What went wrong for Cleveland’s defense in Game 1 vs. Indiana

Cavs defense wasn’t very effective in Game 1

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t get defensive stops in Game 1 as the Indiana Pacers shot above 50% from the three-point line and hung 121 points on Cleveland in a road victory to open the series.

This wasn’t an accident for Indiana. They’ve consistently scored in bunches for two years and have proven they can shoot with volume if a team gives them enough opportunities.

What made this game unique was Cleveland’s poor shooting combined with Indiana’s. The Cavs made fewer than 10 three-pointers for the first time all season. As a result, the Pacers outscored Cleveland by 30 points from behind the arc despite losing the other key factors of the game (rebounds, points in the paint, turnovers).

We don’t expect this extreme combination of three-point variance to bite the Cavaliers three more times in this series. If it does, then there’s simply nothing to talk about. The Pacers will win handily.

But because no one expects everything to go wrong for one team while everything goes right for the other — let’s talk about what the Cavs can control. The Pacers are an elite offense but Cleveland can do more to slow them down.

We’ll be going over a few examples of Cleveland over-helping or miscommunicating in Game 1.

Staying sharp

According to NBA.com’s tracking, the Pacers attempted 25 “wide-open” three-pointers last night. That means no Cavalier defender was within six feet of the shot. Indiana shot 52% on these attempts for 13 makes.

I combined three examples below. The first two attempts are all a testament to Indiana’s offense. This is solid screen-setting combined with a lethal pick-and-pop threat in Pascal Siakam. Textbook stuff from the Pacers.

The third clip, however, showcases a defensive breakdown. Jarrett Allen is clearly communicating with Donovan Mitchell to take Tyrese Haliburton in transition while Allen switches back to the trailing Siakam. For whatever reason, Mitchell doesn’t hear Allen — and it results in an open three-pointer for Hali. The Pacers are officially on fire.

From here, the Cavs' defense consistently began to unravel. You’ll see multiple breakdowns in the next clip. Indiana’s offense was firing on all cylinders. And so even once the Cavs delivered good contests, the Pacers were already too high to fall down. Everything was going in.

The Pacers shot 9-15 from deep in the first half (60%). That might have slammed the door shut on most other teams. But the Cavs managed to rally back to regain the lead as late as the seven-minute mark in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was subsequently outscored 20-10 to close the game.

Let’s look at what went wrong.

The first clip is simple. Indiana had torched all of Cleveland’s attempts to hedge and recover in the first half — so the Cavs began switching everything in the second. This left Allen on an island with Halinburton, who buried a difficult step-back jumper.

The next clip is another difficult shot. However, Ty Jerome’s lack of urgency to close out in this scenario is concerning. This is not the time to bet against your opponent. A better contest was warranted here.

Finally, we see one more example of miscommunication in the final clip. De’Andre Hunter is calling for Mitchell to switch onto Andrew Nembhard. Again, Mitchell just doesn’t hear him or doesn’t react to Hunter’s request. The result is Nembhard’s fifth three-pointer.

As much as these clips might make you want to pull your hair out — let’s give credit where it’s due. Indiana made the correct read on every action. They methodically punished Cleveland for each mistake. Even with the Cavs playing poorly, the Pacers deserve credit for taking full advantage at every turn.

The Cavs will have to do themselves some favors in Game 2. That means tighter rotations, less over-helping and of course, hitting a few shots of their own.