Indiana Pacers: 3 takeaways from Game 7 vs. Cavaliers

1. LeBron James proves too much

When Nate McMillan came out of the locker room after halftime, he admitted that they could no longer let LeBron James have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted in a game the Pacers were losing by double-digits.

After allowing James to feast to the tune of 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting in a half in which he did not rest, Indiana adjusted a bit, but it was too late. LeBron only took nine shots in the second half, but still finished with 45 points thanks to an 11-for-15 afternoon from the line.

The Pacers clearly thought that James could not beat them by himself. They were almost right, as the cramps which sent him to the locker room may have been a result of just how much his body had been taxed in this game and this series.

Ultimately though, Indiana never forced another Cavs player to beat them when the game mattered most. In a series where James averaged an unfathomable 34.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 7.7 rebounds in 41.1 minutes a game, no other Cavs player ever scored 20 points.

It’s something they’ll have an entire summer to think about. In the meantime, even though they lost a series in which they outscored Cleveland by 40 points, the Pacers have nothing to hang their heads about.

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Whether they like it or not, after the year they had, everything that happened this postseason was, indeed, gravy.