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Cleveland Cavaliers

Five reasons LeBron James and the Cavs are in trouble after Game 3 loss to Pacers

Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson (1) takes a shot against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) during the first quarter in game three of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-90 in Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference series on Friday, taking a 2-1 series lead.

Cleveland had a 17-point halftime lead and took a 71-63 lead into the fourth quarter, and this season a Cavs’ lead headed into the fourth quarter had meant victory. Cleveland was 40-0 with a lead after three quarters this season until Friday’s loss. Bojan Bogdanovic picked a perfect time to score a career-high 30 points, including seven three-pointers. 

Game 4 is Sunday in Indianapolis with Indiana in position to take a 3-1 lead.

Here are five reasons the Cavs are in trouble and the Pacers can win this series. 

1. Pacers match up well with the Cavaliers 

Their Game 1 victory wasn’t a fluke and neither was their Game 3 victory. Coach Nate McMillan’s team plays solid offense and defense, they’re not afraid of the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions and they don’t panic no matter how far behind they are against Cleveland. They were down 57-40 at halftime and made it a close game for the final quarter. Don’t forget, Indiana beat Cleveland three of four times in the regular season.

2. Pacers know how to stop LeBron James

It’s impossible to eliminate James’ impact on a game, but the Pacers have made it difficult for James to dominate. Lance Stephenson, Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young – plus help defenders – have kept James in check as much as that’s possible. Indiana’s other defenders have done their job, too. Cleveland had just 20 points in the first 19 minutes, 30 seconds of the second half. The Cavs were 9 for 28 from the field and 1 for 12 on three-pointers and committed 10 turnovers in that stretch

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3. The Cavs aren’t getting enough help from players not named LeBron James or Kevin Love

James had 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists and Love had 19, but the rest of the team weren't significant contributors on the offensive end. Kyle Korver (zero points) and J.R. Smith were a combined 3 for 14 from the field. While George Hill had a decent game with 13 points, they’re not getting the necessary scoring production from Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson. This Cleveland roster hasn’t had a ton of time together since the big trade deadline deal in February, and that lack of chemistry/familiarity is hurting Cleveland.

4. The Cavs can’t hit their three-pointers

One of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, Cleveland shot just 31.3% in Game 3 and just 23.5% in Game 1. For a team that relies on the three ball, not making them has been detrimental.

5. Cleveland just can’t sustain the defensive effort for an entire game 

The Cavs have held Indiana under 100 in all three games but when they needed stops in this series, the Cavs had serious trouble preventing Indiana from scoring. Victor Oladipo has done his thing (18 points in Game 3), and Bogdanovic not only is making an effort defensively against James, he torched Cleveland for 30 points in Game 3. He buried 7 of 9 threes. Young had 12 points.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter. 

 

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