Cleveland Cavaliers: What we learned vs. the Indiana Pacers in Game 3

The defense has been good enough.

The biggest issue with the Cavs all year has been the defense. But, surprisingly it’s the offense that’s been the issue. The superb defense is what kept this a two point game.

Cleveland has done a tremendous job of forcing players other than Oladipo to beat them. They held Oladipo to just 18 points on 33.3% shooting from the floor while forcing five turnovers. Their blitzing defense has been effective in keeping him off-balance and uncomfortable.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, Bogdanovic steeped up in his place. He put up 30 points and was seven for nine from three and outplayed LeBron in the second half. The rest of the Pacers were just one for 17 from distance.

Even tough Bogdanovic had the game of his life, the Cavs defense still did a good job of limiting the Pacers. The defense finished with a defensive rating of 97.0 which is elite and should be good enough to win when you have LeBron and Love on your team.

The defense has been a question all year, but has looked great for the first three games of the playoffs. The Cavs have held the Pacers to under 100 points every game this series and have mostly taken away their best scoring option.

It’s the offense that’s holding them back.