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INDIANAPOLIS — After being asked why the Cavaliers didn't come out with as much "force" as the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series, Darius Garland sat silently for 18 seconds, mulling the answer.
In reality, there wasn't one. The Cavs, now down 3-1 in the series, simply got beat.
In reality, they were dismantled.
The Cavs entered Game 4 with a chance to even the series and were instead torched 129-109, but the score wasn't really even that close. At halftime, the Pacers were leading 80-39, with that 41-point lead trying the largest halftime lead in a playoff game in NBA history.
When Garland did answer, he said all there was to say: "Just didn't."
"It didn't happen tonight," Garland said. "Turnovers killed us. To start off with an early one on the first possession of the game, I think that's what started all that. It was like a snowball effect."
It was a Cavalanche in the opposite direction. In a similar scene as to what the Cavaliers did to the Heat a couple times during their historic sweep of Miami in the first round, the No. 1-seeded Cavs were torched.
"I mean, complete domination by them, is really kind of the story, on kind of every facet," said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. "It wasn't like, 'Oh, you know tactics, or anything involved.' They dominated us in every facet of the game. That's what we get. A 20-point game, or really a 30-point game."
The Cavs knew it, too. They knew the Pacers were going to try to respond to Cleveland's Game 3 win with a show of force, of pace, of speed, of making everything difficult every step of the way. But from the moment of tip-off, the Cavs had no answer.
"They raised their game to another level and we didn't match it," Atkinson said. "We talked about it. We knew it was coming. I don't know. You try to prepare for these things. … But for whatever reason, they were on another level. Their force was greater in every sense."
The Cavs have a mountain of a task ahead of them. They not only have to win three consecutive games to save their playoff hopes, they have to do while trying to flush a beatdown like the one they endured in Game 4. They also can only hope that Donovan Mitchell, who left the game at halftime with a left ankle injury, is available for Game 5 and/or beyond.
Garland said they've overcome enough adversity to pull it off. Not to mention a certain Cavaliers team — the 2016 championship squad — is still known for overcoming a 3-1 deficit.
"This group has been together for a couple of years now, so [we've] been through a lot of adversity the last three years together," Garland said. "This franchise has done it before, we've seen it done before. … So go out there, chip on our shoulder and a lot of desperation, and what's what we have to do."
Mitchell, in fact, has used that term — desperation — quite a bit recently. He's used it to describe how the Cavs need to play, and how they kept their edge through a 64-win season.
Now, it isn't just a mindset they'd like to find. It's their reality.
In addition to concerns with Mitchell's health and availability for Game 5, the Cavs have a laundry list of things to try to improve in the roughly 48 hours between games.
One has been Garland's involvement in the offense. He missed the last part of the Heat series and the first part of the Pacers series before returning in Game 3. Atkinson has been adamant that Garland has been giving every ounce of himself that he can, and that he's fighting some significant pain with a sprained toe that makes it difficult to do pretty much everything that made Garland an All-Star in the first place.
Down 41 points at halftime, and with Mitchell out of the game, Garland opted to play the entire third quarter, scoring 12 points and five assists in a 12-minute span. The game was long gone, and Garland's health is something for the Cavs to consider. But Garland assured Atkinson he was OK, and he has been dead set on rediscovering his rhythm in the Cavs offense.
It was largely with Game 5 in mind that made Garland stay in Game 4 so long.
"I wanted to be there for my teammates," Garland said. "I don't care if we're down 40 or up 40. … It's my second game back, so seeing what they're doing on the offensive end and actually being out there and participating instead of watching from the sidelines, I wanted to go out there and play."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs facing 3-1 deficit vs Indiana Pacers after Game 4 loss
Continue reading...
In reality, there wasn't one. The Cavs, now down 3-1 in the series, simply got beat.
In reality, they were dismantled.
The Cavs entered Game 4 with a chance to even the series and were instead torched 129-109, but the score wasn't really even that close. At halftime, the Pacers were leading 80-39, with that 41-point lead trying the largest halftime lead in a playoff game in NBA history.
When Garland did answer, he said all there was to say: "Just didn't."
"It didn't happen tonight," Garland said. "Turnovers killed us. To start off with an early one on the first possession of the game, I think that's what started all that. It was like a snowball effect."
It was a Cavalanche in the opposite direction. In a similar scene as to what the Cavaliers did to the Heat a couple times during their historic sweep of Miami in the first round, the No. 1-seeded Cavs were torched.
"I mean, complete domination by them, is really kind of the story, on kind of every facet," said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. "It wasn't like, 'Oh, you know tactics, or anything involved.' They dominated us in every facet of the game. That's what we get. A 20-point game, or really a 30-point game."
The Cavs knew it, too. They knew the Pacers were going to try to respond to Cleveland's Game 3 win with a show of force, of pace, of speed, of making everything difficult every step of the way. But from the moment of tip-off, the Cavs had no answer.
"They raised their game to another level and we didn't match it," Atkinson said. "We talked about it. We knew it was coming. I don't know. You try to prepare for these things. … But for whatever reason, they were on another level. Their force was greater in every sense."
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Cavaliers trail Pacers 3-1 after Game 4 loss
The Cavs have a mountain of a task ahead of them. They not only have to win three consecutive games to save their playoff hopes, they have to do while trying to flush a beatdown like the one they endured in Game 4. They also can only hope that Donovan Mitchell, who left the game at halftime with a left ankle injury, is available for Game 5 and/or beyond.
Garland said they've overcome enough adversity to pull it off. Not to mention a certain Cavaliers team — the 2016 championship squad — is still known for overcoming a 3-1 deficit.
"This group has been together for a couple of years now, so [we've] been through a lot of adversity the last three years together," Garland said. "This franchise has done it before, we've seen it done before. … So go out there, chip on our shoulder and a lot of desperation, and what's what we have to do."
Mitchell, in fact, has used that term — desperation — quite a bit recently. He's used it to describe how the Cavs need to play, and how they kept their edge through a 64-win season.
Now, it isn't just a mindset they'd like to find. It's their reality.
Donovan Mitchell injury update: Star guard's status for Game 5 unclear
In addition to concerns with Mitchell's health and availability for Game 5, the Cavs have a laundry list of things to try to improve in the roughly 48 hours between games.
One has been Garland's involvement in the offense. He missed the last part of the Heat series and the first part of the Pacers series before returning in Game 3. Atkinson has been adamant that Garland has been giving every ounce of himself that he can, and that he's fighting some significant pain with a sprained toe that makes it difficult to do pretty much everything that made Garland an All-Star in the first place.
Down 41 points at halftime, and with Mitchell out of the game, Garland opted to play the entire third quarter, scoring 12 points and five assists in a 12-minute span. The game was long gone, and Garland's health is something for the Cavs to consider. But Garland assured Atkinson he was OK, and he has been dead set on rediscovering his rhythm in the Cavs offense.
It was largely with Game 5 in mind that made Garland stay in Game 4 so long.
"I wanted to be there for my teammates," Garland said. "I don't care if we're down 40 or up 40. … It's my second game back, so seeing what they're doing on the offensive end and actually being out there and participating instead of watching from the sidelines, I wanted to go out there and play."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs facing 3-1 deficit vs Indiana Pacers after Game 4 loss
Continue reading...
