Playoff Live Thread: Cavs vs. Pacers, Game 2 (#Whatever…)
2018-04-18Well, Game 1 is in the rear view… and the hope is for Game 2 that the Cavaliers aren’t too complacent to read past the first word of this year’s team playoff slogan. It certainly seemed like it in their sleepy, sloppy dud of an opener to the post-season. Actually, I have no room to talk, since I missed the game entirely due to some work and family commitments… but the high low lights were painful enough to glance through. If you want a salient and informative breakdown of some of the finer points, make sure you check out David’s Woodshop article if you haven’t yet.
LeBron has been on the record many times about how playoff seeding isn’t important to him, and now the Cavs find themselves essentially in the five seed after losing home court advantage in the series to the Pacers. Whatever you feel like blaming the loss on… be it LeBron’s early passivity, his newer teammates inexperience or inability to gel under the bright lights of the playoffs, Kevin Love either not getting enough shots or not demanding the ball in the post more, poor defensive rotations, awful coaching, general make or miss league variance or even Victor Oladipo’s revenge for Dan Gilbert taking veiled shots at him over the summer… it’s one game, and it’s over. That said, there’s probably never been a second game of the first round more important to win than tonight’s game.
Ty Lue has been teasing changes to his starting lineup since about five minutes after he walked off the court on Sunday… but still no definitive word yet (and now it’s official).
#Cavs starting LeBron, Love, Hill, Smith and Korver.#Pacers
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) April 18, 2018
We do know that George Hill is a bit banged up after that hard screen, and that Rodney Hood was excused from practice earlier in the day… here’s why…
Looks like Rodney Hood welcomed twins into the world this morning. https://t.co/VgX2Y3oPsq
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 18, 2018
All that really matters though is that LeBron comes out aggressively, Kevin Love demands the ball in the post, the Cavaliers’ sharpshooters actually make some shots, and the Cavs play with more intensity and physicality on defense… y’know, like a team that actually does whatever it takes to win… rather than just whatever.
My predictions haven’t been great lately, so I’m just going to say the Cavs should and will win this game, although it won’t be easy, and it will take a better triple double from LeBron than Sunday’s triple double.
Catch all the action starting at 7pm EST on TNT… and as always, chime in here with your thoughts along the way.
GO CAVS!
Wow 60-26 pts in the paint in favor of Indy
If only we had a seven footer with a smooth post game sitting on the bench…
What happens when you play small… and the other coach isn’t Ty Lue…
Same hand he broke… dislocated thumb?
Oh no…. KLOVE hurt his previously broken hand!
Kevin Love is made of cardboard.
He does seem to get nagging injuries a lot.
man i wish JR was smart
Love is going to need a hospital trip after this game. Good god, his knee, his ankle, his hand…
PLAY FREAKING HILL
What if he fouls out before overtime?
Then so it goes…
well there goes the season.
That doesn’t look good…
More terrible post entry from JR.
F#&$ left hand
And Kev hurts his hand…
lebron destroy that bogdonavic kid don’t do that turnaround crap
Still no Hill. There are four minutes left.
Nice drive by dipo. So fast. Finished over lbj
AC is absolutely right, Jeff…
FLOP!!
Cavs need to give Victor a hard foul.
LBJ went with the fadeaway… had the up and under for a dunk/layup.
Argh these plays!
Even LBJ can’t stop Oladipo I guess…
they are definitely allowed to hit and grab love more than we can do anything.
Don’t let Vic get a running start
Why isn’t Bron just driving on them?
box out a MAN not a spot guys
Larry with the big hands…
Nice D by Larry!
Nance pissed at Nate
Great steal, nance!
Come on kev. How does Young get that board?
Lue’s had some of these guys out for 12 straight minutes
He sucks. Advantage Pacers.
Put Hill back in.
Lazy lob by LeBron…
so…maybe we practice before next game?
Silly.
Thad Young is just a bad matchup for Kev…
Yup… long fast and athletic.
I’d roll with Clarkson JR Korver LBJ and Love to finish this out
Certainly not Jeff Green.
That LeBron guy is good. If he opts out, we should really try to resign him.
bird rights baby!
i love that marv can’t tell the difference between love and nance. cmon dude…one has a single digit jersey.
Lol. Marv is showing all of his 76 years. Someone has to nudge him out.
LeBron is such a beast
Fwiw, Hill looks the most like his video game version of anyone in the NBA…
freaking free throws…come on guys.
Fantastic finger roll finish with the left on that roll.
Drive I mean.
We’ve always known that pissed Lebron is the most devastating Lebron. And Lue is so incompetent that Lebron looks pissed this game, so…Good job Lue?
LBJ with an in your face j over turner.
I’d like to see Korver return…
Obvious push off on Stevenson.
40 point game for LBJ!
Only a few more points to go to get in the record books!
Please put Hill back in…
How is that not a push off on Lance?
Followed by make-up no-call on LeBron’s push-off at the other end.
One point out of a flagrant 1…:
1/4 at the FT line that trip.
Arrfffffhfhsksknddkk
C’mon Larry… gotta make those dude
Wish they would run more nance p and rs. Make fts larry
Look I’m as uninterested as anyone in watching free throws, but throwing us to a guy explaining why refs called a flagrant foul is a thousand times less interesting.
Well, when both of your announcers are so damn rock stupid you have to have someone explain it to the audience.
Best offensive move of the game for Nance…
Nice roll, nance.
Still… I wouldn’t mind if one of our guys did that to Oladipo to make him think about driving…
yeah it was a good playoff foul. shouldn’t be a flagrant. he just tripped him a little as well.
Agreed, I didnt think it was flagrant
Got an opportunity for a big possession here.
Ok, C-Webb. The nearly ripping his head off was accidental.
Sabonis with the flagrant!!! Can’t just pull him down by the neck!!!
Hill should really be in at this point. If he fouls out, he fouls out.
This Pacers team is tough. Much tougher than Toronto, Golden State, or Houston
Sabonas horse collared him. Perkins please
Love how Bron didn’t go to Oladipo’s side to force the kick to green.
That’s GOT to be a flagrant on Sabonis!
Flagrant 1
I do like how Green pushes the ball up the floor after rebounds and steals…
Love still looks gimpy…sigh
I imagine Bron probably plays the rest of the game…
This has been a decent couple minutes with Love + 4 bench guys. Getting Bron a couple minutes of rest.