Winners and Losers: Cavs vs. Pacers - Game 2

Aren’t we all the losers in this one?

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ looked to have secured the much-needed win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2, only to find themselves squandering a seven-point lead with a minute left in the game.

Winners

Donovan Mitchell can carry an entire offense

This was arguably one of the greatest Donovan Mitchell performances of his career. Not only did Mitchell drop a casual 48 points, but he did so with a lack of three-pointers.

Mitchell shot 1-7 from three and made up for it by being an absolute force at the rim. It seemed it was Mitchell’s goal to be as physical at the rim as possible. This was not only an effective way to score, but also led to a 17-21 night at the free throw line. These are otherworldly numbers from a star who constantly finds ways to leave fans in awe.

It was set up to be a tough task for Mitchell to carry the Cavaliers without three of their most talented players available. Mitchell rose to the occasion, and this loss is far from on him. Anyone who points to the offensive foul in the closing minute as a reason for the loss can kick rocks. It leaves a hollow feeling to know that a potential Mitchell masterclass game could be left in purgatory due to the end result.

Depth rose to the occasion

Outside of one player who will be named later, the supporting cast for Cleveland did a great job of filling the gaps for a depleted roster. It felt like the team really squeezed all the juice out of the limited players who suited up for Game 2.

Max Strus and Jarrett Allen were great supporting players operating as co-Robins to Mitchell’s Batman. Strus and Allen combined for 45 points and were delivering performances that would have been enough most nights. Unfortunately, tonight was not one of those nights.

While not appearing exceptional on the stat line, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, and Isaac Okoro were also giving quality minutes. Wade and Okoro were offering good defense against Haliburton and giving the Cavaliers important second-chance opportunities. Merrill also hit timely shots early in the game and helped build the Cavaliers' lead quickly.

Losers

Late game execution

With 47.2 seconds left, the Cavaliers had a seven-point lead over the Pacers at 119-112. The Pacers went on to score the final eight points of the game. I know what you are thinking, that seems almost impossible with free throws being a factor in the game. Here’s a fun tidbit about the final 47 seconds: the Cavaliers didn’t get to shoot a free throw.

Within that time, Donovan Mitchell got dunked on, got called for an offensive foul, Max Strus turned the ball over, Mitchell commits a shooting foul, and Tyrese Haliburton gets his own miss and hits the game-winning three.

The game felt like it could have broken 99 other ways, and the Cavaliers would have won that game. It almost seems unreal that NO FREE THROWS WERE ATTEMPTED BY THE CAVALIERS.

Alas, that was the case. Probably some of the most unlucky and egregious decision making to close that game I can remember since the JR Smith “I thought we were up” blunder.

Ty Jerome appears mortal and then some

There is no way to sugarcoat this game for Ty Jerome.

Jerome was awful in Game 2. It felt like every shot was short, and the attempts kept coming. Jerome shot 1-14 in the game, and oh boy, did you feel every miss. The worst part is that those same jaw-dropping shots Jerome made all throughout the season were still coming and they were what most mortal men experience when they attempt those shots.

The shot profile was of a man who was shooting 80% or higher from the field. Instead, it was from a player who was looking to make his first basket. Jerome has not looked himself through two games thus far. Maybe the starting minutes are throwing off his rhythm? There has to be a logical reason as to why everything that was working is completely gone.

All of us

So...if I can speak my truth...that sucked.

To have my reaction on the internet will be a nice reminder of what the lowest point of my Cavaliers fandom looks like. Game 2 was a pivotal game in the series for Cleveland. There are still a lot of question marks in this series with unknowns all over the place.

Injuries have left this series in a murky place. Can the Cavaliers win four of the next five? *Nervous laughter* Sure, I can try and sell myself on that. It’s a tall ask for sure. With Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter’s status up in the air, it’s not looking good here.

I’m sad, I’m down, and frankly, I am not having a good time. Game 3 and Game 4 wins would make this a best-of-three series with home court advantage, I hope that this is the direction the series goes.