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Cavs vs. Pacers Game 4: What We Learned

By Jackson Flickinger

Apr 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) walks off the floor to the locker room after winning against the Indiana Pacers in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Cleveland defeats Indiana 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) walks off the floor to the locker room after winning against the Indiana Pacers in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Cleveland defeats Indiana 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) is guarded by Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Cleveland defeats Indiana 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) is guarded by Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Cleveland defeats Indiana 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The Cavs still can’t hang on to fourth-quarter leads.

Getting the win is all that is important in the playoffs. Winning four out of seven games against the same opponent is very tough. With that said, it is disheartening that the Cavs have relinquished decent sized fourth quarter leads in three of the four games.

You could look at the defensive deficiencies of this team, but they have shown that they have the ability to play good defense when they need to. They posted a solid defensive rating in the second half of Game 3 and held Paul George in check the last six quarters of the series.

However, I believe the easiest explanation for their fourth quarter collapses is their lack of focus. We’ve seen how good this team can be when they’re focused and engaged. We’ve also seen how bad they can be during the season when they aren’t focused.

This team has a problem with taking their foot off of the gas. They show that they can close out games when they have to. They have the focus to be great when they want to be.

I don’t think this will be an issue as they progress through the playoffs. They will be forced to stay focused to win games. However, when they’re playing teams that aren’t nearly as skilled as them, they could continue to give up leads late.