It appeared to be right there for the taking for the Indiana Pacers. A boisterous sellout crowd, and a chance to go up three games to one in a best of seven series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, somewhere along the line, the Pacers forgot that you have to come out swinging right away against the greatest player in the world, and when King James sensed it, it was over, as he led his band of troubadours to a 104-100 victory over Indiana and evened up the series at two games a piece, leaving everyone in attendance wondering how it happened and what might of been.
The Pacers were out of sync from the opening tip, and while it appeared to simply be another one of their notorious slow starts, it was obvious they were tight from the get go. Hesitation on offense led to bad shot selection, and Lebron James smelled the blood in the water, starting out strong with an eleven point first quarter, hitting five of six from the field, and with J.R. Smith chipping in nine points, the Cavs led by six at the end of the first quarter.
Quarter number two was even more difficult for the home team as James dropped in another dozen points to go along with ten from reserve Jordan Clarkson, and the lead ballooned to 16, before a flurry of points from Myles Turner and Darren Collison cut the deficit to 10 at the half.
Period three saw the Pacers kick it in gear behind the trio of Bojan Bogdanovic, Domantas Sabonis and Thaddeus Young, and with Lebron only mustering a single point in that during that time, the Blue and Gold were down just a bucket heading into the final stanza. The final 12 minutes was vintage James as he methodically controlled the tempo and with sharpshooter Kyle Korver finally finding his groove in this series from the perimeter, Cleveland demoralized the Pacers down the stretch to win game 4 in a fashion that was not nearly indicative of the final score.
Note: The Pacers demonstrated tremendous balance with seven players in double figures, led by Sabonis with 19 points. Young was a bear on the boards pulling down 16 caroms, including four in the final stanza.
Victor Oladipo struggled mightily from the field hoisting up a number of ill-advised shots from the perimeter, He finished with 17 on five for 20 from the field, along with six rebounds and five assists.
It was all about Lebron for the Cavs as he systematically carved up any defender the Pacers tried on him in route to thirty two points, thirteen boards, and seven assists, in the forty six minutes he played. He enjoyed excellent support from Korver, Smith, and Clarkson, who combined for 42 points and 10 rebounds.
George Hill did not dress for Cleveland as he continues to struggle with back spasms. While he was walking gingerly after the game, he was smiling from ear to ear. He’s hoping treatment and rest will allow him to play in game 5.
Lance Stephenson continued to be unpredictable en route to 11 points and six assists. He committed a number of senseless fouls including a technical late in the game. While he brings great energy to the floor, his poor judgment in the series continues to hurt the Pacers.
Game 5 of this series can be viewed Wednesday from Cleveland on TNT at 7 p.m. EST. Game 6 will return to the friendly confines of Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday.
Pacers vs. the Cavs
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
