The Indiana Pacers have officially taken a 2-0 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While he is far from their most valuable player, the Pacers got a huge boost in Game 2 from Bennedict Mathurin, who is making it crystal clear that the team missed his scoring last year despite their conference finals appearance.
In the victory, Mathurin scored 19 points in 20 minutes off the bench while shooting 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. Despite a bit of a rough start to the postseason, the Canadian native came up huge in Indiana's Game 2 win and played a huge role.
Last year, the Pacers made it all the way to the conference finals despite being without Mathurin, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in March. As the Pacers look to achieve that same goal this season, they will continue to rely on Mathurin to provide bench scoring, something they would have greatly benefited from last year.
Bennedict Mathurin's bench scoring is essential to Indiana's success
Though they have greatly improved as a defensive unit this season, the Pacers are not going to win many playoff games because of their defense. As they look to pull off an upset over the Cavaliers and make another conference finals appearance, they will need to bring their A-game on offense. This includes Mathurin, whose bench-scoring ability is crucial for the Pacers.
Earlier in the season, many questioned Rick Carlisle's decision to move Mathurin back to the bench in favor of Aaron Nesmith. While these questions were valid at the time, any doubts about Carlisle's decision have been quieted, and a big reason for this is because of Mathurin's play style. Mathurin has developed into more of a team player with a well-rounded play style, but he still excels as an iso scorer. Because of this, he is at his best when he comes off the bench and can be the leading scorer of the second unit.
Heading into the Pacers' series against Cleveland, a lot was said about the importance of their key role players, who would all be the difference makers. This included Mathurin, who has a unique role with the Pacers. The third-year pro showed up on Tuesday night, and as the Pacers take a 2-0 series lead back to Indiana, he will continue to play an important role.
The Pacers are just two wins away from their second consecutive conference finals appearance. While they will still need their top players to lead the way, if Mathurin can play the way he did in Game 2 the rest of the series, it will make things much easier for the Pacers to take care of business and send the Cavaliers home.