Similar to Game 1 of the series, the Cavs were forced to withstand a late Pacers push to turn what looked like a commanding win into a possible upset. Their Big 3 each had very good games and it’s surprising, to say the least, that they’ve had to battle out these last two games to the final minute. Unfortunately, for the Cavs, JR Smith suffered a hamstring injury during the second quarter and he sat out the rest of the game. They have not looked much different since the regular season, but being only two games thus far, no one should place much weight on this yet.
Here is where it is believed J.R. Smith suffered his hamstring injury, late in the 2nd quarter.#Cavs pic.twitter.com/WGWr0gkTu4
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 18, 2017
Kyrie scored 37 points on 58.3% shooting while Love posted 27 points and 11 rebounds on 6/7 shooting and went 12/12 from the charity stripe. LeBron was different, however. He put up great numbers of 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks on 55% shooting but what hindered his play was the 8 turnovers he committed. It was still a good game overall, especially when you factor the impact he had on the defensive end. Paul George also had an effective 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on 50% shooting as Jeff Teague scored 23 points on 66.7% shooting.
The comeback? ? pic.twitter.com/TFlNlSPRA8
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 18, 2017
Since the first quarter, the Pacers finished the game without regaining the lead but they did go on a 10-0 run during the 4th, eventually cutting the deficit to 5 points with 2:28 remaining. LeBron answered back with a floater to put their lead back up to 7 points. George then cuts it back down to 5 after making two free throws and then Kyrie made a layup with 29.6 seconds remaining to bring their lead back to 7, ultimately putting the game out of reach.
LeBron James closes the door on the #Pacers comeback attempt #DefendtheLand pic.twitter.com/oaEWv71CPm
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 18, 2017
Paul George was looking forward to this matchup, and he has shown up in both games but the Pacers do not look like they have enough firepower to knock off the reigning champs. The Final score was 117-111 and it seems as if Cleveland’s defensive strategy to win this series is to simply outscore the opponent. It is working though.
