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The Cleveland Cavaliers built their identity this season around elite defense and high-octane perimeter shooting. It's a blend that helped vault them to the top seed in the East and had fans dreaming of a deep NBA Playoff run. But in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, both pillars cracked.
The Pacers walked into Rocket Arena for Game 1 and shot the lights out, burying 19 threes on 52.8% shooting from deep in a stunning 121-112 win that stole homecourt advantage and raised fresh concerns about Cleveland’s championship credentials.
“They outplayed us,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Gotta give them credit, simple as that.”
Indiana exposed Cleveland’s defensive habits, namely, their tendency to overhelp and rotate late, and weaponized them. Tyrese Haliburton orchestrated the offense with surgical precision, repeatedly finding shooters relocating off drives. Andrew Nembhard (5-of-6 from three), Aaron Nesmith, and Bennedict Mathurin took full advantage, torching Cleveland from beyond the arc.
“Took us a while to figure out their speed,” Atkinson admitted. “In the beginning, they had us kind of in the blender a little bit. And then their shot-making was otherworldly.”
Haliburton, who finished with 22 points and 13 assists, controlled the game’s tempo and exploited every breakdown in Cleveland’s rotations. The Cavs, who gave up just 96.5 points per game in their first-round series, had no answers for Indiana’s five-out spacing and constant motion.
Offensively, Cleveland's calling card failed them. The Cavs shot just 9-of-38 from deep, their lowest total of the season and second-worst percentage, and struggled to generate clean looks. Darius Garland’s continued absence loomed large as Donovan Mitchell was once again forced to carry the offensive load, leaving Cleveland searching for a response on offense.
The Cavs cannot be gun-shy in Game 2 against the Pacers
That response will need to come fast. The Cavs now trail in a playoff series for the first time this postseason and must regroup quickly before Game 2.
Cleveland mounted a third-quarter rally, turning a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead behind Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Ty Jerome. The arena roared back to life. Momentum shifted. Briefly, the Cavs looked like themselves.
Unfortunately, the Pacers never flinched. Instead, they settled in and took care of business.
Haliburton and Nembhard buried three momentum-killing threes in the final minutes. A Myles Turner putback pushed the Pacers' lead to six with just over three minutes remaining. Cleveland never recovered. Unfortunately, the same team that had stifled Miami couldn’t string together stops when it mattered.
The loss wasn’t just a statistical outlier. It was a gut punch to a team with championship aspirations. A game in which Cleveland allowed 53% shooting, surrendered 30 assists, and was outscored by 30 from beyond the arc. One team made the shots they were built to make. The other fell flat.
More worryingly, injuries are starting to mount, too. Atkinson mentioned postgame that De’Andre Hunter was among several players “banged up” after a physical night. And with Garland’s status still uncertain, the pressure on Mitchell and Mobley grows.
The Cavs were reminded in Game 1 that postseason success demands more than one-quarter bursts or individual brilliance. Indiana is balanced, experienced, and unshaken. The Pacers made the Cavs pay for every lapse. Game 2 now feels like a must-win. Moreover, it's a referendum on whether this Cavs team is truly ready for the moment. Hopefully, Cleveland can dig deep and respond.
