The Indiana Pacers stunningly put a hurting on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their first-round series. It's a 4-versus-5 matchup, but the Cavs are favored to make another Finals run, so people expected they would easily dispatch the Pacers. That may still be the case, but Indiana looked strong in Game 1.
The Pacers won 98-80 and it was never in doubt. Indiana jumped to a 33-14 lead after one quarter. Victor Oladipo lived up to the hype and led all scorers with 32 points.
On Monday, Cavs coach Ty Lue said Cleveland didn't really get an opportunity to use its "best lineup" against Indiana.
Everyone seemed to wonder the same thing: who are the five that Lue couldn't get to? And why exactly didn't they play together Sunday? On Tuesday, he clarified his comments.
Correction: Ty said, "We ***couldn't*** get to it" He mumbles every now and then haha
Everyone seemed to wonder the same thing: who are the five that Lue couldn't get to? And why exactly didn't they play together Sunday? On Tuesday, he clarified his comments.
That lineup was Kyle Korver, George Hill, Jeff Green, Kevin Love, and LeBron James.
#Cavs Ty Lue trying to clarify his best lineup response from yesterday: "We got to it a little bit. When Kyle was out there for three minutes. We didn’t get to it but we got to it, that’s what I meant by that."
As Robby Kalland notes, those five only played together for 30 minutes in the regular season. They racked up an impressive offensive rating (120.2), but their defensive rating (114.8) leaves something to be desired.
Cleveland's "best" lineup per Ty Lue played 59 total possessions together in the regular season and had a 118.6 dRTG. Not sure which one is worse, but can't say this inspires much confidence in the Cavs' adjustment-making process going forward
Game 2 of the series is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST in Cleveland. Needless to say, it will be a pivotal matchup for the Cavs as the series shifts to Indiana for Game 3.
