After a dominant regular season and a smooth first-round sweep of the Miami Heat, the Cavs were jolted back to earth with a 121–112 Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Until now, things had come easy for new head coach Kenny Atkinson. Cleveland opened the season with a 15-game winning streak, cruised to a 64-18 record, and barely broke a sweat against Miami, trailing for just 17 minutes across four games.
But Indiana is a different story. These Pacers aren’t pushovers—they reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and came into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse looking like the faster, more focused team. They dictated the tempo from the opening tip.
This is exactly the kind of challenge Atkinson was hired to handle. His ability to translate strategy into success during the regular season was impressive. Now, he has to show he can make the right playoff adjustments when the pressure’s on.
What Went Wrong?
Yes, Cleveland shot poorly from deep—just 9 of 38 from three, their worst mark of the season. Meanwhile, Indiana was red-hot, hitting 19 of 35 from beyond the arc.
Atkinson admitted, “Their shot-making was otherworldly.”
But it wasn’t just a bad shooting night. The Cavs struggled with pace and rhythm. They looked rushed, forcing shots instead of moving the ball. Atkinson put it bluntly: “The ball was sticking … there will be a lot of clips where we’ll need to make one more pass.”
The numbers tell the story. Cleveland took 98 shots—30 from Donovan Mitchell (who made 13), and 20 from Ty Jerome (8 made). That’s not a balanced offense. Mitchell went just 1 for 11 from three and clearly grew frustrated as the offense stagnated.
While Jerome has been a fan favorite, he forced some questionable attempts. If the Cavs need Mitchell to shoot 30 times a night, they might steal a game—but they won’t win the series that way.
The Garland Factor
Missing All-Star guard Darius Garland hurts—badly. His speed and shooting are tailor-made for matching the Pacers’ fast-paced style. He’s the one Cavalier who can keep up with Indiana’s tempo.
Will Garland be back for Game 2 on Tuesday? Maybe. Maybe not.
This is why we say the playoffs really begin now. Injuries happen. The style of play shifts from round to round. Miami was methodical and slow—Indiana is quick, confident, and aggressive. That’s playoff basketball.
What About the Bigs?
Some are questioning whether Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley can stay on the floor together against such a fast team. But the big men delivered—Mobley and Allen combined for 32 points on 15-of-20 shooting. Cleveland dominated the paint, outscoring Indiana 70–38 inside.
Still, the Cavs launched more threes than the Pacers—38 to 35—which raises a question: why shoot so many threes when you’re clearly owning the interior?
The answer may lie in how Indiana’s tempo influenced Cleveland’s decisions. The Pacers pushed the pace, and Cleveland took the bait, rushing shots instead of playing to their strengths. As Atkinson said, “Our offense let us down.”
And now, it’s his job to fix it.
Game 2 is the next chance to adjust. For the Cavs—and for Kenny Atkinson—the real test has begun.