The Cleveland Cavaliers live for another day.
A loss in Game 3 would’ve essentially ended their season.
Fortunately, they hit the ground running and dominated on the road.
The game was never in doubt, and the Cavs proved that they can impose their will and establish their style of play against Rick Carlisle’s team.
Notably, that’s why Irie Harris of Cleveland.com believes they have a legitimate chance to win this series:
“Not only do the Cavs have life, but they returned to their style of ball. You can’t try to outscore the Pacers, because that means you’re playing their style of ball. The best thing to do is slow them down on the defensive side, and allow that to wear them out, and create offensive opportunities for yourself,” Harris wrote. “The Cavs did exactly that in Game 3, and if they can continue so, this series is theirs.”
The Cavaliers struggled to match up with the Pacers’ up-tempo offense.
While they can certainly knock down shots from all three levels, that’s just not the way they play.
This team thrives off their defense and sharing the wealth on offense, with everybody getting touches and looks at the rim.
Needless to say, getting three of their best players back on the court was also crucial this time around.
De’Andre Hunter’s elite defensive expertise was of big help, and having Evan Mobley holding his ground out there was also crucial.
Darius Garland only scored ten points, but he drove so much defensive attention away from Donovan Mitchell.
The Cavs had tried to beat the Pacers at their own game.
As a result, they blew a huge lead down the stretch in Game 2 because they were exhausted and couldn’t keep up with their fresh legs.
Even so, they were one epic blunder and a game-winning shot away from being up 2-1 in this series, and that’s despite missing some key players with injuries.
That should be an encouraging sign for the remainder of the series.
NEXT: Tristan Thompson Reveals Team's Mentality Ahead Of Game 4
