Indiana Pacers put too much effort into beating Cavaliers
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers messed around as they got revenge against the Cleveland Cavaliers but in an uncomfortable win.
The Indiana Pacers body slammed the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then they took a steel chair to them while they were down. It wasn’t pretty, but it was very enjoyable for the Blue and Gold’s fans.
That’s what I wrote early in the game before the Pacers nearly let the Cavaliers erase a 26-point lead despite being undermanned and outclassed in every way.
With the second half of this back to back against the Boston Celtics tomorrow night, Indiana wasn’t able to fully shut down the Cavaliers in the second half. While the win never was truly in doubt, Cleveland did enough to stop the Pacers from a full shut down of their starting unit. It took a modest amount of Victor Oladipo heroics and Thaddeus Young steadiness to close out the game.
Some of the problems weren’t as evident until the second half, but Indiana started giving ground in the second quarter while some of the starters were still in.
The Pacers should be better than this, but lately, against some of the NBA’s worst teams, we’re left to wonder if there is some truth to the fact they’ve built up their record by hammering losing teams and struggling against the ones with records better than .500. Either way, tonight they got the win.
100. Final. 115. 156. 123
Bojan Bogdanovic is on fire (to start)
Bojan Bogdanovic started the game off with 14 points in just over seven minutes. It can’t be understated how Bojan evolved from a shooter to scorer this season. In the early going it looked like he might even challenge his career-high of 44 points.
But the entire team got sloppy. While Bojan still finished with 23 points, like most of the positives from Tuesday’s win, it was poisoned by the fact the Pacers should have done more.
Thaddeus Young leads the way and closes out
Thaddeus Young’s 26 points came on 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) shooting, a number that included a perfect 3-of-3 mark from 3-point range.
While he wasn’t immune from some of the complacency that infected the Pacers in the second half, he stepped up his game late with six points in the paint. They, unfortunately, were needed points as the Cavaliers had cut the lead down to a mere 5 points.
A missed opportunity
This should have been a game where the Pacers future was on display. While TJ Leaf put up 11 solid minutes of play, Indiana didn’t get to play him as much as we’d like. On top of that, Aaron Holiday, Alize Johnson and Edmond Sumner didn’t even see the floor.
Leaf made the most of his minutes, but this could have been a night where the youth played significant time. Getting them real playing time matters, and tonight was a missed opportunity to get them non-garbage minutes.
Anywhom, player grades:
C. A rough start shooting gave way to a 3 of 6 performance. Darren Collison nearly had a double-double with 8 points and 9 rebounds.<br />. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
Oladipo clutch time shouldn’t have been needed, but five of his 17 points shouldn’t have been needed to win anyway. It wasn’t his best shooting night either as he went 6 of 14 (42.9 percent) from the floor.. SG. Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO. C
B +. Bojan Bogdanovic lit things up early and ended the night with 23 points on 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) shooting. Having Bojan evolve into a reliable secondary scorer for Indiana is one reason why they have a chance to make a run in the East.<br />. SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC
B -. Thaddeus Young is reliable if nothing else, but on Tuesday they needed his 26 points as well as 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Like Oladipo, the Pacers shouldn’t have needed his scoring in the final minutes, but at least it was there for them.. PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS. B. As much as I joke about double-doubles, it is sorta weird that Domantas Sabonis didn’t get one. 15 points and 9 rebounds is a good night, though.<br />. B
D +. I want Tyreke to be good, but 5 points on 2 of 7 (28.6 percent) shooting are bad numbers.. SG. Indiana Pacers. TYREKE EVANS
B. Cory Joseph hit 3 three-pointers, dropped 11 points, and had 6 assists. His scrappy defense was crucial in the 4th quarter, even though it felt like the Cavs were scoring at will.. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH
C. 7 points off the bench for Doug McDermott isn’t bad, but whether it is his or coach McMillan’s doing, it always feels like there should be more from him.<br />. SF. Indiana Pacers. DOUG MCDERMOTT
2 points on 1 of 5 shooting are disappointing for anyone, as well as only grabbing 2 rebounds.. C. Indiana Pacers. KYLE O'QUINN. C-
A. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen T.J. Leaf play meaningful minutes. 9 points (on 4 of 5 shooting) and 4 rebounds make for a good night for the often unused power forward. If Indiana is thinking about keeping him around, they need to find more minutes for him. Because they need to know if there’s a player worth keeping. When we only see him in garbage time, it is hard to know.. PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF
Next. 3 reasons why Patrick McCaw would be a good signing for the Pacers. dark
The Pacers take on the Boston Celtics tomorrow night in Boston. Last time they played, Victor Oladipo performed his usual clutch heroics. Let’s hope the Pacers can find a win to win again.