On March 30, the Cavaliers' playoff hopes were still alive. They were 2.5 back of Atlanta for the not-so-coveted 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Kyrie Irving was still recovering from a lingering injury, leaving Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters, and Matthew Dellavedova to man the point guard position. In typical Cleveland fashion, the weather was hovering around 35 degrees but the embers of playoff hope were still burning.
The number one seed in the East, the Indiana Pacers, were coming into town. Prior to the All-Star break the game looked like a sure loss for the Cavaliers. The Pacers were playing incredible defense, anchored by Roy Hibbert, and using their unparalleled length to bully opponents into poor shooting percentages. Concentrated bursts of scoring, from Paul George, Lance Stepehenson, and David West, mostly carried the Pacers offense.
But the Pacers had collapsed following the break. They were losing more than they were winning and rumors of their locker room implosion were plastered across the Internet. This was a team in free fall.
Cleveland needed to win.
Kyrie Irving was still recovering from a lingering injury, leaving Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters, and Matthew Dellavedova to man the point guard position. In typical Cleveland fashion, the weather was hovering around 35 degrees but the embers of playoff hope were still burning.
The number one seed in the East, the Indiana Pacers, were coming into town. Prior to the All-Star break the game looked like a sure loss for the Cavaliers. The Pacers were playing incredible defense, anchored by Roy Hibbert, and using their unparalleled length to bully opponents into poor shooting percentages. Concentrated bursts of scoring, from Paul George, Lance Stepehenson, and David West, mostly carried the Pacers offense.
But the Pacers had collapsed following the break. They were losing more than they were winning and rumors of their locker room implosion were plastered across the Internet. This was a team in free fall.
Cleveland needed to win.