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For the first time since 2008, LeBron James will need six games to advance past the first round of the Playoffs. Can the Indiana Pacers make him sweat and force a first-ever first-round Game 7 for James?
Only time will tell but Game 5 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Pacers was different yet similar in a lot of ways. .
Here's how it was similar - other than the Pacers' 18-point Game 1 victory, all other contests in the series have been decided by five points or lesser. However, in all of the previous contests, one team (3 of the four times, it's been the Cavaliers) has jumped to a huge early lead of 15+ points. That didn't happen on Wednesday night.
The largest lead in Game 5 was 12 points and that too came in the second half of the game. This contest had a lot to discuss so without further ado, let's get to the 5 biggest takeaways:
#5 Struggles continue for Cavaliers' key role players
In Game 5, Kevin Love and JR Smith combined for 11 points on 2-of-19 shooting.
Love might still be bothered by his injured left thumb but if he's playing there should be no excuses. The 6'10" forward/center has been miserable this series, before and after he injured his left thumb in Game 4 of this series.
During his rehab in February and March due to a broken left hand, everybody talked about overlooking the struggles of the new-look Cavaliers because they were missing a superstar in Love. Come Playoff time, the former Minnesota Timberwolves' star has contributed close to nothing to the team's success. He's averaging a Playoff career-low 11.8 points per game while shooting Playoff-career lows of 32.8% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc.
JR Smith, the other notable role player, hasn't shown up offensively. After a lackluster Game 1 on defense, he has picked up his defensive intensity but offensively there is no dependable output other than a rare spark in Game 1. For the series, he's averaging 8.0 points on 31.9% shooting from the field and 28.1% from beyond the arc. Those numbers are his worst since his abysmal 5-game Playoffs in 2012 with the New York Knicks.
#4 Domantas Sabonis & Thaddeus Young dominate in the post
While the Cavaliers' current roster has plenty of weaknesses. Positionally right now, it's in the post with the big man and in Game 5, the Pacers took full advantage of that.
Their starting center Myles Turner only played 21 minutes because of foul trouble but the Pacers' remaining forward duo - Domantas Sabonis and Thaddeus Young did more than just compensate for his absence. They ensured that their coach Nate McMillan wasn't impatiently waiting to put Turner back.
The duo combined for 38 points on 16-of-21 shooting (76.2%).
Although the Pacers only lost by 3 on the final possession, positionally the duo were the only silver lining for the team. Unfortunately, the team didn't exclusively look for them late in the second half when they desperately needed points.
#3 Victor Oladipo has gone missing since Cavaliers' defensive adjustments
Games 1 & 2: 27.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists on 54.0% shooting and 47.1% on 3s
Games 3, 4 & 5: 15.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists on 24.0% shooting on 21.7% on 3s
Games 3, 4 & 5 have shown us a different Victor Oladipo. He went from the guy that showed up in the first two games in Cleveland to a player that put up sub-par numbers in the remaining games. The numbers paint quite a clear picture with the only real measurable positive change being his rebounding.
Getting more rebounds is a good sign, as he can then push the pace and make plays in transition but he's ruining those fastbreaks too, by trying to push the pace far too much and often times rushing himself into a layup in traffic.
All through the regular season, the Cavaliers weren't necessarily known for their defense but their trapping schemes on Oladipo, which they began from Game 3 during pick-and-roll, has really got him confused, and it really removes the flow and rhythm of the Pacers' offense.
What's more surprising is that Cleveland has been doing it for three straight games, and the Pacers haven't been able to come up with a good counter. In addition, when they don't go for pick-and-rolls, Oladipo, if he doesn't have his shot early, tends to go shot hunting by shooting pull-up 3s. They look good when they go in (Games 1 & 2) but they look rushed and unnecessary when they don't (Games 3, 4 & 5).
The shooting numbers in Games 3, 4 & 5 are very disappointing. At some point, when it's not going in, Oladipo needs to start driving to the rim and get to the free-throw line. If you look at Game 5 alone, he shot 2-of-15 (13.3%) from the field and 1-of-7 (14.3%) on 3s.
#2 The Pacers' fight
Yes, they lost but it's difficult not to admire the fight in these Pacers.
This young Indiana squad has little or close to no appreciable Playoff experience. The players on the roster that have played Playoff games before have done so as role players or as end-of-the-rotation guys.
The only players to have prominent roles on past Playoff teams are Lance Stephenson and Cory Joseph, both are aged 27 and 26 respectively. Other than leading by big in Game 1, the Pacers have trailed by double digits in every game and in each one of them they have fought back, even winning one of them - Game 3.
In Game 5 as well, they went down by as many as 12 but still fought back before the final buzzer rang. And they're opponents are no pushovers. They are facing arguably the best player in the world right now in LeBron James.
#1 LeBron James' third quarter!
There's no doubting James' greatness. He put up 44 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists on 14-of-24 shooting but he has been doing that the previous four games as well.
Of course, the final two clutch plays were what hit the nail on the head but the difference maker was the third quarter. The third period was a weakness for the Cavaliers but it became their strength on Wednesday night.
Although the Cavaliers did almost mess it up again in the final quarter, it was James' play in the third quarter that gave them the lead in the first place. In all of the previous four games, towards the end of the game, James was looking gassed. He used to take multiple possessions off on both ends of the floor.
After halftime, his shot ranges increased from the in-the-paint drives to long-range jumpers. Well, all that changed in Game 5.
He drove to the basket like his life depended on it in the third quarter and the Pacers simply couldn't guard him. The Pacers were outscored 17-32 in the third period, allowing the Cavaliers to turn a 7-point deficit into an 8-point lead after 36 minutes. Where it all opened up were the first six minutes, when Cleveland went on a 19-3 run with LeBron scoring or assisting on 17 of those 19 points (other two being free-throws by Kyle Korver).
Guess the Lakers players!
