The Indiana Pacers are up 2-0 in their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers as they head back home, but not all is great for the team right now. More specifically, the Pacers have had a major turnover problem that they must fix.
Through their first two games in the series, the Pacers turned the ball over 35 times. For some context, the Cavaliers turned the ball over just 21 times in the first two games.
The Pacers were among the best in the league in ball security, rarely turning the ball over. This is very uncharacteristic of the team, though they are going up against a Cavaliers team that forced their opponents to turn the ball over 16.5 times per game. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder forced more turnovers per game in the regular season.
With Game 3 being played on Friday, the Pacers will have a little bit of extra time to reset and re-energize. A lot has gone right for them so far, but if they want to secure the series victory, they must cut down the turnovers.
The Pacers have not won the series yet
Though they are in a fantastic spot being up 2-0 heading back to Indiana, it is important to remember that the series is not over yet. The Pacers must keep their foot on the pedal and continue to bring their A-game the rest of the way. There is a lot going well for them right now, but the Pacers are playing far from flawless basketball. The biggest problem they must fix is their turnovers. They have gotten lucky in the sense that they have not come back to bite them yet, but it is only a matter of time before they do.
Cleveland did not secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference by accident. Furthermore, they did not finish the regular season as the No. 1-ranked offense in the league by accident either. They are a tremendous team with plenty of talent, and giving them extra opportunities to score and dominate is not ideal for Indiana.
Fortunately for the Pacers, they have already proven that they can win big games despite turning the ball over as often as they have. Still, if they do not turn it around soon, they will give the Cavaliers a chance to get back into the series. The Pacers have made it clear all year that they want to go on another deep playoff run this year and potentially win a championship. In order to do that, they must get through Cleveland first. So far, they are well on their way to doing so, but in order to do it for sure, they need to play the brand of basketball that got them this far in the first place.