The Cavs Show A Sign Of Life Against Pacers In Game 3

The Cavs would come into game three down 2-0 in the seven-game series against the Pacers. The Cavs also would get help with the return of three key rotational players in Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter, who would all be back for game three. This game is a critical one for the Cavs if they want any chance of winning the series, as no team has ever come back from being down 3-0. Let’s dive into the game action to see what happened.

Cavs Start Off Strong

The first minutes of the first quarter was all Cavs starting on an 11-0 run.The Pacers would not score until the 9:17 mark of the first with Myles Turner hitting two free throws making 11-2.  Turner would score the first ten points for the Pacers but they would be being 25-10 at the 5:24 mark of the first quarter.

It would look as to the Cavs will go into the second quarter up big but the Pacers would have other plans. The blue and gold would go on an offensive clinic to tie the game at 32 before the end of the first. Ben Sheppard would hit a 28 foot three pointer with the assist coming from Andrew Nembhard with only 2.3 seconds left in quarter one.

The second quarter started with Donovan Mitchell making a running layup at the 11:41 mark, making it 34-32. The score would go back and forth for the first five minutes, with the Cavs eventually getting the lead up to ten at the 6:10 mark of the quarter, with a score of 48-38 on a Jarrett Allen floating jump shot with Evan Mobley on the assist. The Cavs would keep the pressure on the Pacers and get the halftime score up to 66-45. Mitchell, with the help of three returning starters, helped the Cavs take a 21-point lead into halftime.

Second Half

The second half started off with Donovan Mitchell hitting a 24-foot three-pointer with the assist coming from Max Strus to make it 69-45. The Cavs would keep their foot on the gas and keep the pressure on the Pacers the whole third quarter. The closest the blue and gold got was cutting the lead down to 15 at the 4:50 mark of the third on an Andrew Nembhard 30-foot three-pointer.

Indy would score more points in the third quarter with 34 points and the Cavs only scored 31 but the score was still in the Cavs favor at the end of three. Mitchell would hit a driving layup at the 11.1 mark making the score 97-79 going into the fourth.

The Cavs, with Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter coming back into the lineup, would provide a boost to help the Cavs steal one on the road. The Cavs could not go down 3-0 in this best-of-seven series because the odds of going back are zero. That’s right, no team in NBA history has ever come back from being down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. The good news is that we will have a game five in this series, and now, if the Pacers do end up winning this series, they will do it with the Cavs at full strength.

Final Thoughts

My final thoughts on game three are that the Pacers played the worst game of the postseason in this game. Haliburton’s game was one of the worst in his young career with four points, five assists, and zero rebounds in 30 minutes of play. The player of the game for me was Mitchell with 43 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in 37 minutes of play. The next game will be played on Sunday at Gainbridge FieldHouse. The tip will be at 8 PM. Come back to Total Apex Sports for all the NBA Playoff coverage you need.