var opponent = "pacers"; //used in image formatting opponent-dateCode-page.jpg var dateCode = "180425"; var pageSelectorTag = "div" var pageSelectorClass = "article-section" var pageTitleTag = "h4"; var pageTitleClass = "key";
Key: Homecoming Kings
On Sunday night in Indy, the Wine & Gold won a game they had to have – avoiding a 3-1 deficit in their First Round matchup with the Pacers, instead pulling out a wild 104-100 win to even the series.
Through the first three years of LeBron James’ second stint in Cleveland, the Wine & Gold breezed relatively unscathed through the opening round of the Playoffs, but right now they’re in a dogfight with the one Eastern Conference team that’s given them fits all season.
In Sunday’s win, the Cavaliers trailed by three midway through the fourth quarter before closing the game on a 15-8 run behind the heroics of LeBron and Kyle Korver.
And as tough as Bankers Life Fieldhouse has been for the Cavaliers, it hasn’t been a picnic for the Pacers at The Q – where they’ve dropped 11 of their last 13. However, the two teams split the first two here to start the series, and the feisty Pacers come back for Game 5 with confidence.
Holding the Pacers to 43 percent shooting and again not allowing more than 100 points, the Cavaliers took back homecourt advantage on Sunday night. What they do with it beginning on Wednesday night is what matters now.
Key: The Odd Couple
It was just a matter of time before the LeBron James/Lance Stephenson feud got physical – if that’s what we want to call the fourth quarter technical foul James picked up for sending Stephenson flying with a slight elbow.
At times, Stephenson’s theatrics are almost comical and they can be good and bad for the Pacers. By baiting LeBron with 6:13 to play in the game, he got his team a free point and a three-point lead. On the negative side, he poked the bear – and James and Korver combined for a 12-3 run that essentially put the game on ice for Cleveland.
Either way, the perennial battle between the two has been must-see TV for years.
In Sunday’s must-win, LeBron notched his fourth double-double of the postseason, finishing with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting, going 8-of-9 from the stripe to go with a team-high 13 boards, seven assists and two blocks.
It was also the 100th time that the four-time MVP topped the 30-point plateau in the Playoffs, joining Michael Jordan as the only players to record that feat.
On the defensive end, James and Co. held Bojan Bogdanovic to one-third of his production from Game 3 – netting 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, including 2-of-8 from long-range.
Key: Bench Boost
After a slow start to the series, the Cavaliers bench – one of the squad’s strong suits all season – finally emerged as a factor on Sunday night.
Led by Jordan Clarkson, Cleveland’s reserves combined for a series-best 32 points in the victory. After averaging a franchise-best 41.2 ppg during the regular season – good for 7th in the NBA – the bench hasn’t found its rhythm against Indiana, with the second unit averaging just 19.0 points per in Games 2 and 3.
In Game 4, Clarkson led Cleveland’s reserves, netting 10 of his 12 points in the second period, going 4-of-4 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from deep in the period.
But the Wine & Gold also got productive minutes off the bench from Jeff Green – who finished with eight points, four boards and four assists – Rodney Hood – who pitched in with six points – and Larry Nance Jr. – who added with six points, three boards, a pair of steals and a block.
For the Pacers, Domantas Sabonis had easily his best game of the series, leading all bench scorers with 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go with six boards. Aside from his late-game histrionics, Lance Stephenson followed up with 11 points, six assists and four personal fouls in 23 frenetic minutes of work.
Key: Long-Distance Love Affair
Starting with Game 2 of the series, Coach Tyronn Lue has gone with his top two sharpshooters – JR Smith and Kyle Korver – together in the starting lineup. But until Game 4, the duo didn’t have a simultaneously strong night.
That changed on Sunday when Swish set the Pacers up early and Korver knocked ‘em down late.
Korver’s been battling both physical and emotional issues throughout the past few weeks and he had his best game of the Playoffs on Sunday.
After going scoreless in both Games 1 and 3, the 15-year vet was razor sharp down the stretch on Sunday – netting eight of his 18 points in the final four minutes, going 4-of-9 from long-range and 6-of-7 from the stripe overall, adding three boards and two blocks in the win.
Smith finished with nine of his 12 points in the first period, going 3-of-4 from long-range in the quarter – including a 61-foot bomb from beyond halfcourt at the buzzer.
Smith, who added five boards in the win, was also outstanding once again on the defensive end against Victor Oladipo, who went 5-for-20 from the field on Sunday night.
After shredding Cleveland in Game 1, Smith and the Cavs have held the All-Star guard in check – shooting just 36 percent over his last three outings, including a 6-for-24 mark from three-point range.
Key: Middle Management
It’s been an odd series for Kevin Love, who’s in the midst of a tough matchup with both Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner. The rangy Young has mitigated Love’s mobility and Turner is almost as versatile on the perimeter and just as tough on the boards as Cleveland’s five-time All-Star.
In Game 4, Love picked up his second personal foul less than a minute-and-a-half into the contest, limiting him to nine minutes (and no points) in the first half. Love would eventually finish with five points and 11 boards, but went just 2-for-10 from the floor.
The 10-year veteran is still averaging a double-double in the series – recording 12.0 points and 10.5 boards per – but he’s shooting just 36 percent from the floor and 40 percent from long-range.
If the Cavaliers are going to get past the Pacers, they’ll need Love to rediscover the form he had down the stretch in the regular season.
Thaddeus Young has been improving as the series wears on – doubling-up on Sunday night with 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. The 11-year veteran from Georgia Tech is shooting 56 percent from the floor in the series.
Turner was just as tough on Sunday, finishing with 17 points and three boards – going 7-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range in the loss.
Indiana has been one of Cleveland’s toughest tests all season long and one needs to look no further than this matchup to know why.