The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Ability to close out says a lot about Cavaliers
The Cavaliers ability to win close games says more about their will to dominate than if they blew teams away every night, Jeff Schudel writes. Check out his analysis of Game 4 vs. the Pacers.
LeBron James has not lost a first-round playoff game since 2012 when he was with the Miami Heat. After the Cavaliers completed a fourgame sweep of the Indiana Pacers on April 23, it will be at least 2018 before it happens.
“Great coaching,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue joked to reporters after the Cavs eliminated the Pacers, 106102, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Every game in the series was close. The Cavs won Game 1, 109-108; Game 2, 117-111, and Game 3, 114109.
It was the same way last year when the Cavs swept the Detroit Pistons by winning Game 4 by one bucket, 100-98.
The Cavaliers ability to win close games says more about their will to dominate than if they blew teams away every night. The Pacers easily could be leading the series three games to one. But each time the Cavaliers let them slip back into the game, they got a critical stop on defense or James made a critical basket — or James did both.
“We did a great job on (Paul George). He had only 15 points tonight,” Lue told reporters. “We did a great job on C.J. Miles the whole series. He’s been a Cavs killer since I’ve been here. Good job defensively — that’s what won the game for us tonight.”
James had 33 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots. He played 44 minutes.
He just never stops competing.
James isn’t a great freethrow shooter. If you want to hold that against him, go right ahead. The Cavaliers don’t crack under pressure because James won’t let it happen.
The Cavaliers led, 9683, with 9:30 to play. Maddeningly, they allowed the Pacers to chip away and take a 102-100 lead with 1:31 left on a tip-in by Thaddeus Young.
It is difficult to explain why, but Cavaliers general manager David griffin nailed it when he said: “We don’t play well from ahead. We’re at our best with our backs to the wall.”
The Cavaliers called a 20-second timeout and with 1:07 left, then James buried his only 3-point basket of the game for to grab the lead back, 103102.
James followed his clutch basket by stealing the ball with 48 seconds left. James missed a 28-footer that time down, but Kyrie Irving grabbed the offensive rebound with 25 seconds left.
He dished the ball out to Kyle Korver. The Pacers had no choice but to foul Korver, a 91 percent freethrow shooter. He made both for a 105-102 lead.
After Game 1, George called out Miles for taking the last shot and failing.
“In that situation, I need the ball,” George said.
George had a chance to tie Game 4 in the final seconds, but he threw up a brick from 27 feet. Now he has all offseason to think about it, but the Cavaliers’ defense will haunt his dreams.
Now the Cavs get some well-earned rest before playing the winner of the Toronto-Milwaukee series. That battle is tied 2-2.
The Cavaliers still haven’t played their best basketball.
That should give the rest of the Eastern Conference chills.