The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Cavaliers need to find their ‘on’ switch
Everyone on the Cavaliers’ roster was healthy for the start of the playoffs April 15, but not everyone on the roster showed interested in playing until it was too late.
So now we know: Without desire, health won’t be enough to carry the Cavaliers to a fourth straight NBA Finals, although Coach Tyronn Lue had a difference perspective after losing Game 1 to the Indiana pacers, 98-80, at Quicken Loans Arena.
“I would say desire was there,” Lue said. “You can’t ease into the playoffs. I thought (the Pacers) came in and they attacked us, hit us first and we were never able to recover.
“You can’t ease into the game. You have to be physical, have to be mentally tough and physically strong and they came in and they were aggressive.”
We also learned the Pacers aren’t going to be intimidated after being swept by the Cavaliers a year ago.
We already knew, but the loss was a sledgehammer between the eyes about how much the Cavaliers will miss Kyrie Irving in the playoffs. No one came close to filling his role.
Still, LeBron James isn’t worried. Fans might be, but he isn’t.
“I’m down 0-1 in the first round,” James said. “I was down 3-1 in the (2016) Finals. I’m the last guy to ask how you’re going to feel the next couple days.”
The Cavaliers spent most of the first half and first eight minutes of the third quarter moseying up and down the floor while the Indiana Pacers played with poise and confidence.
A 3-pointer by J.R. Smith from the right side with 3:37 left in the third quarter gave the Cavaliers a temporary spark and cut the Indiana lead to 69-53.
The deficit closed to 7063 on a 3-pointer by Kevin Love with 1:06 left in the third, but the Cavs could get no closer.
There were many culprits. Jeff Green, a solid part of the Cavaliers the final month of the season, was invisible. He was 0-for-7 shooting and grabbled only four rebounds while playing 26:31. Starting guards Rodney Hood and George Hill combined for 16 points. On top of that, Hill has a back injury. Lue doesn’t think it will keep him out of Game 2 on April 18 at The Q.
“(Green) has to be more aggressive attacking the basket, be more aggressive offensively,” Lue said.” Defensively, I thought he did some good things. Just running the floor more, playing with pace, rebound the basketball because he’s playing the big, just playing with more energy.”
The Cavaliers were 8-of34 from behind the 3-point line. James was 0-for-4 from long range. He didn’t attempt his first shot until only 1:52 remained in the first quarter. He was fouled and made both free throws, but by then the Cavs were already in a 2510 hole.
The Cavs are good enough to overcome a 0-1 deficit to the Indiana Pacers. As James referenced, they were down 3-1 to the Warriors in the Finals two years ago and made history by taking the final three games.
James has often said Game 1 of a playoff is a feel-out game. Maybe that’s all the 98-80 loss was.
“We’re going to find out,” James said. “We had some guys in their first time out there playing in this setting. “You guys always ask me, ‘Is there anything you can tell them?’ Listen, experience is the best teacher, and they got it today.
“I think everybody is going to be a lot calmer and a lot more precise in what we want to do. We’ll see what they’re going to do. They (the Pacers) going to push the ball at any and every opportunity they got and we have to be ready for that attack.”
Flipping a switch won’t be easy. The Pacers are for real.