The Cleveland Cavaliers won an exciting Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers, 117-111. Up 2-0, the Cavs now head to Indianapolis looking to complete a sweep.
That’s more like it for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This was one of the most complete wins for the club in a while. They still had some defensive mishaps, and offensive woes, but for most of the game, they showed signs of the Cavs of last season that peaked at the right time to eventually win the NBA Finals.
For the Indiana Pacers, they continued to show their bench woes and just not having enough talent to contend with Cleveland. They got the 19-point fourth quarter Cavaliers’ lead down to six, but bad possessions and the infamous iso ball showed up and the rest was history.
Since the beginning of the season, I’ve mentioned numerous times about the lax defense the Cavaliers play. They allow teams to put up 100-plus points on them with no resistance.
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They also struggle with man-to-man defense. That was once again evident on Monday against the Pacers.
Paul George was able to get anything he wanted on the perimeter and within the paint. However, that changed when Iman Shumpert started the second half.
According to numerous reports, J.R. Smith suffered a left hamstring injury in the second quarter and wasn’t able to put any weight on the leg.
Cavs' staff has told me based on preliminary evaluations, the injury to @TheRealJRSmith's left hamstring is not thought to be serious...
— Kristen Ledlow (@KristenLedlow) April 18, 2017
Shumpert, who didn’t play in Game 1, stayed ready and played like Cavs’ fans were accustomed to see him playing in the beginning of the season.
He came into the game and took the challenge against George. In the second half, he held George to only 10 points. I haven’t seen Shumpert play lockdown defense like that on an opposing player in months.
Ty Lue credits Iman Shumpert for defensive effort in third quarter that helped them take control of the game. #Cavs #NBAPlayoffs
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) April 18, 2017
He also added in five points, going 1-of-2 from three-point range.
Shumpert set the defensive tempo and it was immediately noticed by the traps and double- teams by the Cavaliers. We know that the Cavs can sustain this defensive pressure against opposing teams, but they must do it for four quarters.
In two games, the Cavs have had big leads, but they gave it right back due to atrocious defense. They get too comfortable and let off the gas.
They did it again Monday night, but luckily Kyrie Irving was able to continue his dominance and take them to victory.
Irving also passed Mark Price to move into second-place on Cleveland’s all-time postseason scoring list.
Kyrie Irving just passed Mark Price for the 2nd most points scored in Cavs playoff history. Gee, I wonder who is No. 1?
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 18, 2017
Irving hit one of the nastiest ankle-breakers I’ve seen in a while on Lance Stephenson–who didn’t have the best night. I’ll let this video do the talking for me.
https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/854140482267435009
He’s had plenty in his career, but to do it against a tough defender like Stephenson is impressive. He finished the game with 37 points, going 4-of-10 from long range after only going 1-of-9 in Game 1.
Kevin Love also had a great game. He finally showed a little aggression and had a few back-to-back possessions where he was doing it all with energy. He was taking charges, making putbacks, getting clutch rebounds and the Cavs’ fans and crowd loved it!
Coach Nate McMillan put Stephenson on Love and he took advantage of the mismatch. It reminded me of former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown putting Delonte West on Hedo Turkoglu.
I’ve referenced that move a lot, but I will never get over the Cavs losing to the Orlando Magic in 2009.
Yes, the Cavs are the defending champions, but that one was given to the Magic in a gift basket due to Brown being incapable of coaching defense.
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LeBron James played a much better overall game. He still had costly turnovers, but he was more efficient with his passing, and he was more aggressive penetrating to the basket.
When he has the mindset of attacking instead of settling for bad jump shots, there is no stopping the Cavaliers.
He finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. He came within three assists of another triple-double. It’s expected by James at this point.
This marks the first time in the playoffs that the Big 3 all scored 20 or more points.
The Cavaliers will take their talents to Indiana at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday for Game 3. They can get the sweep with wins on Wednesday and Friday.
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This will be the toughest game for the Cavaliers of the whole series, but if they can win Game 3, and crush the hopes and confidence of the Pacers, Game 4 should be a breeze.