Rebounding played an integral role in putting the Indiana Pacers in position to almost steal Game 1 on Saturday at The Q.
They had a 50-43 rebounding edge against the defending champions—with the pair of Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner combining for 17 boards, nine of which are offensive rebounds.
But of course, it was none other than Paul George who was the biggest difference-maker for Indiana. He finished with a team-high 29 points on 9-for-19 shooting, five rebounds and seven assists. George also had the chance to be the hero with the game’s final possession that, unfortunately, turned into a C.J. Miles miss.
Despite the result, this team proved to us that it won’t be pushed around. The Pacers’ lengthy wings and big men caused certain matchup problems for Cleveland, and it’s going to be interesting to see how they can continue capitalizing on this.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were far from looking like the defending champions in Game 1. They, like during the second half of the regular season, made things hard for themselves, squandering a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before escaping with the 109-108 win after watching C.J. Miles’ miss the potential game-winner.
In what was his 200th postseason game, LeBron James lit up the Pacers with a game-best 32 points and added 13 assists, while his fellow superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love contributed 23 and 17 points, respectively.
The Cavs got some much-needed punch from the second unit, as Channing Frye pitched in 11 points, including three three-pointers. They’re going to need all the points they can get especially if their defense continues to be in regular-season mode. Cleveland is allowing 114.0 points in its last five games overall.
