Cleveland Cavaliers: Three reasons they lost to the Pacers

The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped to 2-3 on the season after losing to the Indiana Pacers. There were three main reasons for the loss.

The Cleveland Cavaliers traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana to take on the division rival Indiana Pacers for the second time this young season. They took the first game against the Pacers at home but fell on the road Friday, 102-95.

The Pacers were even shorter manned in that one than they have been all season.

In addition to All-Star guard Victor Oladipo still nursing an injury he suffered last season, shot-blocking extraordinaire, Myles Turner, missed Friday’s game after he reportedly sprained his right ankle in their last game against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Cavaliers had a putrid second quarter in which they were outscored 23-11, and in all likelihood that was a major reason they lost this one against Indy. More specifically, there were three aspects to Friday’s game that cost the Cavs in the end.

Reason #1 – Careless turnovers

There were countless times where the Cavaliers had a chance to really put together a solid run, only to put a halt to said run with a careless turnover.

Turnovers are never good, however, coaches can live with aggressive turnovers. Careless turnovers are avoidable because they generally happen due to a lack of focus.

There was a specific instance of this about midway through the fourth quarter when the Cavs had cut the lead to five with a chance to get it to one possession. Cavaliers’ big man Kevin Love rifled a fastball to Collin Sexton, who was standing about three feet away from him. It went right through his hands and the Pacers went to the other end and scored.

In total, the Cavaliers had 16 turnovers, led by Love with six. In order for the Cavaliers to get over the hump and be a good team, because they were competitive again, they need to avoid these careless turnovers and have continuous good possessions.