Game 7: Indiana Pacers 101 - 105 Cleveland Cavaliers - 5 Talking Points

#2 Tristan Thompson has a throwback game

Thompson looked back to his bullying best

Coach Ty Lue fielded what turned out to be his 35th different starting lineup of the 2017-18 NBA season for the Cavs. Tristan Thompson was handed his first playoff start, and the first this season in quite a while. He paid off Lue's faith in him in kind, doing all the dirty work and providing a stout defensive presence inside the Cavaliers' paint - an area where they were completely dominated in Game 6.

Playing essentially as a center with Love out on the perimeter as a stretch power forward, Thompson logged 15 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block in 34 minutes of game time. Included in those 10 boards were 5 crucial offensive boards, as the Cavs won the all-important battle of the boards 44-37.

If Thompson continues to anchor the paint like this and crash the offensive glass with consistency, the Cavaliers will be almost as good as their iteration from the 2017 postseason.