The game looked lost with the Pacers down 17 points at halftime. But the squad came back to defeat the Cavs and take the lead in the series.
The Cavs showed up in matching suits, but the Pacers matching yellow uniforms were victorious in this one. A 17 point lead wasn’t enough for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron himself was still dominant. 28 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists were nothing to scoff at. But the Pacers once again did a great job stopping everyone else. Kyle Korver was a non-factor. Jordan Clarkson and George Hill couldn’t get anything going. Jeff Green continues to be an overwhelming negative. The Pacers have answers for a lot of the Cavs questions.
Also, Bojan Bogdanovic refused to lose. We will talk a lot about him later, but he went scorched Earth in the second half and played incredible defense. The Croatian forward was everywhere tonight, and he was the leader of the Pacers comeback.
The Good: Bojan Bogdanovic. Oh. My. Gosh. 30 points. 7/9 from deep. He played amazing defense on LeBron too. He told reporters after the game he was happier with his defense than his offense: “Everyone said before the season that I couldn’t defend” he stated proudly. Bojan was amazing on both ends of the floor.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
The Bad: Nothing was really bad, per se. Victor Oladipo struggled with double teams in the first half, but he rectified that problem in the second. Lance Stephenson made some dumb plays, but his energy and effort guarding LeBron were important. Sabonis was really bad but found some groove in the fourth quarter. So I guess Sabonis was “the bad”, but nothing was so awful tonight.
MVP: Bojan Bogdanovic. Amazing defense and offense, and he spearheaded the comeback. The most obvious game MVP ever.
LVP: JR Smith. He had the last shot to win the game and missed it, but that isn’t why he is the LVP. He played the farthest below his expectation. He was 3/11 (2/8 from deep) and had five fouls. He was simply not good enough for the Cavs in this one.
X-Factor: The Bankers Life Fieldhouse Windows. The stadium was gloomy and dark, and the Cavaliers had a 57-42 lead. Then, the stadium operators opened the windows and showed the skyline. With new light entering the stadium, the Pacers went on a 50-33 run to close the game and win. Thanks, natural light!
Next: Thad Young talks to 8p9s
The Pacers will look to take a 3-1 series lead on Sunday at 8:30 pm EST in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This series demands your attention, so tune in.