finished the game strong. When he was actually playing center, he did alright. For a couple minute stretch in the fourth quarter, he was looking like the Sabonis that Pacers fans came to love this season.

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But, he also spent most of the game looking either terrible or being called for Captain America-pre-strength-serum weak foul calls. By the way, the Turner and Sabonis lineup was a disaster. It wasn’t all that great in the regular season, but it was extremely bad against the type of offense that Cleveland runs. Maybe it will work later, but it wasn’t exactly a dynamic duo in game one.

4. Defense!

The Pacers needed to capitalize on their collective quick hands, and they did. Indiana had 12 steals leading to 16 total Cavalier turnovers. The Cavs weren’t even sloppy with the ball this season they were the sixth best team in the entire NBA in hanging onto the ball. Indiana just ate them up (Oladipo had 4, Corey Joseph and Bojan Bogdanovic each had 3, and Darren Collison had 2). Speaking of defense, Bogdanovic was really good. He moves his feet well and has all year.

The most unintentionally hilarious part of the game, for me, was that in the Ringer’s NBA preview podcast-show-thing they spent a little while talking about how the Pacers needed to hide Bogdanovic on defense. I honestly don’t think they watched enough Pacer games, or at least didn’t watch them closely enough. Bogey can scoot, and did so very well in game one.

5. Closing out the game

Twice in the game, Cleveland made runs of the type that have felled most of the teams that Cleveland’s played these last two months, and the Pacers withstood them both. Early in the fourth quarter, Cleveland cut the Indiana lead to 7, then Indy inserted Oladipo back into the lineup. The Pacers immediately went on a 12-2 run, game over.

Next: Grades: Pacers dismantle inferior Cavaliers

6. Lance lancily lancing

It was full spectrum Lance on Sunday afternoon. He had 11 and 5, played good defense on James, head-butted the goalpost stanchion after a nasty dunk, then did some truly baffling things, got a tech after complaining about the refs catching him for clubbing James in the head, and he almost threw the game away. It was an exciting game for employee number 1.