Cavs vs Pacers Game 3 & 4 Recap

The Cavs have bounced back from down 3-1 before, can they make history a second time with an unlikely comeback vs Indiana?

13 total times an NBA team has come back down 3-1 in a playoff series to win that series. That’s a meager 4.4% out of the 293 total times this situation has occurred in NBA playoff history. In other words, the probability top-seeded Cleveland finds a way to beat Indiana 3 straight games is about the same as winning a 50/50 drawing at a local high school game.

That being said... 9 years ago, the same Cavaliers franchise overcame going down 3-1 in the Finals against a Golden State Warriors team that had set the regular season wins record. Even though I was only 11 at the time, it is etched into my memory forever.

Everyone had counted the Cavs out. It seemed league MVP Stephen Curry and the 73-9 Warriors were just too good and the championship LeBron had promised Cleveland would have to wait another year.

Even when The Cavs won game 5, no one except fans actually thought they were going to win the series. But then Cleveland also won Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7 in Oakland.

I was not much of a basketball fan at that time, but vividly remember huddling around an iPad with my family trying to watch on that tiny screen. My dad and I intently watched every play of the breathtaking back-and-forth action. Then as the fourth quarter was coming to an end, it felt like no one had scored in ages. The game was tied at 89-89, and neither team could find that finishing blow until Kyrie Irving made his signature game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute. My dad and I cheered but knew Cleveland still had to stop the NBA's deadliest offense from scoring in the closing seconds to pull off the unthinkable.

While the Cavs would shock the basketball world by stopping the Warriors down the stretch on their home court, we found out the result before actually watching the dramatic finish.

As we anxiously watched the last couple possessions unfold, a notification popped up on the top of the screen: ‘Cavs win NBA Finals.’

Spoiler Alert! Me and my dad both saw it immediately.

The first championship for Cleveland sports fans in 52 years had been delivered in the most unlikely of scenarios. It was a special time to be a fan of the Cavaliers.

But enough nostalgia.

What does this year’s very different Cleveland team have to do in order to

come back and win their series vs the Pacers? First, let’s take a look at what happened in Games 3 and 4.

Game 3 was, as Donovan Mitchell said, a must-win game. Garland, Mobley, and Hunter all

returned from injury. Cleveland played like it right out of the gate, building an early 11-0 lead

which ended up being 23-8 midway through the quarter. But Indiana countered, and the game was tied 32-32 at the end of the first. This is when "Spida" took over.

Just like in Game 2, he got to the rim with ease and would not be stopped. Mitchell made several incredibly difficult shots while being fouled, leading Cleveland with 11 points in the second quarter and propelling Cleveland to a 66-45 lead at halftime.

Defensively, Cleveland played a zone with Evan Mobley at the top of the defense instead of the paint. Mobley’s length and versatility really flustered Indiana’s offense which had burnt the

Cavs in Game 1 and 2. Tyrese Haliburton especially had no answers and ended up finishing the game with only 8 points.

The third and fourth quarters were not much different. Anytime Indiana would attempt to make a run, Mitchell would go on a run of his own to put the game back out of reach. He

scored 12 points in the third and 14 points in the fourth, ending with a game-high 43. Teammates Max Strus and Mobley also had impressive performances and the group played like a team desperate for a win. A 126-104 victory showed that the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference had not and would not roll over and give up. They fought their way to a win in Indiana, and looked determined to do it again in Game 4.

Game 3 Leading Scorers:

Cavs:

Donovan Mitchell: 43 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists

Max Strus: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists

Pacers:

Bennedict Mathurin: 23 points

Pascal Siakam: 18 points

Game 4:

Spirits were high among Cleveland fans. A win in Game 4 would give the Cavs home court

advantage again, and after Game 3, it felt like it would be less of a long shot. It did not take long for those hopes to be dashed.

The Pacers quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead and were up 22-10 just over 6 minutes into the first. Then the unthinkable happened. A scuffle started between Mathurin and DeAndre Hunter broke out, leading to Mathurin being ejected from the game and two other technical fouls being assessed. All of a sudden, Indiana was without one of their leading scorers. I wish this shifted momentum and got the Cavs back into the game, but the Pacers extended their cushion to start the second quarter where things got much, much worse for Cleveland.

Indiana opened the quarter on a 10-0 run and just kept building on the lead. I am not typically one to say a game is over at halftime, but typically teams don’t go into the locker room down by 41 points. It was simply utter domination.

The zone defense that frustrated the Pacers just last game was all the sudden being shredded by Haliburton and T.J. McConnell. And just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, Mitchell re-aggravated an ankle injury during halftime warm-ups and would not be available to play the rest of the game. Worse still, he is questionable for Game 5 and considered a last-minute decision.

The final score of 129-109 does not show the real story. Indiana barely played any of their

starters in the second half and even though Cleveland trimmed the lead on the scoreboard, they never really showed any more fight or motivation.

Game 4 Leading Scorers:

Cavs:

Darius Garland: 21 points, 6 assists

Isaac Okoro: 13 points

Pacers:

Pascal Siakam: 21 points, 6 rebounds

Myles Turner: 20 points, 7 rebounds

The 2016 Cavs and the 2025 Cavs are alike only in name. Tristan Thompson is the only player on the roster left from 2016, but he is not in the normal rotation. Even still, Cleveland needs to find a way to match the resiliency of their past teams. If Mitchell does not play, Cleveland will practically need a perfect game if they are going to extend the series.

Game 5 is in Cleveland, where they have not won a game this series. Even still, any

team would much rather play an elimination game on their home court.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson will need to come up with a new game plan defensively that will make Indiana earn their points. The Cavaliers are not out yet, but they will need to find some of that 2016 magic in order to rewrite the history books again.

Sources:

Basketball Reference

ESPN