Indy Streaks Ahead

When I saw the Cleveland Cavaliers a few years back; I knew they had something in them. That length; so undefinable on a basketball court; they just had it. 6'11" Evan Mobley. 6'10" Jarrett Allen. That ability to stretch and influence things on the basketball court. The play of Darius Garland. Well they were a little raw back then. Add a few more years; add Donovan Mitchell to the mix; and the recipe was perfect. For a long time this season; they were the best team on the planet; finishing second in the end to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And now they are in deep trouble. After losing both games at home to the upstart Indiana Pacers; they threatened to get back even after winning Game 3. Which left Game 4 very much in the balance. And it was a total whitewash by the Pacers. You know when a player gets in the zone; and it's so fun to watch. Well the entire Pacers team was in the zone. And I mean everybody. Whether it was 6'10" big man Obi Toppin muscling inside for a lay-up; 7'0" center Myles Turner draining threes from way downtown ; or unheralded whitie T.J. McConnell driving to the hoop; everything was falling for the Pacers. So much so that they built up a scary 41-point lead at halftime. It indeed felt like a fairytale.

After beating up almost everybody in the Regular Season; the Cavs almost seemed like they forgotten how to play in this one. They came out lacklustre; tired almost; which was almost baffling for a game of such importance. Their movement was slow; they weren't getting open looks; and everything felt rushed. They also forced passes at strange sequences; leading to turnovers and fast-break points for the home side. The Pacers could even afford to lose key player Bennedict Mathurin; who was ejected after an altercation with the Cavs' De'Andre Hunter. But perhaps the highlight of the night was Toppin's Dr. J-esque right-to-left swoop and scooping lay-up; a testament to the iconic commercial play that many thought could never be repeated.