Eastern Conference Semifinals Live Thread: Pacers @ Cavs, Game 5
2025-05-13Good evening CtB!
The Cavs welcome the Indiana Pacers back to the rainy banks of the Cuyahoga River as the good guys try to find some kind of professional pride and actually put some effort on the defensive end and save their season on the brink. So far, the Pacers are on track to have the best shooting playoff series since the 2014 San Antonio Spurs. The Cavs have shown exactly 1.5 games of Cavalier basketball so far this series. Is the defense going to show up for once? Is Kenny Atkinson going to continue with the same tired plan game after game without a single adjustment? Should I even bother watching the softest, most mentally fragile Cavs team in recent memory? Time for all of these multi-millionaire athletes to try rebounding for once… it doesn’t even have to be a win. The one time the Cavs won the rebounding battle decisively, they won by 22.
Tip off is scheduled for 7:00PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted live on the TNT family of networks, Go Cavs.
Have we had any Cavalanches in this series ? all the runs I feel in this series have been Indy.
WTF is this offense? Just run a Hunter iso!
after Cavs went up 44-25 with 8:10 to go, the Pacers have gone 14/23 FG (61%) with it being 10/15 from 3.. while Cavs have gone:
7/23 FG (29%) and 1/9 from 3, 0/4 on jumpers and 6/10 in the paint. Can’t win like this.
We hadn’t hit a 3 building the lead.
Might be Ty Jetome time.
Zero physicality, zero chemistry completely exposed as softest most fraudulent teams in NBA history
Cavs cant make a shot and Indy is hitting all their jumpers, especially 3’s.. cant win like that if you are not going to drive to the rim and get easier looks to even try get a o board or something.
Seriously,they just look dead in the water,belly up.
Horrible start. How did this team win 64 games? They are unrecognizable
Indy will win this by 15+. If not 20.
Have got to stop losing hali
I’m having a PTSD episode every time Halliburton launches a rainbow three.
Mobley has got to attack siakam. Stop going at the Pacers best defenders.
Mobley needs to look to score, not pass.
Stop chucking!
Gigantic play on the breakaway and nothing to show for it in
What is garland doing?
Damn. Come on Spida. 2 points lost.
That was a goaltend
Still a lazy play.
WTF is Greg Anthony talking about. Mobley just made a great playm
He wants him to demand the ball, but the criticized the play he made walking him down.
Mitchell has to be hurting not to dunk that breakaway.
If the Cavs had tried to grind out and played half court offense, they’d still be up a dozen.
From Mike Zavagno on X:
The Cavs continue to keep Indiana in this game with their offense. You can’t play lineups with zero guys who can get downhill and zero shooters. Now just 2-13 on jumpers and if Mitchell isn’t getting into the lane, they have absolutely nothing going. Probably need to try Jerome.
Like comeon, drive, attack the paint, draw fouls..get some o boards.. do something..
That’s not the problem. The problem is the Cavs can beat them playing a possession/iso game with Hunter and the bigs. The Cavs’ guards don’t want to do it.
yup, clogged toilet offense soon as wade and okoro touched the court.
Wade been fine, especially on the o boards. The problem this game hasn’t been offense. It’s been dumb turnovers, fouls, and losing track of Hali.
Indiana’s packing the paint every time they’re on the court. that’s why the ball stopped going inside.
Okoro is +7 and Wade is even
Keep going with bad takes that facts don’t support.
watch the game asshole
That would be awesome if Kenny called that out on the floor. “Alright guys it’s clogged toilet offense time!”
21-21 on the boards against the 28th best rebounding team in the NBA this season. Pathetic. 5 assists, 7 turnovers… stupid and selfish.
Kenny Atkinson, benches Sam Merrill for Isaac Okoro and got zero rebounds in 14 minutes.
Top down total failure.
Merrill out with neck injury
That’s right. Thought Okoro was fine. Would’ve liked some green minutes and I’d try Jerome for some juice if the Cavs can get a double digit lead.
agreed re Jerome, can’t play non-shooters and non-willing 3pt shooters if cavs wanna unclog the toilet for tower city
Merrill isn’t benched, he’s hurt.
Hard to assist when no one can make a jumper.
Yep. Go inside more. Less shots for DM & DG. More for Mobes, JA, & Hunter.
Charles Barkley nailed that point ans did you and it’s absolutely right.They find what works and then do the opposite.
This is where Allen and Mobley should be challenging their backcourt to get them the damn ball. Garland and Mitchell pull-ups from deep aren’t the answer tonight and in fact haven’t been in any game this series – even when Donovan was dropping 40-pieces his outside shot mostly was off except for late in Game 3.
Exactly,they were rocking.
This is rough sledding and somebody’s gonna have to rise up and be a factor.DG and Mitchell look like they’re barely hanging on.
Gotta stop playing scared.
I liked Ice’s drive on Haliburton. He turned it over the first time, but scored the 2nd.
I just don’t get why we let Hali off the hook with 3 fouls. Go at him. If he is on Okoro/Wade, have the screen for DG/Spida, force them to switch him & attack. If they double the ball handler, reverse & attack 4 on 3.
We are up but Pacers have all the lomentum
Our role players have massively shrunk. That 2nd qtr was bad. Not enough getting the ball inside to the bigs
Its not the role players. It’s garland and Mitchell.
Amen.
Hunter & Wade have been good.
DG & Mitchell are 5/21.
JA, Mobes, Huner are 11/14.
DM has gotten to the line. And there is less room inside when no shots are falling, but we gotta try to win inside.
I said it game 1, Indy wins a 3PT contest.
Garland isn’t trusting his teammates. Trying to make the home run pass or do it himself every time.
Cavs 1-10 from 3 while Indy is 8-20 .. smh.. Cavs strengths have gone out the window.. what happened to our Tower inside and easier looks inside.
Get a easy shot in the paint or something.. I mean come on.
Cavs gone cold again.. sigh and giving up 3’s and then can’t hit jumpers..
They have been cold the whole game. FTs, layups, and good D/cold Pacer shooting is what got the lead.
We did not make a 3 in Q1. DG hit a 15 footer, that is the only jumper I can recall. Hunter hit a 3.
The thing I might have done that we didn’t do is take a couple possessions to try & get a foul on Haliburton. Whomever he is guarding has to set the screen. Or put in a guy you have to guard (inside or out).
Garland just stared at an easy pass to Mobley and decided to do a dumb drive
You can just see the difference between being in the flow and “over do it” mode for him.
Someone guard Hali! JFC
Mitchell & DG cannot make a jumper. Indy finally starting to hit some shots.
Need to play inside out or drive & kick.
If I had to bet on a winner, I’d take Indy
Cavs gotta play some other bodies. Get some green minutes.
Got to stop fouling.
Sloppy pass (JA?), then a frustration foul by DM.
Neds a PG out there.
Big bucket Wade.
I’d love to close a quarter well. This one specifically.
Indy got away with a kick ball, but Hunter recovered and fed Allen
Dumb foul by DG.
Strus gotta know his foul situation. Should bring in green here
Nah. Just go with Wade.
It looks like 8 men tonight
Another dumb foul Okoro.
Mitchell can’t push on that steal. Then turns it over again.slow down.
2 straight DM TOs
Wade bugs Siakam.
Up 12 without a made 3.
No Ty. Good call imo, he has been horrendous
Not just bad, missing shots, but obviously lacking confidence. Missing badly.
Ice was dumb. He knew we had a foul, and decided to give it regardless of what Hali did.
Gave them 2 points.
Isaac. So dumb. You can’t brain fart like that
Ice. Smh
Spida attack!
That is a great play from Mitchell. That was 3 on Hali, no call.
I am ready for us to stop taking early off the dribble 3s.
Nice recovey after Ice slipped. Up 9.
JA is present!
Almost another poster from DM.
I’d like to see DG run more O, rather than early ISO/shots.
Wade & Okoro in before Ty.
Better D on the strip/and 1 by Spida. And the deflection there by JA & DG. And a really nice DG dime to Mobes in the middle.
DG out there limping.
Hitch in giddyup for sure.
2 on Hali!
Terrible shooting early. Lots of bad misses (DG Mobley triples). 2 on Max.
DG a TO on the first pissession.
Par for course.
No Merrill tonight. Neck injury. Spida a go.
WE GOTTA GET THIS ONE ——- TO STAY ALIVE AND “ THE “ MRS NOMAD PROMISES A “ FUN “ 👺😈 NIGHT WITH A CAVS VICTORY—— GO CAVS WIN IT FOR YOURSELVES / “ THE FANS IN THE LAND AND YES FOR OL NOMAD ———— YOU DONT LET ME DOWN —— I WILL “ GET IT UP 💪💪”
Sweaty palms time!
LET”S GOOO!!!!
Cavs gotta lay it all on the line now.
Go Cavs!
Ride or die.
Mitchell seems a go from his pregame tweet.
I think we get this one.