Pacers beat the Cavaliers 129-109 and led 3-1! In this battle, I see 5 realities clearly

On May 12, the Pacers ushered in a G4 battle with the Cavaliers at home. The Pacers, who had a 2-0 lead, fell into the psychological curse of "wanting to win and afraid of losing" in the home G3 game. The point guard Halliburton scored only 1 of 6 points in the 17th minute of the first half, like sleepwalking. The targeted three-and-two joint defense deployed by the Cavaliers became a fatal killer move - Mobriti went to the top of the arc to serve as the defensive commander, and his excellent transverse ability and Allen's frame protection maneuverability formed a solid wall, completely dismantling Halliburton's pick-and-roll tactics relied on to become famous. What made the Pacers even worse was that Siakam did not wake up from a dream until Mobri ended in the last quarter, and Turner was injured and retreated. Thomas Bryant lacked space pulling ability, and the team's offense fell into the quagmire of the Cavaliers' preset, and Matherine alone fought alone to make it difficult to stop the decline. In the end, the Pacers lost the G3 battle.

Although the Cavaliers reversed and won, the hidden dangers of their lineup still exist. Garland's toe injury was not healed, and his condition was in a sluggish after returning. The team's net score was negative when he was on the same game as Mitchell. Merrill has a clear body disadvantage in the bench and the number one position is in a critical state. But the biggest gain of the G3 Cavaliers lies in rebounding competition - Mobley returned from the fire with an injury, grabbed 5 frontcourt rebounds in a single game, activates the team's awareness of rushing. Mitchell became a super scorer in the semi-finals of the division, averaging 41.3 points per game. In the second quarter of the G3 game, he opened the score difference and scored a key ball in the last quarter, becoming the Cavaliers' winning goal. The

G4 battle is crucial for the Pacers, and once they squander the home advantage, the balance of the series suddenly tilts. The difference between 3-1 and 2-2 is huge. The Pacers started slowly at the beginning of the first three games, and were repeatedly crushed by the score difference and lost rebounds. This is the Pacers G4 needs to pay attention to. At the same time, if the Pacers want to win, Halliburton needs to regain their core character - even if their personal score is silent, they need to activate their teammates through passing. On the other hand, the Cavaliers are intertwined with problems such as lack of substitutes, Garland faces a sluggish state, and potential injuries. If Mobri cannot play dominant power in the interior, or Mitchell cannot provide unsolvable singles, it will be difficult to win. In the first quarter, the Pacers quickly got into the state and scored a 7-0 climax at the beginning, easily establishing a leading advantage. On the other hand, the Cavaliers seem quite passive and have never found the rhythm of the game. Entering the quarter, Turner and Toppin of the Pacers felt even more enthusiastic, hitting three-pointers in a row, leading the team to a 17-4 offensive, widening the gap to double digits in one fell swoop. As the team that ranked first in scoring and offensive efficiency per game so far in the playoffs, the Cavaliers suffered a Waterloo in the second quarter, scoring only 16 points in a single quarter, which was surprising. The Pacers took advantage of the victory and pursued the attack with a tide. They sent 25 assists in the first half, and cooperated with each other and went smoothly. In the 10-man rotation, except for Mathering, who only played for one minute, all the other nine players scored. The Cavaliers collapsed because their shooting percentage was only 25% in the first half. The Pacers scored 80 points and entered the second half with a 41-point lead with a playoff record.

The change of sides and then changed sides, Mitchell did not appear for some reason and withdrew from the game early. In the third quarter, the Cavaliers finally regained some feelings and scored 38 points in a single quarter. However, due to the huge hole in the first half, they only recovered 9 points in a single quarter, which failed to pose too much threat to the Pacers. In the final quarter, both sides basically played as substitutes, and the game lost its suspense early. In the end, the Pacers defeated the Cavaliers at home and successfully won the match point. In this game, the Pacers were more prepared and took the initiative at the beginning, winning the G4 battle with a great victory for the whole nation. The Pacers' team scored 7 players in double digits, including 4 of them scoring 20+, Turner scored 20 points, Siakam scored 21 points, Halliburton scored 11 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists without showing off, Toppin on the bench scored 20 points, Shepard scored 14 points, and McConaughey scored 13 points. On the other hand, the Cavaliers were completely restricted. Mitchell was injured and retreated without any intention of fighting. Mobley scored 10 points and Allen scored 2 points. The two towers were completely suppressed. Mitchell scored 12 points in 20 minutes and Garland scored 21 points. This game allows me to fully see the following 5 practical issues.

①, it is difficult for the Cavaliers to advance, but Mitchell tried his best! In the first three games of the series, Mitchell averaged 41.3 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He scored 40+ in two consecutive games in the playoffs, becoming the second person in the Cavaliers' history. Mitchell supported the Cavaliers' offensive system with his own strength. The heavy burden on the offensive end also caused Mitchell to suffer injuries, not only his calf was strained, but also his left knee was injured. This makes Mitchell not very efficient in G4! To be honest, once you can't play this or your condition is not high, the Cavaliers want to reverse when they are behind 1-3, which is comparable to climbing the sky.

②. The Cavaliers really lack luck this year. They won the first place in the Eastern Conference in the regular season and did not know how to arrange the players' playing time reasonably. When the playoffs came, Garland suffered an injury, and Mobley and Hunter also missed the G2 game, which caused the Cavaliers' lineup to plummet, and were beaten by Halliburton, losing two home games in a row, which completely imbalanced in the mentality of the Cavaliers. Garland forced a comeback when she was 0-2, but her condition was far from the standard of the playoffs. The Cavaliers G3 still relied on Mitchell's crazy output, which eventually led to Mitchell's injury.

③, Pacers were seriously underestimated. After getting Siakam last season, they defeated the Bucks in the first round and the Knicks in the second round. Even though they reached the Eastern Conference Finals, they did not pay much attention. This season, the Pacers started with 9 wins and 14 losses, and their record dropped to ninth in the Western Conference. US media even named Halliburton the most overrated star, but starting from the middle of the season, the Pacers made great efforts and finally won 50 wins and entered the playoffs. They eliminated the Bucks again in the first round, and now lead the Cavaliers 3-1 again.. The Pacers' lineup is very well rotated, and there are too many points to score. Halliburton's tandem organization makes everyone evenly matched, making it difficult for the opponent to defend. In addition, there are two barrier points in the interior, Siakam and Turner, so the Pacers have almost no shortcomings.

④, Halliburton evolved, Halliburton has always been underestimated, and his organizational support ability is really terrifying. Facing the Cavaliers' double towers, Halliburton can easily train military training and easily tear the Cavaliers' defense with passes. In addition, although Halliburton occasionally feels bad on the offensive end, he is always the same as a killer and dares to take responsibility at critical moments. If they continue to fight like this, they will definitely reach a new height.

⑤. As of now, the eight teams that play in the division semi-finals have real signs of winning the championship are just these 4 teams, one is the Thunder, one is the Timberwolves, one is the Celtics, and the other is the Pacers. The models of the Thunder, the Timberwolves and the Pacers are very similar, with a deep rotation lineup, and the team's core are all young stars. If the Pacers can defeat the Celtics and enter the finals, I personally think that they are more likely to win the championship whether they face the Timberwolves or the Thunder.