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Wrap-Up -- The Cavaliers came into Friday’s matchup with Indiana looking to eliminate the feisty Pacers and advance to the next round. Instead, they’ll be fighting for their Playoff lives on Sunday at The Q.
The third-quarter bugaboo that had plagued the Wine & Gold all season – and again through the First Round – reared its ugly head again on Friday, as the Cavaliers were outscored, 35-20, in the period as the Pacers pulled away in the second half to hand Cleveland a lopsided 121-87 loss in Game 6 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Cavaliers took an 8-2 lead just minutes into the game, but that was as good as it would get as Indiana turned up the heat after intermission – turning a 10-point halftime lead into a 20-point advantage halfway through the third quarter.
The Pacers would eventually lead by as many as 36 points and, with Sunday’s Game 7 less than 48 hours away, Coach Tyronn Lue rested each of his starters with the exception of Kevin Love through the entire fourth period.
”(In) the third quarter, it seemed like they played more physical and they had everything going for them and they were able to be very effective in transition,” lamented Love after the loss.
Seven Pacers notched double-figures in Game 6 – led by Victor Oladipo, who emerged from a three-game shooting funk to net a triple-double on Friday, going off for a game-high 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting, including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, to go with 13 boards and 10 assists.
”I thought (Oladipo) played faster; I thought he really pushed the ball in transition,” said Tyronn Lue. “I thought he capitalized on our turnovers and poor shot selection early on and that kind of got him going early.”
LeBron James led the Wine & Gold, notching 22 points in three quarters of work. But even James, who drilled the game-winning triple to put the Cavs up in the series on Wednesday night, never really got into a rhythm in Game 6 – going 7-for-16 from the floor, 3-of-6 from deep and 5-of-5 from the stripe, adding a team-best seven assists to go with five boards, a steal and Cleveland’s only two blocks of the game.
The four-time MVP didn’t get much help, however, from his fellow starters.
The next-highest scorer among the Cavaliers starting five was JR Smith, who finished with nine points on 3-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Kevin Love added seven points on 3-for-10 shooting, leading Cleveland with seven boards. Kyle Korver scored all six of his points before intermission and Jose Calderon, in his third straight start in place of the injured George Hill, went scoreless in 14 minutes.
The Pacers had no such problem, getting contributions throughout the lineup – including 15 points from Darren Collison, who the Cavaliers had kept under control throughout the series.
Defensively, the Wine & Gold had been outstanding through the first five games of the First Round. But they collapsed on that end in Game 6 – allowing the Pacers to shoot 56 percent from the floor and an even 50 percent (15-of-30) from beyond the arc, scoring more than 100 points for the first time in the series.
LBJ leads the Cavs with 22 points in the Game 6 loss.
The Cavaliers finally got big production off their bench, but this was not the way they’d hoped it would happen – combining for 43 points, most of that during garbage time. Jeff Green finished with 13 points, going 3-for-6 from long-range in 24 minutes of work. Rodney Hood added 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting in the loss.
As a team, the Wine & Gold shot just 42 percent from the field, including a 12-for-38 mark from long-distance. LeBron was perfect on his first five free throws before half, but the squad went just 4-of-11 from that point on.
Cleveland got beat up on the boards, 44-33, while being outscored on the break, 35-12, and in the paint, 58-32. Indiana handed out 27 assists to just 16 for the Cavaliers, who also committed 15 turnovers that Pacers converted into 29 points.
The loss snapped the Wine & Gold’s NBA record of 13 straight elimination game victories, dating back to 2009. All they can do now is try to start another one on Sunday at The Q.
Turning Point -- Trailing by 10 at intermission, 57-47, the Cavaliers – who erased a 26-point halftime edge here in Indiana last year – were still well within striking distance.
But the Pacers jumped all over them to start the second half – with Myles Turner scoring on a finger-roll and Victor Oladipo stepping into a three-pointer that bumped Indy’s lead to 15 less than 90 seconds into the third quarter.
Tristan Thompson’s hook shot temporarily stopped the bleeding, but the Pacers went right back to work – going off on a 9-2 run, capped by Myles Turner’s triple from the top of the arc, that put the Pacers up 20 before the midway point of the period.
The Cavs would get no closer than 16 the rest of the way.
By the Numbers – 1 … steal that LeBron James needs to pass Scottie Pippen as the NBA’s all-time Playoff leader. LeBron and Pippen both have 395 picks for their career.
Quotable – LeBron James, looking forward to the deciding Game 7 at The Q …
”It’s win or go home, it’s just that simple. I’ve always said the greatest two words in sports are: Game Seven. Having a game seven on our home floor will be truly exciting for our fans. Hopefully our guys are excited as well; and they know not to take these opportunities for granted.”
Up Next -- Both the Cavaliers’ and the Pacers’ seasons come down to one more matchup and the final game of the Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round – Game 7, set for Sunday afternoon (1PM ET) at The Q.