Cavaliers playoff run off to a rocky start

Just one game into the NBA playoffs, adversity has already set in for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This season has not exactly been easygoing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. From injuries, to locker room drama, to winning and losing streaks, they still managed to win 50 games in an improved Eastern Conference.

But it was thought once the calendar flipped from the regular season to postseason, Cleveland would show their true colors. After just one game in the 2018 NBA playoffs, many questions still loom large about this Cavaliers team.

Right from the jump, the Indiana Pacers took the lead and never relinquished it for the remainder of the game.  After just 12 minutes, Cleveland found themselves down 19 and in a world of trouble.

Pacers star Victor Oladipo scored 11 points and Myles Turner added 7 points of his own.

Only Larry Nance Jr. (6 points in the first quarter) scored more than 2 points in the opening quarter. The team scored just 14 points in the first quarter while committing 11 turnovers. The sellout crowd in Cleveland was in stunned silence.

The next three quarters the Cavaliers clamped down on a bit on defense and the Pacers cooled down. But surprisingly, Cleveland’s offense could not take advantage of the stops the defense got.

The Pacers lead swelled to 23 at one point in the second half but Cleveland fought back and cut the lead to 7 points. Ultimately the comeback attempt fell short as many of the shots Cavaliers hit all season simply were not falling.

In the end, it is just one loss but was a shocking one nonetheless. These are some of the fixes that could benefit the Cavaliers moving forward in the series.