The Indiana Pacers found themselves struggling significantly at the start of Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, a stark contrast to their strong performance in the series opener. They couldn`t connect on shots, turned the ball over frequently, and failed to stop Cleveland`s drives to the basket.
Depleted by injuries to key players like Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De`Andre Hunter, the Cavaliers had emphasized the need for physicality and energy. Their intense start was perhaps expected, but the Pacers appeared completely unprepared. When Dean Wade hit a three-pointer early in the second quarter, the home crowd erupted as the Cavs extended their impressive 24-4 scoring run.
“Cleveland hit us with a hellacious punch early in the game,” said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. “It was difficult to get the ball over halfcourt, let alone score.”
Donovan Mitchell delivered a spectacular performance, particularly early on. In the first quarter, he skillfully navigated past Ben Sheppard for a tough bucket and foul. In the second, he drove past Tyrese Haliburton from halfcourt and soared over Pascal Siakam for a memorable dunk.
Beyond Mitchell, other Cavaliers stepped up. Jarrett Allen dominated the paint, Dean Wade hustled for loose balls, and Max Strus and Sam Merrill hit key three-pointers. Craig Porter Jr., in his first significant minutes of the playoffs, made an immediate impact with a block, deflections, and a transition dunk.
“If a team is playing with that level of force and connectivity and physicality and the crowd is behind them the way they were, they`re going to kick your ass,” Carlisle commented. “And they were kicking our ass for a long time.”
The Pacers` first-half struggles were highlighted by turning the ball over on 27% of their possessions.
“I mean, swimming upstream isn`t even the word,” Carlisle added. “We were trying to go into a hurricane that was coming at us.”
Given their poor start, the Pacers were fortunate to be trailing by only 14 points heading into the fourth quarter.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the final period. With Mitchell initially resting, Cleveland missed their first six shots, forcing a timeout. Mitchell returned but immediately committed a turnover and missed a layup.
Down the stretch, the Cavaliers struggled to initiate their offense, becoming overly reliant on Mitchell`s individual drives and trips to the free-throw line. Coach Kenny Atkinson had to call timeouts twice because his team couldn`t successfully inbound the ball.
“We couldn`t get the separation,” Atkinson explained. “Every possession, [the Pacers] just upped their physicality. Again, grabbing, holding. We couldn`t move.”
Mitchell finished with an impressive 48 points on 15-for-30 shooting, making 17 of 21 free throws. He also contributed five rebounds and nine assists, including a crucial pass to Strus when double-teamed in crunch time. Strus`s three-pointer put Cleveland up 117-110 with just 66 seconds left, seemingly sealing the win before a stunning turn of events.
The final minute saw chaos unfold: Aaron Nesmith`s putback dunk after a missed free throw, Mitchell`s offensive foul on Nesmith in the backcourt, Pascal Siakam`s layup, a costly turnover by Strus on the inbound, and finally, Tyrese Haliburton drawing a foul, splitting free throws, rebounding his miss, and draining an incredible stepback three-pointer for the 120-119 victory.
Indiana celebrated wildly while Cleveland was left devastated. While such a comeback would be remarkable for most teams, Haliburton and the Pacers had pulled off a similar late-game stunner just a week prior in Milwaukee.
“We just keep executing, we keep playing,” Carlisle stated. “Did a really good job situationally at the end. And obviously had to get lucky. But Tyrese hit another amazing shot to win the game. You don`t see this very often. Let alone twice in one week. And so we`re very fortunate.”
Mitchell briefly exited after his offensive foul, with Atkinson revealing he asked out due to cramping. Mitchell was also dealing with a calf issue, and Atkinson felt the team collectively ran out of energy late. Despite the loss, he praised the Cavs` competitive spirit.
“We outplayed `em,” Atkinson claimed. “With fatigue comes [poor] decision-making, right? We had some poor decision-making plays at the rim. Turnovers. A couple bad decisions, I felt like. That was part of the collapse.”
Atkinson`s only regret was not giving reserves more minutes, stating Mitchell “singlehandedly” kept the team ahead for much of the game.
“I don`t know what more he could do,” Atkinson said of Mitchell`s performance.
Carlisle noted that the Pacers “wore them down some.” He acknowledged Mitchell`s “heroic game” but pointed out, “But right now we`re deeper than them. And even when we weren`t playing well, we were playing fresh guys.”
Had Haliburton`s final shot missed, Game 2 might have been remembered for Mitchell`s tireless effort and Cleveland`s surprising depth. Instead, it stands as a significant missed opportunity for the Cavaliers.
“We felt like we were doing everything right to win this game,” said Jarrett Allen. “And just a couple moments led to our downfall.”
Losing in such a manner is undeniably a “tough blow,” according to Atkinson. However, Cleveland demonstrated for most of the game how effective they can be when playing at their best.
“We were able to find out a way to go up 20 at one point,” Allen added. “And we did let the lead get away from us, but we found the blueprint.”
With a few days before Game 3 in Indianapolis, the Cavaliers hope to see Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De`Andre Hunter potentially return to the lineup. Facing a 0-2 deficit on the road, Mitchell and the Cavs will need all the help they can get.
Jasper Hawthorne