Indiana Pacers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. Cavaliers

2. Exploit Cleveland’s weakness

It has been one of the most highly publicized and belabored points in basketball this season that Cleveland lacks depth and a quality supporting cast.

Big names have ushered in and out of The Land all season, whether by free agency or trade, and the truth is that between injuries and lack of experience from key players like Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, this team just hasn’t clicked yet.

Looking at help outside of LeBron James, the Pacers did a great job of making Kevin Love uncomfortable, as he shot an abysmal 2-for-10 from the field, ending with a measly five points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers only salvaged the win because of random streaky shooting from J.R. Smith, including a 70-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter. When J.R. is hot, he is hot, but unfortunately for the Cavaliers, that doesn’t happen too often these days.

The final key to limiting this team’s role players is stopping Kyle Korver from heating up like he did. Korver’s effective days as a starter are certainly behind him by now, but the truth is that he looked like he was 27 years old Sunday night.

If those guys can be locked down on the perimeter, they can’t find their stroke and LeBron will be locked into superhuman (and nearly impossible) expectations for the rest of the way.