Game 2: Indiana Pacers 97-100 Cleveland Cavaliers - 5 Talking Points
The Cleveland Cavaliers roared back from their Game 1 blowout with a 3-point victory that wasn't as close as the scoreboard shows. LeBron James turned on the afterburners and was primarily responsible for their first quarter run (33-18), after which they never relinquished the lead for the length of the game.
The Cavs started off really well on the defensive side of the ball as well, and did not allow the Pacers to put up a single point on the board for over 4 minutes of the first quarter. As the game wore on, the Pacers fought to find a way back to victory, but it was all to no avail as LeBron and company rebuffed every Pacers' run with some great basketball.
Here are 5 talking points from the crucial Game 2:
#5 Disparity in 3-point shooting
Kyle Korver, who'd only played 3 minutes or so in Game 1, was slotted into the starting lineup and played 31 minutes on the night. This allowed him to get into some much-needed game rhythm, and he knocked down 4 out of his 8 3-pointers.
It would ultimately prove to be the difference on the night, as the Cavs converted 11 out of their 28 attempts for a 39.3% conversion rate.
The Pacers, on the other hand, did not find any rhythm whatsoever from behind the arc. If we disregard Oladipo's meaningless 3-pointer as the game clock winding down, they went 5-for-21 (23.8%) from downtown on a bad shooting night for them overall.
Other than Darren Collison and Myles Turner, who shot 2-of-4 and 1-of-1 respectively, the rest of the Pacers were not feeling it on the night.