The Cleveland Cavaliers were up seven with one minute to go in a must win Game 2. Everything was going right. Donovan Mitchell was the best player on the floor, and the Cavs just melted down. There were plenty of excuses, but none of them matter. Cleveland is now down 2-0 in the series as things shift back to Indiana.
The Cavaliers superstar finished with 48 points, nine assists, five rebounds, four steals, and one block in 36 minutes of action, but it was not enough. Mitchell was gassed late and did not have enough in the tank to help Cleveland survive.
This was a heartbreaking loss with a comedy of errors in the final minute. There was just mistake after mistake to put them down 2-0. The Pacers have control of this series, and Cleveland has three uncertain injury scenarios. This one might already be over.
Cavaliers fall down 2-0 to Pacers after epic collapse
Cleveland was up 14 to start the fourth and already had 98 points. It felt like they would cruise to a comfortable win. The Pacers put the advantage to seven with 57 seconds remaining. Mitchell had just made two free throws before things quickly went south.
The Cavaliers couldn’t grab a rebound after two missed Siakam free throws. That was followed by a Mitchell turnover and an easy Siakam bucket before another Cleveland turnover. It left the Cavs up three with 12 seconds remaining, but a foul on Haliburton and another non-rebounder allowed the Pacers star to score four points to close out at Pacers' win.
It was an impossible set of circumstances that happened. The Cavaliers looked gassed, but Kenny Atkinson deserves plenty of blame. Cleveland was shorthanded, but he went with Isaac Okoro for significant stretches. There was no ideal option, but the Cavs should have changed things up late, especially as the team on the floor looked spent.
Cleveland needs to get healthy or their 64-win season will end with the same result as last year. Atkinson made the team better, but injuries are always a factor in the playoffs. It may just not be the Cavs' year. This series is not over, but going down 2-0 and having three road games remaining makes this a nearly impossible feat.
The Cleveland Cavaliers return to the floor on Friday. They need to get some of their key players back and face an absolute must-win. No team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. Cleveland is unlikely to be the first. Can they win with their season on the line? Tuesday’s loss felt like a backbreaker, but fans will now find out what this roster is made of.