With their full range of talent available, the Cavaliers managed to overcome some initial challenges and convincingly beat the Pacers, narrowing the series to 2-1 in the best-of-seven match.
Although it might be surprising to label the best team in the Eastern Conference as “unexpected,” the Cavaliers certainly caught attention by winning 64 games in the regular season. It was equally unexpected to witness them struggle at the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals, falling behind 0-2 to the resilient Indiana Pacers due to injuries and lackluster performance in critical moments.
On a positive note, on Friday, Cleveland and its supporters received a welcomed surprise when Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter all made their comeback in Game 3 after sitting out the previous game, which ended in a disappointing loss at Rocket Arena. Their contributions were vital in the 126-104 victory for the Cavs, which could be considered the most significant win of the season for a team that has now managed to level the playing field in this seven-game series.
Facing the specter of a historically insurmountable 0-3 hole, the Cavaliers’ full allotment of talent reassembled at last for a signature performance, overcoming some early hiccups to quickly pull away from the fourth-seeded Pacers. After coughing up an early 15-point lead and ending the first quarter tied at 32, Cleveland out-scored Indiana 34-13 in the second, and never let the cushion sink below double digits the rest of the way.
In fact, the Pacers never led all night, though Cavs fans surely weren’t comfortable following Game 2’s 20-point meltdown. Still, every time it felt like Indy was about to ride the momentum of its home crowd, Cleveland quickly slammed the door shut.
Though the returning players had the attention prior to tipoff, it was Donovan Mitchell who turned in yet another star-level display with 43 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Fourteen of those points came in the fourth quarter, including a sequence that saw him hit a fadeaway jumper, knock down a 3, and feed Max Strus for another triple to help squash another Pacers comeback attempt. Strus had 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting along with seven boards and seven assists.
Garland struggled to shoot and committed four fouls before halftime, but his presence was still felt beyond his gutsy 10 points. Hunter added eight off the bench with five rebounds, but it was Mobley who truly shook off the injury rust to deliver “unicorn”-like results with 18 points, 13 boards, and three blocks. Jarrett Allen added his own double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
The two big men were indispensable to the flow of the action, as Cleveland dominated both on the glass (58-37) and in second-chance points (31-9) despite only shooting 42% from the field. Indiana got solid performances from Pascal Siakam (18 points) and Bennedict Mathurin (23 points), but point guard Tyrese Haliburton scored just four fresh off nailing the game-winner on Tuesday.
As no team has ever won an NBA playoff series after losing the first three games, Friday night was as close to a “must-win” situation as could be for the Cavaliers. However, the Pacers still hold the home-court advantage, and league history is not on Cleveland’s side, as only five teams have ever come back to win a best-of-seven series after dropping the first two at home.
Game 4 is set for Sunday night at Gainbridge FieldHouse.
