Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Pacers

3. Cleveland wins the free throw battle

After shooting 16 free throws in the Game 3 loss, the Cavaliers turned up the aggressiveness in Game 4, getting to the line 26 times and converting on 22 of them.

Compare this to Indiana, who shot 16-of-20 from the free throw line in Game 3, and came back to shoot just 8-of-13 in Game 4, and it’s easy to see the free throw battle as one of the main reasons the Cavaliers were able to regain home-court advantage in this series.

Whether due to an intended heightened level of aggression or an un-provable favoritism from the refs, Cleveland’s free throw numbers were a welcome sight for anyone hoping to see them advance to the second round.

Normally a team that relies heavily on its 3-point shooting, it was nice to see the Cavaliers manufacture points in a different and safer form.

If Cleveland can continue to shoot a high number of free throws moving forward, not only will it give them easier points, but it’ll slow the game down and put the Pacers in foul trouble, not allowing them to get into a rhythm on the offensive end.