Indiana Pacers 98-80 Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Talking Points
The Indiana Pacers netted the first big shocker of the postseason on national television as they took the first game of the series at the Quicken Loans arena against LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers by a margin of 98 points to 80.
Victor Oladipo led the way for the Pacers with a 32-point night, while Myles Turner, Bojan Bogdanovic and Lance Stephenson contributed 16, 15 and 12 points respectively.
For the Cavs, LeBron James had a triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. None of their other starters scored in double digits, but Larry Nance Jr and JR Smith netted 10 and 15 points off the bench respectively.
It was a lively game for the most part, and the level of intensity displayed by Cleveland on defense was much higher than it was in the regular season, but it wasn't enough to lead them to a win over a spirited Pacers side that took the game to them.
Here are 5 talking points from this game:
#5 The Cavaliers had an abysmal first quarter
The Pacers ran out to a big lead right in the first 6 minutes of the game. After the score was tied at 4-4, they went on a 14-0 run to take the score to 18-4 with 04:13 remaining. The quarter finished with the Pacers in a commanding position, leading 33-14.
The Cavs had a practically unwatchable quarter, with 7 turnovers and only 5 made field goals. Their defense was in tatters as they conceded a number of offensive rebounds, allowing the Pacers to capitalize on second-chance opportunities galore.
The Cavs also got into the penalty by the end of the 8th minute of the quarter, which meant they had to guard possessions with lesser intensity and physicality. All-in-all, a disastrous quarter of basketball for the home fans to endure.