Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Pacers

1. Cleveland’s supporting cast finally produces

After failing, for the most part, to produce anything on the offensive end through the first three games of this series, Cleveland’s supporting cast finally bucked that trend, giving LeBron some much-needed assistance against this high-energy Pacers team.

Led by Kyle Korver’s 18 points with four 3-pointers, including two clutch shots late in the final frame, three non-LeBron Cavaliers scored in double figures.

Jordan Clarkson finally showed up for a playoff game, scoring 12 points in just 22 minutes of action, while J.R. Smith hit four 3-pointers of his own on his way to 12 points, including an absolute bomb from just inside the opposite 3-point line.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/988225898791952384

Throughout his 15-year career, LeBron James has always been a pass-first player. Whether a teammate is 1-for-15 or 10-of-15, if James sees the guy open in the corner, he’ll get him the ball without hesitation.

This has been a double-edged sword for some time now because when his teammates are hitting shots they don’t have to worry about being fed the ball.

However, if they’re ice cold from the field, LeBron will still try to get them into a groove offensively with the hopes that his trust in his teammates will eventually pay off down the stretch, even if it means fewer shots for himself — no matter how easy they may come by.

Because James won’t stop feeding them the basketball, it’s important that Cleveland’s other guys continue keep the defense honest by hitting their open shots.

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Not only will it make the Cavs more potent on offense in every way imaginable, but it’ll justify LeBron’s seemingly blind faith that he has in them every single night.