Cavaliers Collapse in the Clutch in Game 2, Face Crushing 0-2 Climb

This year was supposed to be different for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Last year, they pulled off another impressive regular season in their second campaign with Donovan Mitchell. Their postseason performance was a different story, though.

Still a young team, with scarce playoff experience among their core players outside of Mitchell, the Cavs barely squeaked by a flawed Orlando Magic team in the 2024 first round, needing seven games to beat Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in their first-ever playoff series. Then, they were handily dismantled by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, getting dispatched in five quick games.

This past season, it appeared like the Cavs had taken a leap. Evan Mobley won Defensive Player of the Year and took significant strides on offense, especially as an on-ball scorer. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen continued their upward trajectories as rising young stars. Their role players and depth looked playoff-ready, especially after trading for De'Andre Hunter.

They cruised through the regular season and earned the top spot in the East. Then, they shrugged off the feisty, well-coached, and playoff-seasoned Miami Heat in a dominant sweep. Everything looked like it was coming together for Cleveland. Then, they got punched in the mouth in Game 1, falling to the Indiana Pacers in their series opener, 112-121. Garland's absence with a sprained big toe certainly played a role, but it looked more like the Cavs simply weren't ready to play high-level basketball after essentially coasting for four games straight against the Heat.

Game 2 was supposed to be their revenge. The Pacers had already stolen homecourt advantage, and Cleveland just received a sobering wake-up call. It should have been a blowout in the Cavs' favor.

Then, 30 minutes before tip-off, it was announced that Garland would be held out again in Game 2, along with Mobley and Hunter, who both suffered minor injuries in their first bout against Indiana.

Because of how shorthanded they were in a must-win Game 2, there was a palpable nervous energy in Rocket Arena. The Cavs did a great job dispelling that anxiety early on, though. Behind some impressive team basketball and defensive intensity, Cleveland jumped out to an early lead, pulling ahead 32-15 in the first quarter.

The ball was bouncing around nicely, the defense was moving as a cohesive unit, and Mitchell was making all the right plays where he was needed. He'd finish with 48 points and looked like he was in complete control of the game... until the last few minutes.

The Cavaliers used their large first-quarter cushion to maintain a lead throughout the entire night. Max Strus hit a contested 3-pointer to put Cleveland up by seven with just 1:08 left on the clock. That should have been the dagger. Instead, disaster ensued from there.

After a timeout from Indiana, the Cavs give up an easy lay-up to Tyrese Haliburton in three seconds, allowing the Pacers to cut the lead to five with 1:03 remaining in the game. Head Coach Kenny Atkinson spends a timeout to ensure his team inbounds the ball properly and to bring in his best free-throw shooters. After a successful inbound, Mitchell is fouled and hits both his attempts from the stripe, bringing the lead back to seven.

Pascal Siakam is then fouled on the next trip down for the Pacers. He missed both, but the Cavs fail to box out, allowing Aaron Nesmith to fly in from the perimeter for a putback that cuts the lead back to five with 48 seconds left. Mitchell then gets trapped on the inbounds and commits an offensive foul by elbowing Nesmith in the face, trying to create space.

Haliburton gets Jarrett Allen on a switch, but Allen is able to recover on the drive and reject the lay-up attempt. Cleveland again fails to secure the rebound, leading to an offensive rebound and score from Siakam to bring the lead down to three with 27 seconds left. The Cavs use their last timeout.

Despite talking it over, Cleveland can't spring anyone open on the sideline out-of-bounds after the timeout. Strus throws it away on the inbound, and Haliburton draws a foul after the Pacers get the steal. He hits his first but misses the second, but the Cavaliers fail to rebound again. Haliburton grabs his own miss, backs the ball out behind the arc, dances with Ty Jerome, and nails a pull-up triple to take the lead with just one second left. Cleveland has no timeouts remaining and no hope left.

The Cavaliers went from pulling out a gutsy win without Garland, Mobley, and Hunter to soiling a seven-point lead in a minute and six seconds. Now, they'll go on the road for two straight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after digging a 0-2 hole for themselves at home.

NBA teams are just 34-429 in series after starting 0-2. Of those 34 squads that pulled off the comeback, only five of them were teams that managed to do it after losing those first two games at home. Getting Garland, Mobley, and Hunter back will certainly help, but the Cavaliers will literally be battling history to try to keep their title hopes alive this year.