Live Thread: Cavs @ Pacers, Game 4
2018-04-22
The Cavs are back in Indiana again tonight. After giving up an 17 point lead in the 2nd Half of game 3, the Cavs are down 2-1 to the Pacers. This game isn’t a must win, but having to play a must win game in Indiana would be a poor position to be in for game five.
One has to hope the Cavs can right their play. They are making just 9.7 3s a night (12-16) at a 30.9% rate, which is second worse in the playoffs. During the regular season, the Cavs made 12 3s per game (3-30) at a 37.2% rate, which was sixth in the league. The shooting will hopefully return to normal. No one on the team is getting buckets outside of the King.
LeBron James has scored 98 points this series, he’s averaging 32.7 per game. The Cavs have scored just 270 points in three games. James has essentially score 37% of all those points. There’s not much more to say. Cleveland simply needs more guys to make shots.
Defensively, the Cavs haven’t allowed the Pacers to score over 100 and are second in defensive rating for the post season. The struggles haven’t gone away and the their trapping scheme hasn’t been the most effective, but the defense isn’t to blame for the losses.
Tyronn Lue has mentioned Tristan Thompson will probably see minutes this game because of “toughness.” George Hill will miss the game because of his back. This means the Cavs will have to figure out some way to slow Victor Oladipo. Jose Calderon is probably not the answer to that. He’s starting anyways though.
Right now, I’m not confident the team can figure the offense out. At least with Jose starting, LeBron will be have some help creating shots, but it may not be enough.
Young has done everything but put a gimp cap on Love
Love turned a 12 point lead into a 4 point lead by himself by being slow and weak
Korver hits on the move for the first time tonight.
http://cdn2.denofgeek.us/sites/denofgeekus/files/kenny-powers.png
KORVER!!!! HEATING UP?!?!?!
Korver getting hot which is good
Korver with an on the move trey.
WHY IS KEV STILL IN!?
Because Lue never holds guys accountable.
Because Lue is planning to play him & Bron all 24 minutes this half.
Who knows?
Bron has to do more than get 1 pt this quarter.
Kev at least get back on d
All of Sabonis’ points this Q are a direct reflection of Love being nowhere in the vicinity
That was practically a handoff from Love to Young.
It’s time to sit Kevin
is there a weaker player than kevin love? weak and slow
Kev playing like a ***** this game.
Love needs to sit remainder of game…..put in TT or Zicic or someone with balls who can box out and rebound…he’s doing nothing of substance to help this team
That is about 3 times Love has had the ball taken away. Followed by a ludicrous shot by James
WHERE THE 3 SECOND CALL ON COLLISON?!?!?!?! JUST STANDING IN THE LANE!!!!
Love has to sit.
Love is just a wuss this game
Jesus. Kevin. That was an awful stretch. One of your worst as a Cav.
Yup. Never seen him do that.
KLOVE WTF?!?!?!
Jeese Kev is so weak down low. Has no upper body strength
Just had the ball ripped like he was a child
Must be the weak thumb…
Hasn’t really been that strong since Minny. Attribute it to losing all that weight
Got some stops. Stabilized things. Up 8.
Really…no nance…
Trap came a lot later on that last one. Good adjustment.
8/25 on threes. Indy 10/20
KLOVE got mugged there…. drew the foul.
welcome to the big boy game Kevin
Jr with the contested three pass to love. Lol
Nice O-Board KLOVE! and FINISH!
Kev!
Two more freebies!
This is where Lue just cant hang. This moment. We have a chance to change our defensive scheme a little cuz they clearly have it figured, and we have a chance to insert nance to dominate while Turner is out. Wonder if either happens
Well, we are making some shots, but they have 18 pts in 6 minutes.
Let’s get some stops. Stay home on Bogdan & Collison. FFS.
The Cavs really look old and slow against the Pacers lol.
Cavs have to let Collison shoot it….hes made two shots all game….cover BogDan at all times no matter what…Dipo and BogDan make Pacers go…Turner is going to sit until 4th so they have to attack the basket on Sabonis….keep the energy up CAVS!!!!
Just stop trapping every play. They know it’s coming. Gotta switch it up.
Fake the trap and back off.
I’d immediately sub Nance for KLOVE right now…. his hand must be screwed up.
kevin is such trash, he jogs back after misses and leaves us 4 on 5 all the time. then when he traps he jogs back to his man leaving us exposed for a half secodn too long, leaving open 3s
Yeah overcommitting on some offensive rebound attempts that he didnt really have a chance at and then jogging back
the other game lebron was yelling at Kevin to get back. I think? that was before LeBRon didn’t get back on his
Transition buckets may be the only thing to generate wide opens shots.
LBJ TO CALDERON TO KORVER!!!!
Cavs breaking down defensively
Stop trapping for a couple plays. They know where it’s coming from.
Terrible defensive rotations there.
Does Lue not remember how much better we are with Nance on the floor? Why wouldn’t he be starting the 3rd?
Lue has trust issues…also, he feels he need to always pair Green with Nance…
Yeah, leave Bog open…
Caldreon with a three on a hard closeout
CALDERON BIG 3!!!
How can the Cavs not cover Bogdanovic
klove doesnt rotate back on trap fast enough
Kyle can’t go toward the trap. Has to stay on the wing there.
Thank God for Jr the safety valve. So basic. So so predictable primary actions. So sick of this
BIG 3 JR!
4 on Turner.
KLOVE blows the transition D.
SWISH!!!
Kev lazy in transition. Awful
Come on, LeBron. That’s on you.
Timely pump fake by Korver to get Turner’s 4th called
Pacers scheme still working against a predicatable offense. No secondary actions. Indy knows where every shooter is. Easy to recover and contest.
Yes Kevin, wake up please.
C’mon Korver…. maybe THESE FTs get him going.
Love and Korver with the geriatric play
Fourth on turner! Great play, Kyle!
That was huge.
The Pacers are just a more confident & cohesive team. They know their roles. They run their stuff.
Maybe don’t play Love at the 5, Ty? Or has that been amazing all year and I just missed it?
I am just shocked that Love has been so weak as the second option. Totally puzzling
We’ll he is what he is now. But I know this isn’t all his fault.
Love just doesn’t look healthy
between Love saying before the series that “we’re going to miss Kyrie” and “Lebron’s decision looming over these playoffs” and no playing this weak a$$ game last few games I’m really fed up with him right now
Here comes the turn. We can’t hit contested threes and our isos can’t generate the same quality of looks as the pacers. Basically lost the lead. Offensive sets just aren’t good enough to fool the pacers or make them move much on d.
Too many jumpers again. Attack the rack (Bron). Down to two.
Another horrible 3rd quarter.
Gonna need 50 from Bron.
Ty took too long to call that timeout. Should’ve got Kev out when he picked up third foul. Calderon awful so far.
never fails w/ Lue’s team.. never…