Game 4: Cleveland Cavaliers 104 - 100 Indiana Pacers - 5 Talking Points
The first round matchup between the 4th-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and the 5th-seeded Indiana Pacers has proved to be a great series thus far. Three of the four games have been extremely close, and if not for a play here or there, could have gone the other way.
Game 4 was as good a treat as Game 3, as the Cavaliers made a couple of clutch shots in a close situation to ice the game.
Lance Stephenson and Jeff Green rolled around while jostling for the ball with 9.4 seconds remaining. The referees, instead of calling what should have been a double technical or just one on Jeff Green, instead gave it to Cleveland, and that was that for the game as it became a 2-possession game following the technical free throw.
We have the following 5 talking points from the game:
#5 Kevin Love had a substandard game
The Cavaliers were fortunate to come away with this game despite the decidedly inferior play of their All-Star center Kevin Love. The former Minnesota strongman just cannot seem to get the hang of pick-and-roll defense, and the Pacers have mercilessly exploited his defensive deficiencies over the course of this series.
In little under a couple of minutes of gameplay after tip-off, Love got himself sent to the bench with 2 quick fouls. Playing over 29 minutes for the game, Love managed just 2-of-10 from the field, including 0-for-3 from 3-point territory. While he did grab 5 offensive boards and 11 overall, he was worthless for the most part and finished with only 5 points in the game.
It has been 4 games running now that Love has shot below his usual excellent standards. The tough, in-the-face defense played by the Pacers has played its part, but Love has missed too many open shots for his own liking. The Cavs would be well-served by a Kevin Love playing at full capacity.