Indiana Pacers: 3 takeaways from Game 7 vs. Cavaliers

2. Pacers starting backcourt comes up just short

If there’s one play Pacers fans will remember from Sunday afternoon more than any other, it will be the one that came with exactly two minutes to go in a six-point game.

After a few quick Indiana passes, Darren Collison found himself alone in the corner with nary a black jersey within 15 feet. You could tell immediately he wanted no part of a shot he knew he had to put up.

If the Pacers’ starting point guard had made that shot, it would have made it a one-possession game, and just maybe would have propelled them to victory. Instead, it rendered Collison’s spectacular game — 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting — an afterthought, and will likely open up some questions this summer about whether the Pacers need to upgrade the position.

As for Victor Oladipo, nothing he did on the court left anyone disappointed. He had 30 points, 12 rebounds and six dimes to go with 4-of-9 shooting from deep. He almost singlehandedly carried Indiana to victory.

The problem was that there wasn’t enough of him when the game was on the line. After LeBron had to head to the locker room with leg cramps with a minute to go in the third and the Cavs clinging to a one-point lead, the Pacers had a golden opportunity to take advantage. Instead, head coach Nate McMillan took Oladipo out at the same time.

Instead of cutting into the lead, Indiana failed to score in the nearly three minutes Dipo was out, and the deficit increased to five. The Pacers never recovered.