Indiana Pacers 98-80 Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Talking Points

The Indiana Pacers netted the first big shocker of the postseason on national television as they took the first game of the series at the Quicken Loans arena against LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers by a margin of 98 points to 80.

Victor Oladipo led the way for the Pacers with a 32-point night, while Myles Turner, Bojan Bogdanovic and Lance Stephenson contributed 16, 15 and 12 points respectively.

For the Cavs, LeBron James had a triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. None of their other starters scored in double digits, but Larry Nance Jr and JR Smith netted 10 and 15 points off the bench respectively.

It was a lively game for the most part, and the level of intensity displayed by Cleveland on defense was much higher than it was in the regular season, but it wasn't enough to lead them to a win over a spirited Pacers side that took the game to them.

Here are 5 talking points from this game:

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#5 The Cavaliers had an abysmal first quarter

The Cavs couldn't get going in the first quarter

The Pacers ran out to a big lead right in the first 6 minutes of the game. After the score was tied at 4-4, they went on a 14-0 run to take the score to 18-4 with 04:13 remaining. The quarter finished with the Pacers in a commanding position, leading 33-14.

The Cavs had a practically unwatchable quarter, with 7 turnovers and only 5 made field goals. Their defense was in tatters as they conceded a number of offensive rebounds, allowing the Pacers to capitalize on second-chance opportunities galore.

The Cavs also got into the penalty by the end of the 8th minute of the quarter, which meant they had to guard possessions with lesser intensity and physicality. All-in-all, a disastrous quarter of basketball for the home fans to endure.

#4 The decision to start Jeff Green backfired

Green had a forgettable night

In 16 minutes of first-half play, Jeff Green put up totals of 0 points, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, a turnover and 2 personal fouls. All he had to show for this segment of the game were 4 defensive rebounds.

He also got posterized by Lance Stephenson while conceding a free throw on the same play. By the end of the game, he finished 0 for 7 from the field and 0 for 3 from the 3-point line, while having a +/- of -15.

JR Smith had a great game off the bench in comparison, as he went for 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. It remains to be seen how Tyronn Lue responds to this dynamic and whether JR is brought back into the starting lineup.

#3 Disparity in 3-point shooting and turnovers

Lance Stephenson had an eventful game

The Cavs let themselves down with their defending, allowing the Pacers to convert 11 of their 28 3-point attempts. The team, as a whole, had a total of 7 steals and 4 blocks, while Kevin Love had a game-high 17 rebounds including 3 on the offensive glass, but the defensive intensity in forcing the Pacers to make low-percentage plays and tough decisions was just not present in the game.

The Pacers, on the other hand, forced the Cavaliers into committing 16 turnovers, 12 of which came from their own steals.

They placed sturdy defense, allowing few open looks from outside, and it showed on the scoreboard as the Cavs shot a miserly 23.5% (8 of 34) from 3-point range. For a team that lives and dies by its shooting from downtown, the Cavs were shot dead today.

#2 The Pacers outplayed and outhustled the Cavs

Collison hustles for the ball with LeBron James

On the opening night of the playoffs, the Cavs have been able to flip the proverbial switch for the last 3 seasons and turn the heat up on their opponents. That did not carry over into this postseason, however, as they gave up a number of easy buckets, got into the penalty in the first 3 quarters and their on-ball defense was off on the night.

The Pacers, for their part, put their heart and soul into making every single play tough for the star-studded Cavs playing on home court.

For the best part of the game, the Pacers looked like the team that wanted it more. Every time the Cavs made a run from the second quarter onwards, the Pacers answered with a run of their own till Ty Lue sat his starters with over 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter.

#1 Victor Oladipo lives up to his billing

Oladipo strips Kyle Korver

Oladipo was far and away the best player on the night, and it wasn't particularly close even with a certain LeBron James sharing the court with him while netting a triple-double of his own.

You didn't need to see the box scores to confirm this - Oladipo as a difference-maker has really made the grade this season, breaking out as a bonafide superstar worthy of a place in All-NBA teams.

The 5th-year shooting guard finished with a statline of 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block and had a +/- of +21 in an 18-point victory. He was shooting the lights out from downtown, going into his shots with a nice run-up and finishing with 6-of-9 on a night when he shot 11-of-19 from the field.