Defense saves Cavs in Game 1 vs. Pacers

The Cavaliers better put two padlocks on the cage and hire an around-the-clock guard to make sure their victory over Indiana in Game 1 doesn’t escape, because the way they played in the frantic final minutes, they almost let it slip away.

The defending NBA champs hung on to beat the Indiana Pacers, 109108, on April 15, because, of all things, they played tight, in-your-face defense when they had to. The final score was closer than it should have been because, of all things, in the final 1:20 LeBron James and Kyrie Irving missed layups they probably were making in fourth grade.

“We found a way to pull the game out,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “We’ll be better.”

James missed a 3-point shot with 20 seconds remaining and the Cavs ahead, 109-108. Lance Stephenson got the rebound for Indiana, the Pacers called a timeout, and suddenly the sellout crowd in Quicken Loans Arena became uneasy.

The Cavaliers built a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter on a 23-foot jumper by Kyle Korver, but that lead melted, and with 3:31 left the Pacers were on top, 105-103. It was impossible to not recall blowing a 26-point fourth quarter lead in Atlanta on April 9 and an 11-point lead in Miami the next night.

This time, though, the Cavaliers prevailed, and they prevailed because they smothered Indiana defensively when the Pacers had a chance to win at the end.

The Cavs had a foul to give and used it with 10.6 seconds to play. As planned, they doubleteamed Paul George when he got the inbound pass and forced him to pass.

George threw the ball to C.J. Miles, and Richard Jefferson was right there in Miles’ face. Miles’ shot from about 20 feet and missed, leaving the Cavaliers talking about what they can do better in Game 2 on April 17 instead of why they lost Game 1.

“We wanted to be aggressive on Paul,” Jefferson said. “He’s one of the best one-on-one players in this league.

“The ball got to C.J. and I tried to run him off the 3. When his feet are set on a 3, he’s one of the best in the league, also. I just tried to make him hesitate, put the ball on the floor and make him double clutch. He did a pump fake to get a little extra space and I tried to contest the shot. Fortunately tonight the ball didn’t drop.”

Irving had two steals in the game — one with 1:05 remaining and the Cavs leading, 109-105. He drove to the hoop and missed the layup. He was able to smile about it afterward.

“We have a resilient group,” Irving said. “It was a big stop at the moment. I wish I could have converted the layup going down the middle. It would have given us an even bigger cushion, but in a possession by possession game, especially against a team like this, to get that stop felt pretty good, but it was all for my teammates.”

The Cavaliers survived Miles’ shot and they survived making just 14 of 27 free throws. They survived being outrebounded, 41-34.

It was not an easy victory, but the Cavaliers are happy to get the first one out of the way, especially after finishing the season with four straight losses.

Reach Schudel at JSchudel@News-Herald. com. On Twitter: @jsproinsider